Apple says App Store policy changes, including not delaying bug fix updates over guideline violations and letting developers challenge guidelines, are now live
Back in June at WWDC, Apple announced several changes to its handling of App Store review, noting that it would in most cases …
MacRumorsEric Slivka
Context & Ripple Effects
At WWDC in June, Apple committed to two developer-facing concessions: an appeal mechanism for specific guideline violations and a pledge to stop holding bug fix updates hostage during disputes. Those changes have now shipped, turning promises into operating procedure for App Store review.
First-order effects
Developers with apps stuck in guideline disputes can now ship bug fixes while they contest the ruling, ending Apple's practice of using update holds as leverage.
The new appeal path gives developers a formal channel inside App Review rather than relying on ad hoc escalation.
Second-order effects
Every future guideline revision Apple makes — like its later clarifications on in-app purchases, App Clips, and widgets (September's guidelines revision) — now lands against a developer base equipped with a challenge process, raising the cost of ambiguous rules.
Third-order effects
If contestation becomes routine, App Store governance drifts from unilateral rule-setting toward something closer to due process — a shift visible in Apple's later moves to let developers contact users about alternative payment methods as part of an agreement with US developers (October 2021 guideline updates).
The trend: Apple is converting App Store review from an opaque, unilateral gate into a contestable process, one procedural concession at a time.
Welp, I'm fucked. App review rejected my update because of mysterious proxy connection errors that no customer has ever reported. They don't have anything configured in System Preferences. It seems my only option is to submit a new (unchanged) build and roll the dice. https://twi…
I'm optimistic about this, but we'll have to see what changes actually get made. My first proposal would be change 3.1.3(b) so that all apps can offer content/subscription/services purchased outside without requiring IAP or any free plan. https://developer.apple.com/ ...
It also appears that there's a broader outage of some developer services (which happens from time to time - all systems have downtime) but one can't help but wonder if there was a surge of traffic from developers with ideas about possible changes... https://9to5mac.com/... https:…
Apple has now made a web interface available for the guideline challenges: https://developer.apple.com/ ... two weeks ago, Guardian and at least one other entity were able to utilize the new “won't block a bug fix” policy. though had to be specifically invoked. https://twitter.co…