Apple store rejection advice

[Crivens]

Ok so on some feedback on my original iOS game (Rotaslider) I made a sequel of sorts swapping out kittens and puppies for women in bikinis. Much better idea I think everyone can agree

Anyway I just got it rejected (does it always take exactly a week pretty much to the hour?). Ok so it's no major surprise and they point to sexual images etc. Point is though that I did label it as 17+ (laughable when Kays catalogue is more sexy and it's nothing you don't see on a beach). And a bigger point is how come apps like the hooters calendar (where you wipe soap suds off women in bikinis) are allowed, also with a 17+ rating?

All they posted was an image of the level selection screen which to be honest is hardly grumble mag level material. I can post the complete thing if anyone is interested.

So, can anyone give me advise on what to answer with? At the end of the day it's not the end of the world as it wasn't that much work to change the original game, and I'll probably host it somewhere free for the pc if I can't get it on the iPhone. Just sucks a bit is all...

Cheers

[erico]

sexual content is a 100% sales, is not quite free for everyone to use it.
You can make it pass if you don´t focus on it so much I guess.
Imagine every app with a nude-girl version? would be great!
but I guess apple store would fall reputation and focus.

[matchy]

 

[Crivens]

I agree which is why I put the 17+ rating on it. There are other very similar apps out there and women in Bikinis is hardly porn.

Ok, here is the entire response from Apple:-

We found that your app contains content that many audiences would find objectionable, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.

Specifically, the content of your app is inappropriate for the App Store. Please see the attached screenshot/s for more information.

We encourage you to review your app content and evaluate whether you can modify the content to bring it into compliance with the Guidelines.

When resubmitting your revised binary, please ensure that your Application Rating is consistent with the content and nature of your app. A 17+ rating is required for apps which include content such as intense offensive language; frequent or intense cartoon, fantasy, or realistic violence; and frequent or intense mature, horror, and suggestive themes. This is also required for sexual content, nudity, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs which may not be suitable for children under the age of 17.

You can learn more about Application Ratings by reading Getting Started with Parental Controls on iPhone OS 3.0.

Here are the pics I submitted. The first one is the one they attached to the rejection.


As way of comparison, here is another app that is on the store now.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hooters-calendar-sexy-screen/id348745845?mt=8Personally I don't see the difference.

Any ideas of what to say? Point out the Hooters app and ask what they did different that allowed them on the store? Being polite obviously and requesting the information so I can learn from it blah blah blah etc. Anything to satisfy (fnarr fnarr) the 17 year old trainee on the other end obviously following a bunch of tickboxes religiously on a sheet...

As for not focusing on it too much, is a bit difficult with my app really (each level is a slider puzzle of a woman in a bikini). On the other hand unless the Hooters app then gives us knitting advice too then I can't see how they can avoid what is basically a seedy app (wipe soap off the screen to reveal a woman in a bikini)...

Honestly I thought the English were prudish...

Cheers

[ampos]

Just curiosity. Where/how did you get the images?

[Crivens]

I am a pimp. Hah. No, got them the same place I got the pictures of the pets. I used Flickr and freedigitalphotos.net. Basically look up creative commons. This allows you to use images (or sounds etc if you find a site for it) in your own applications for free. Normally you get one that requires Attribution, in which case you must put credit for it somewhere in your app, which I did. Some insist it has to be a free app. I think freedigitalphotos.net are all attribution required creative commons pictures, and Flickr has a section where you can search all types of creative common pictures. On my laptop I have a few sites including video and sounds (where I got my sound effects for the original Rotaslider).

Here is a link for freedigitalphotos http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Vacations_g373-Woman_p39695.htmlNote the "Attribution required" on the right. Click it for what it says about using the image. And here is one for Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/bikiniopen/3386409319/. Note the "Licence" option. Click the "Some rights reserved" and it shows the creative commons licence.

Cheers

Ps. No, I'm actually a pimp with a camera... 

[Crivens]

At the end of the day everything here is a learning experience that helps us all. Thank goodness I didn't write this from scratch and just spent a day or so getting images to update my old app. But imagine if you spent months writing some complicated app for a bikini site for example. Well stuffed then.

Perhaps I'll just release it for Android once the new GLB comes out. Anyone have a better idea when that is BTW?

