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Apple to Let Developers Challenge App Rules, Won’t Delay Updates

Apple Inc. apps are displayed during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference seen on a laptop computer in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Monday, June 22, 2020. Apple will walk into its annual development conference facing one of the biggest backlashes from its giant community of creators since the App Store started almost 12 years ago. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
By Bloomberg
23 Jun 2020
0

Apple Inc. said it will start letting developers challenge App Store store policies and won’t delay app updates over rule violations, possibly easing tensions with the creators who help fuel the iPhone maker’s growing services business.

“First, developers will not only be able to appeal decisions about whether an app violates a given guideline of the App Store Review Guidelines, but will also have a mechanism to challenge the guideline itself,” Apple said Monday in a statement on its website. “Second, for apps that are already on the App Store, bug fixes will no longer be delayed over guideline violations except for those related to legal issues.”

Developers have criticized the company recently for its App Store rules after an update to the email app Hey was rejected for not abiding by in-app-purchase rules. European regulators and U.S. lawmakers also have been scrutinizing Apple on antitrust issues because the company generally requires developers to use its App Store payment service, which takes a cut of 15% to 30% of most app subscriptions and in-app purchases.

The company put the newly announced decision into practice Monday by approving Hey’s updated app with bug fixes while the email app’s developers work on a solution to the in-app-purchase issue.

The shift is one of several moves made on Monday at its annual developers conference that could alleviate anticompetitive complaints. The company also opened up its HomePod smart speaker to third-party music services and enabled users to change their default iOS email and web browser apps to third-party options, confirming a February Bloomberg News report.

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