Wednesday 20 April 2016

iPhone developer interworld commnet mohali

iOS App reviews and guidelines: The Essentials for iPhone Developers in Mohali

Developing applications for the iOS ecosystem can be be both professionally and financially rewarding as the hundreds and thousands of them all attest to. The iPhone developers team at Inteworld Commnet Mohali knows the entire process is an arduous one, with the Apple App Review Team going through every app submission with intense scrutiny to make sure they adhere to the guidelines in protecting consumer privacy, the filtering of inappropriate content from children, and deterring applications that deviate from the core experience of the iPad, iPhone and the iTouch. When an application gets through this gritty process, it is then deemed ‘Ready for Sale’ and can be published to the App store within the day.

The bottomline is: if you want your app to get lucrative, it is imperative to remember that you’re in languishing in Apple’s sandbox, so to stay in the game, you need to play by their rules. Here are the essentials to take note of in order to avoid an apple store rejection:

App Meta-data

One of the simplest of fixes that any app can take up, there needs to be substantial information which is accurate. These information include immediate details about your company, application, and their distribution regions. Then there is a need to make sure relevant URLs are in order, in addition to the definition of the EULA (End User License Agreement), which is a legal contract between a software developer or vendor and the software end user.

Privacy Policy

The document in which specifications need to be made if the app collects personal information, and if so, what kind is it collecting and is being done with it. This is especially crucial if your app requires users to register an account or login to an existing account, so a privacy policy should be included either within the app or within a link inside the App Store Listing, both even better.
Demo Accounts

This is important if your application’s core functionality comprises of users following or sending something to each other, in which case the provision of demo accounts that are connected can help with approval. Chances of app store approval are even better when a video detailing this connectivity and functionality is provided.

Bugs

Key to any app being approved or even to become sustainable and lucrative is the absence of bugs. So it goes without saying that your app should be thoroughly tested for bugs, and should not even have a single one before being submitted for approval.

Concept/Functionality

If an app has features and functionalities that go against Apple’s App Store guidelines then it will most likely, or rather, not get approved. If in the case a particular feature comes across as both for and against App Store guidelines, than this ambiguity should be clarified because if it is not caught out by the App Review team the first time, it might subsequently.

App Configuration

App functionalities that can be used while the app is in background mode should mean that one should make sure the plist files (an app’s configuration file) contain the right information. Nowadays the App Store Review Team pays extra attention to whichever tasks the app is providing.

Personal Info

In the case of personal information such as email addresses, date of birth, and gender, there needs to be a specific reason for their provision, otherwise the app will be rejected. As an alternative, these fields can be made optional if they are truly not needed.

Video Preview

“App previews may only use video screen captures of the app, voice-overs, and textual and design overlays” – Apple. They could not be any clearer in spelling out that your video preview should stick to functionality only.

Dummy Data

Whilst it is important for the app to be rid of all bugs, there is also the inherent need to get rid of all dummy data, broken/dead links, and unnecessary Lorem Ipsum texts. As is pervasive within the industry, it is always a good idea to have staging and live environments to ensure your app never gets submitted with traces of these things.

User Generated Content

If at all your app puts up user generated content for display, there needs to be a feature that will filter objectionable material i.e the ability to flag users for said material. Most major social network apps have this feature, and the rule is relatively new, but it is now common knowledge that Apple is making sure apps concerned have this feature.

Of course,

Apple wants to honour what you do, and they want to ensure the best platform in order for the world to express its talent and gain profit. These essentials, while tedious and painstaking in nature, and seemingly freakish at times, shows the kind of commitment that Apple is willing to make in order for all its users to indulge in a quality experience in a quality ecosystem.