This isn’t a “big bad Apple” story.
Just one review of the app from the article:
“I bought this to get what looks like a Rolex watch face … it’s not a face it’s just a picture … hands don’t even move,” wrote one customer. “Does this company have permission from Rolex to do this? I took it they did but I doubt it. Pure scam to get money from people. I want a refund it’s not acceptable. I will also report to Rolex and see if they do anything.”
It also sounds like they may have been faking reviews and other shenanigans.
I guess some people would simply “download a Rolex”.
So what did the guy win? I’m not clicking that link, sry
App Store guidelines are too strict for developers, I think it will be better for mobile developer to develop their app for android ecosystem, not ios
The problem with doing android dev work is that android users simply refuse to pay for useful apps. iOS users on the other hand are more open to it.
As a developer it makes sense to prioritize iOS if you like money.
Why pay for apps when you can just sideload pirated version from dubious origin and pay with your privacy and crypto mine for the pirate distributing it?
Oh, wait, I just said the quiet part alt store advocates doesn’t want to say out loud.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
why pay money for something when there exists an open source app that does the same thing (it hasn’t been updated in years)
That sounds like anecdotal evidence. Android is more popular in more than half of the world and a lot of apps are successful and generate income on both platforms.
If you look at developer experience it’s absolutely is true. Android users just prefer free/ad supported/pirated software. If you’re an android user look at your own habits. What android applications have you purchased?
You can search for statistics from any source online and you’ll get the same results. But in the end if you code for iOS you need to test and debug for fewer devices and you will make more money overall. There are wayyyy more android users but 70% of all mobile app spend is on iOS. Deving for iOS just makes sense if you like money.
https://backlinko.com/iphone-vs-android-statistics#iphone-vs-android-app-spending
None of this account for differences in purchasing power and phone price.
If you have an $150 Android device, I would of course expect you to spend way less on software than somebody with a $1500 iPhone.
I’m not saying ‘develop for Android only’ but if your business relies on one ecosystem only, you’re at a higher risk and you’re leaving money on the table.
You are 100% right.
If you dev for only one you will be leaving money on the table. But for small / solo devs I can 100% see why focusing on iOS and those high paying customers makes sense if all you care about is money.
Then once you have a customer base then you build out an android team/app.
I’m not saying it should be this way. I’m just saying I understand why it is this way.
an $150
a $1500
How do you pronounce these? An 'undred and fifty? I’m honestly curious, because I can’t feel like an fits on either. I wasn’t going to care enough to ask but then you put a on one thousand five hundred.
“a fifteen hundred” maybe
My issue was more with 150, I don’t know how to pronounce it with an instead of a. I pronounce it “a one” or “a hundred”
Nope, not anecdotal. It’s actual industry fact.
The phone you use combined with the country you’re in is a very good indicator on how likely you are to spend money in an app.
It’s not, iOS has something like almost 70% of the mobile apps income despite having 1/3 or users compared to Android.
Also Android has this annoying problem where there pirate versions of an app will show up when it has in-app purchases or scammers will rip-off your app, rebrand it and place an overwhelming amount of ads to make a quick buck before the app is flagged and taken down. That’s not accounting for the stories of accounts simply being taken down without warning.
Yeah, I agree if you like money then develop app for iOS is better
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Android ecosystem is not so much better.
I’ve been a supporter of web apps. Unfortunately it cuts into app store profits so it’s often shit on.
“Don’t be a scam” is the guideline being broken here.
And the consistent quality and UX expectations are a part of why iOS developers make a lot more money.
App Store is full of scams and predatory apps. And holy shit rofl at the “consistent quality.” Steve’s been dead for over a decade and his vision of iOS has been dead for longer.
Not compared to android it isn’t.
The floor is far, far higher on iOS than android and the experience is much more consistent, and that’s why I and many others buy iPhones.
It’s genuinely not. App Store review is fully automated and chock full of holes. Anyone telling you there is less malware per capita on the App Store than the Play Store is either a decade behind on their talking points or lying to you. I use Apple for mobile and tablet needs because they offer good hardware with a seamless platform experience, not because installing random garbage on their storefronts is safer – it’s not.
EDIT: I should add the only storefront I have complete faith in is F-Droid.
We’re not talking 5/10 vs 5.5/10. The play store is 2/10 and the App Store is 7 or 8. It’s not even vaguely ambiguous. The quality is not remotely comparable.
Well, they have limited themselves to single point of failure.
That’s like selling only blue shoelaces and then crying faul when your only supplier stops making blue color.
If your livelihood depends on one account only, you are in great risk anyhow.
I’ll put 100 on “this user needs their account to do things which in principle need not require an account”, please.
You need an apple developer account to publish apps on the app store
Normally I’d say that’s fine (the store hoster should decide what’s there) but it’s my understanding Apple actively opposite the existence of alternative app stores. Can they host it elsewhere now?
Anecdotally Apple make it very hard to even post an app but that’s neither here nor there.
They can put it on another App Store in the EU, but only if it’s approved by apple and they pay apple 50 cents per download
That sounds like par for the course in the US but the kind of thing that the EU would have a law against.
Yep they do, but it’s going to take a few years for the courts to rule in this one since that stupid fee came in like a month ago
