Hi everyone,
I recently finished to develop my first app, a calculator for e-liquids - liquids for electronic cigarettes.
Should anyone be interested, this is the FB landing page (FB will require you to be logged in in order to access the page)
Before starting the design, I carefully went through the App Store Review Guidelines to make sure my app would comply with them.
I also checked the Apple Store for similar apps, finding a few other e-liquid calculators - same purpose, different design.
Having made sure that my app comply with the guidelines and meets the originality requisites and reassured by the fact that e-liquids calculators are already on the store I went ahead with the development.
Three months later I submitted my app and with my great surprise it was rejected because not complying with the Store Guidelines and particularly:
• 2.18 - Apps that encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or illegal substances, or encourage minors to consume alcohol or smoke cigarettes, will be rejected
Genuinely thinking this was a misunderstanding, I started an appeal process, explaining that:
- As for "encourage minors to consume alcohol or smoke cigarettes"
The app is rated +17 - also, in the app Terms and Conditions, it states that you need to be of legal age in order to use it. So, no minors involved here.
- As for "encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or illegal substances"
My app is clearly in a different place all together: all the substances required to mix e-liquids are legally sold in UK, EU and US - and possibly worldwide.
No alcohol is involved, at all. Not encouragement to consume illegal substances - and, for what matters - not even legal substances (it is just a calculator to find out the right proportions of different ingredients, it doesn’t encourage anyone to do anything).
After a few mails, I eventually managed to speak with a Reviewer, feeling rather confident I’d be able to clarify the matter over the phone.
The telephone meeting...
With my great disbelief I was told that everything involving e-cigarettes is not acceptable according to the store policy, again on the basis of the aforementioned 2.18
When I stressed that 2.18 doesn't say anything of this kind and that e-cigarettes are not even mentioned in 2.18, the Reviewer replied that Apple can't take into consideration every possible scenario in the guidelines but still there is no way their Policy would allow to publish my app.
I then stressed that a rule should be as generic and abstract as possible in order to cover for a variety of different scenarios (rely on abstractions not on concretions, right?).
It also appears clear to me that the "spirit" of the 2.18 is related to abuse of regulated substances (such as alcohol) and use of illegal substances, where the key word for legal substances is the "abuse" and "encouragement" - and I still don't get how an e-cigarette calculator falls into this scenario.
Anyway, after the Reviewer repeated for the third time that their Policy would not allow etc. regardless to what is written in the Review Guidelines I eventually mentioned that similar apps are actually sold on the store right now... and I also provided the links in advance, before the telephone meeting.
So I enquired in what way my app was different from the ones that are already on the store.
At which the Reviewer replied that she didn't check these links (ok, thanks for taking your time to prepare our telephone meeting) but that I should feel free to report such apps officially and they will be taken down if not complying with the Store policy ⚠
I found myself wondering how these apps have been approved in first place... Better don't ask.
Bottom line, the rejection has been confirmed over the phone.
I closed the "meeting" clarifying that I don't object to the fact that e-cigarettes-related topics should be considered inappropriate - it is up to Apple to decide what goes on the store, I have no problem with that.
I just reject the idea that the guidelines can be interpreted in such a way that you don't have a reliable reference to check whether your work will be accepted until you get to the end of the process and submit your app.
Eventually, I asked and received a final written feedback.
My app was rejected on the basis of 2.18. I report the comment of the Appeal Reviewer:
"Your app appears to promote inappropriate uses of controlled substance(s) with references such as vaping and e-cigarettes.
Specifically, the app includes a nicotine calculator and vaping recipes, which are not appropriate."
This is my first app, so maybe I am being naive, but I feel that referring to an undisclosed policy (not available to the developers community) or adopting such an "open" interpretation of the available guidelines in order to arbitrary reject someone's work shows very little consideration for the developers, their time and their money.
I am aware of the disclaimer that is published at the beginning of the guidelines:
• "We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, "I'll know it when I see it". And we think that you will also know it when you cross it.
Sorry Apple, I didn't realize I crossed that line, in all honesty.
And yes, the fact that I need to accept the above disclaimer in order to be able to publish on the Store, doesn’t make it any fairer IMO. You are simply saying that you reseve the right to reject an app on the basis of your (uncommunicated and ever evolving) idea of appropriateness.
Sorry for the bitter tone of this post, I hope it didn't sound disrespectful to the Reviewers community, which I'm sure take their job seriously and do the best to professionally analyze all the submissions.
My point is, if a reliable and up to date set of guidelines had been available in first place I would have avoided wasting three months of my life developing an app that will never make it to the Store.
Am I being naive or biased? Am I missing something?
Peace,
Alex
