“Once you get on Apple’s bad side, it’s hard to climb back into its good graces, and AppGratis is starting to learn that the hard way,” Buster Heine reports for Cult of Mac.
“After pulling AppGratis’ app from the App Store last week, Apple has also decided to kill push notifications on the app for users that still have it installed,” Heine reports. “This is the first time we’ve seen Apple kill certain functionality on an app after users have already installed it.”
Heine reports, “Tt was revealed earlier this week that AppGratis was charging developers large sums of money to promote their app and game the App Store charts. Apple subsequently banned the app for push notification violations and promoting apps in a manner that was confusing with the App Store… As long as AppGratis is taking money from developers to promote apps so they get a high ranking in the App Store, we doubt Apple will ever let them back in. AppGratis undermined the integrity of Apple’s App Charts, which isn’t something Apple will quickly forgive.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Leaked document shows AppGratis used lure of App Store rankings to attract cash from developers – April 16, 2013
French minister threatens EU action over Apple’s removal of Paris-based AppGratis from App Store – April 11, 2013
AppGratis CEO: The day Apple pulled us from their App Store, ‘I almost fainted’ – April 9, 2013
Apple pulls AppGratis from App Store two months after it raised $13.5 million in funding – April 8, 2013
Application to be an App Store reviewer. Please check those that apply.
1. Are a closet Nazi?
2. Do you believe that Heinrich Himmler is a model leader?
3. Does Hermann Goering ring a bell?
4. Do you think that the Reichstag is architecturally magnificent?
5. Will you deny soup to an app developer if he so much as speaks out against you?
6. Do you sleep at night with a figure of Adolf Hitler under your bed?
Please write in 100 words or less why you think the App Store approval process should be more like Mein Kampf.
Are you a fool on purpose? AppGratis was gaming the system, promoting apps based upon how much developers were willing to pay them, or bribe them.
He thought naming himself after an idiot’s testicle was a good idea, how much more evidence do you need?!
Not only that, but he hit Godwins Law all on his own.
-_-
I disagree. It’s obvious that AppGratis was gaming the system. AppShopper was pulled from the App Store for also having a “storefront” similar to Apple’s own, but their push notifications continue to function fine. The key difference here is that AppShopper wasn’t caught charging developers for the privilege of being guaranteed a spot on the charts (doesn’t mean they didn’t do it, just didn’t get caught).
This is an example of Apple making sure that developers get a fair shake without being able to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to take a shortcut to “success”.
Totally correct. Now Apple needs to bring the same justice to all the other apps that fit this kind of profile.
Application to be a BLN post:
1) Must be either stupid, sexual or well thought out
2) Must not combine the above elements
3) Must be present on a wide variety of topics
4) Must keep the reader guessing as to authors mental state
5) Must appeal to or repulse a wide audience
6). Must be at least 293 characters long
If the integrity of the App Store and its ratings are undermined, how many debs will eventually loose out? The App Store is a very attractive option for debs and needs to remain so.
While I personally love and benefited from AppGratis (and others), they are wrongly manipulating the App Store and Apple have done well to protect users. Again.
1. Are a closet Nazi? YES! SIEG HEIL!
2. Do you believe that Heinrich Himmler is a model leader? THANKFULLY YES, BETTER THAN THE CHIMP FROM KENYA!
3. Does Hermann Goering ring a bell? DOES HE RING YOURS!
4. Do you think that the Reichstag is architecturally magnificent? YES, DOES YOUR MOTHER?
5. Will you deny soup to an app developer if he so much as speaks out against you? YES, AND KICK HIS ASS DOWN THE ROAD!
6. Do you sleep at night with a figure of Adolf Hitler under your bed? NAW, HANGING ON MY WALL. EAT IT, BITCH.
And this user will be banned in 1, 2, 3…
I am voting for Apple to take over running the SEC. There are plenty of people on Wall Street who game the system not unlike AppGratis developers. Unfortunately the SEC does not cut them off at knees like Apple does.
I for one do not subscribe to Ballmer’s left nut way of thinking.
Maybe AppGratis shouldn’t have tried to scam the system for their own benefit. They knew exactly what they were doing so they were willing to risk the integrity of the whole system for their own gain. Greedy Fu$ks anyway. Good for Apple for protecting the consumer and the other developers.
Yeah, Apple should take the machete to a lot more dodgy apps on the App Store.
Rain fire Apple!!!!
This makes me wonder. What does similar programs do? They must be doing something to convince developers to give away their Apps for free?