Oh, and I decided to reply with this:-

Hello,

Thank you for this information. Can you tell me how I need to change this app to get approval for the store? I already labelled it as 17+ and thought women in swimwear was acceptable (there is no actual nudity). For example the app below looks very similar (women in swimwear):-
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hooters-calendar-sexy-screen/id348745845?mt=8

Can you tell me the changes I require to make my app approved in the same way the Hooters app must have done?

Thank you for your time... etc..

I used the message response and used an attached image of the hooters app incase they didn't quite get me. But it's sitting there like a lemon spinning it's wheel for about 5 minutes (for an 88k image?). How come pretty much all Apples websites are as slow as balls? Sigh... <edit> Ah pressing the back button seemed to fix it. Obviously...

Cheers

[matchy]

 

[Sokurah]

It's really very simple: Hustler is a big established business with a culturally accepted/cemented product and they have more money, so Apple is much more likely to make exceptions or tweak the rules, for a big company like that. They've probably also paid more to Apple.

It's a good way to keep all the trash out and just limit the amount of smutty/questionable apps.

...oh and the English ARE prudes. And the Americans even more so. But as Matchy says: it's got nothing to do with that - it's about trying to have a standard, although this cookie-cutter approach to rules is pretty stupid because you can't judge all evenly as cultures and mannerisms are very different from country to country.

Edited: Due to typo.

[Crivens]

Calm down because that makes no sense

I'm not angry in the slightest, I was just making a joke. Using my day off to enjoy lunch with my wife on nice day in a pub garden.

It's not about a culture, but a world standard that adheres to all forms of peoples acceptance and marketing professional standards

This is fine, I just wanted to know how come apps like Hooters (see link) were accepted. If they can tell me the difference and how to alter to get mine accepted then great, if not then no harm done.

BTW, are you trolling because there is nothing glb related to this topic really?

Trolling? Seriously? You are asking me that?

Apple is much more likely to make exceptions or tweak the rules, for a big company like that. They've probably also paid more to Apple

Yeah, I figured that. It's worth asking the question though. Although to be fair we are talking about stuff that is less "smutty" than a 12 rated movie these days, or pretty much anything on the TV at anytime of the day.

Cheers

[XanthorXIII]

Maybe the reason they rejected it was due to the locks appearing to cover up the naughty bits and then once you got it, the locks would disappear so you could see the naughty bits.

[Crivens]

Yeah, I thought of that after sending the reply. I might mention it when they reply to it. Although they could at least play it. Or perhaps look at the media to check things out (or look at the credit screen). Then again it is in a shoebox so not so easy for QA tester to get hold of. Heh, they didn't check the pet one though to see if I had some massive load of porn behind the locks

If that's the case though perhaps I should just do it fully unlocked out of the box.

Cheers

[erico]

I would say that all sexual content is controlled.

The bikinis you have there is pretty clean to me, but the industry knows it gets easy cash.
They usually hold it to a few.

Your reply was great, I guess if you push them into understandment it may work.

[Crivens]

Latest reply:-

Thank you for your response. Apple is not able to provide pre-approval to developers for proposed application submissions. We ask that you please review the Program License Agreement details, as well as the App Store Review Guidelines, against the specific application you wish to develop and submit any applications for App Store consideration in line with the application submission processes for the program.

If you wish to appeal your review, you can submit a request to the App Review Board. The App Review Board was created for developers to appeal an app review they have concerns with. Once the App Review Board has completed their evaluation, they will contact you directly with the decision.

Eh? What is "Apple is not able to provide pre-approval to developers for proposed application submissions" supposed to mean? All I asked for was a little advice on what the difference was between the Hooters app and my app that caused my app to be turned down. I'm guessing they don't employ QA testers much above Burger King staff level and just put it through to the app review board (their manager who has at least a little bit of brains is my guess).

Does anyone have any experience with appealing a review to the app review board? Do you think it's basically asking the same Hooters question again?

Cheers

[Slydog]

It's hard getting a straight answer it seems.   

What I would try next is to find different photos and resubmit the app.
Is there a limit to how many times you can resubmit at app? ha
You could try to find pix that are less revealing (even though Hooter's are about the same as yours).

Or appeal to an entirely different market . . . the ladies!
Add pix of men, the Apple restrictions are probably more flexible.
Although having an app full of dudes may cause some friendly teasing . . .