Developers Add iOS 8 Features, See Apps Disappear From App Store

This fall’s launch of iOS 8 has brought new functionality to the iPad and iPhone. Unfortunately, it has also brought stories of app developers who are having difficulty navigating the waters of the App store, and getting approval for their apps. Both Business Insider and the Guardian reported last week that developers have expressed frustration with the apps being rejected for reasons that sometimes seemed capricious.

According to Business Insider, “The company has taken a tougher stance on developers since the launch of iOS 8, Apple’s newest mobile operating system.”

In general, developers seem to be at peace with the idea that Apple sometimes rejects apps. Although this can be problematic for smaller developers, who only produce one app, Apple has been very clear since the creation of the app store that they wanted to keep app quality high, and have operated as the gatekeeper to maintain that. Even developers who have incorporated features designed to be used within iOS 8 have been told that those features must be removed in order for the app to continue to be sold.

The app developer team Panic shared the recent troubles they’d had with their app, Transit.

The trouble, if you’d prefer to avoid wading through the tech-speak, is that Apple told Panic that their app couldn’t send content to services other than iCloud (like Dropbox). However, the area of the app that Panic could use to “send” from their app included those other services, and since it was controlled only by iOS 8, could not be modified. The only solution for the Panic team was to entirely remove the ability to “send” from their app.

MacRumors explained the situation.

“iOS 8 brought quite a few changes to iOS, including Notification Center widgets, third-party keyboards, and deep integration between apps in the form of extensions. Apple has had difficulty sorting out how it wants various features in iOS 8 to be used, however, and the company’s indecision and its unclear documentation has led to several instances where developers were asked to remove key functions from their apps.”

Ultimately, Apple decided that Panic could continue to use the “send” feature within their app, but many users seem as frustrated by the wavering as they did by the initial removal of the app. Some developers question why the app was ever removed, if ultimately it was not breaking any rules.

As customers debate iOS vs. Android Lollipop, the iPhone 6 Plus vs. the Nexus 6, this highlights why there’s more to decide than just which phone you want in your pocket, as you debate what your holiday spirit of choice should stuff under your festive shrubbery.

Have you had issues with iOS 8 or the app store?

[Image from Gotta Be Mobile]