In Apple’s world, an app may be inappropriate one day, but acceptable the next. This is what the developer of Amphetamines—An app design to put Macs to sleep, which is useful in situations such as downloading a file or using a specific app – recently learned when Apple contacted him and told him that his app follows the company’s guidelines ‘s App Store infringes.
Amphetamine developer William Gustafson an account published of the incident and his experience with Apple’s App Store review team on GitHub Friday. In the report, Gustafson explained that Apple contacted him on December 29 and said that Amphetamine, which has been in the Mac App Store for six years, suddenly started violating one of the App Store guidelines. In particular, Gustafson said that Apple claims that amphetamine appears to promote the inappropriate use of controlled drugs, given its name – amphetamines are used to ADHD—And because the icon contains a pill.
Gizmodo contacted Gustafson via direct Twitter messages and confirmed his account via screenshots of the conversation with Apple shared by the developer. We also contacted Apple to comment on the matter, but we received no response.
“As we discussed, we found that your app contains content that some users may find disturbing, offensive, or otherwise offensive,” an Apple representative told Gustafson on Dec. 29, according to a screenshot shared with Gizmodo. “Your app name and icon contain specific references to controlled substances, pills.”
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The representative then opened the App Store Riglyn 1.4.3, which relates to safety and physical damage. The guideline is as follows:
‘Applications that encourage the use of tobacco and vapor products, illegal drugs or excessive amounts of alcohol are not allowed in the App Store. Programs that encourage minors to consume any of these drugs will be rejected. The facilitation of the sale of marijuana, tobacco or controlled drugs (except for licensed pharmacies) was not permitted. ”
To solve the problem, the Apple representative said Gustafson should remove all content that encourages the inappropriate use of drugs or alcohol. Gustafson explained in his Github entry that on January 12, Apple threatened to remove Amphetamine from the Mac App Store if it did not compel its request for changes.
If this all sounds like a bit to you, it’s because it is. Although Amphetamine uses its name and trademark to gently transfer the fact that the program will prevent your Mac from going to sleep, it does not violate Guideline 1.4.3. Everyone who uses the app knows that it’s specifically designed to put your computer to sleep if you do not want to. And if the arrow icon bothers you for some reason, you can change it to a number of different options, from a coffee mug or a teapot to an owl or a sleeping emoji.
Gustafson also objected to Apple’s reasoning to target Amphetamine, saying the app does not promote the use of legal or illegal drugs, nor does it facilitate the sale of controlled drugs. Apple also did not apply its guidelines fairly and consistently, Gustafson argued in his Github argument.
As an example he mentions other applications, such as Coca, which is also used to prevent Macs from going to sleep. The Coca icon contains a leaf and the coca plant can be used to make it cocaine. Gustafson also pointed this out Drug Mafia – Weed Pawn Shop, an iPad game where players ‘have to build’ [their] reputation with suppliers ”and“ growth [their] empire and become a drug lord, ”among other things according to the app’s description. iBeer, another iPad app given by Gustafson as an example, is also in the App Store. It simulates drinking beer on your phone.
‘You can find quite a few other apps in the App Store that promote irresponsible use of legal and illegal drugs, or directly glorify the manufacture and sale of illegal drugs. “These other apps have not been removed from the App Store or forced to be re-branded,” Gustafson wrote.
The developer also argued that Apple now has a problem with the app did not make sense, as the company Amphetamine as one of its featured apps in the App Store. He confirmed that he has confirmed all the interactions with Apple employees over the years and all the times they have done so. had actually made him change things like his preview screenshots or the app’s standard behavior in the menu bar, Amphetamine’s brand identity has never been questioned. Gustafson said Amphetamine had been in the App Store for six years, submitting 41 app updates or submissions that Apple could review.
Gustafson said his app, which is free, has been downloaded more than 432,800 times and currently has more than 1,400 reviews and a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating in the US Mac App Store. In addition to his report on the incident on GitHub, Gustafson also has a Change.org petition – which at the time of publication collected more than 550 signatures – and also encouraged sympathizers to retweet it Twitter and vote for his post Reddit.
In this case, Gustafson managed to show Apple the absurdity of his ways. The developer told Gizmodo on Saturday that the appeal he had filed against the alleged violation of the App Store guidelines had been accepted and that the issue had been resolved.
‘[T]the App Review Board considered your appeal and determined that the original rejection was invalid, ”an Apple representative told Gustafson on Saturday. “We have found that the app does not violate the App Store Review Guideline 1.4.3, as the app uses the term ‘amphetamine’ metaphorically and is not intended to promote drug use.”
Gustafson told Gizmodo that this meant that he would leave Amphetamine and not change the brand or identity, adding that the majority of responses he received during this incident supported the application as it was, support. However, this does not mean that Amphetamine is free from future problems with the big technology giant.
“I’m hope that the next (and subsequent) updates will go through without any objections from Apple, but just as this issue seems to be coming out of nowhere, there may be something else that Apple suddenly disagrees with,” Gustafson told Gizmodo. ‘It’s really an unfortunate side effect of distributing apps via the App Store. As a developer, you just have no idea if Apple will close you one day. Honestly, I’m thankful I have a ‘regular’ 9-5 job that pays the bills. I’m not dependent on App Store sales like many other developers. ‘