Jan 2018 quick heads up: Apple revised this rule and our team is assisting our customers to be sure we can keep offering our integrated iOS app builder.
In June 2017, Apple added the Rule 4.2.6 in its publishing guidelines for the App Store. The claimed purpose at that time was to clean-up the store, removing clone apps, spam apps and all other applications that were trying to mislead the App Store user.
Here’s the Rule 4.2.6: “Apps created from a commercialized template or app generation service will be rejected”, see the full Guideline here.
This rule doesn’t affect only eDirectory apps. All companies in the same industry around the world were directly affected.
Since then, we’ve been working and testing options to keep offering iOS apps to our customers. For us, November was the month when app rejections really started happening so we’ve taken some measures to protect our customers, reflecting the Rule 4.2.6:
- New iOS apps for eDirectory will be custom made. Check options with Sales Team
- We stopped standard compilations for iOS. Users are no longer able to retrieve an .ipa file to submit a new app
- We updated all mentions about iOS app builder in our commercial offers
Apple insists that there will be no exception to the application of Rule 4.2.6. If they flex their rules this feature can be fully re-integrate into eDirectory platform. Apps published before this rule will continue to work normally unless there is a new intervention from Apple. Updates of existing apps are still being accepted by App Store.
Arca Solutions continues to offer iOS custom app development in parallel to eDirectory platform. Contact sales department for more information and quotes.
It is important to point out that Android operating smartphones are more than 90% of the market so we believe that these temporary changes will have little impact to the end users and to our customer’s business.
Technical questions can be addressed to support@edirectory.com or contact our sales team at sales@edirectory.com.
Recommended article:
TechCrunch: Apple’s widened ban on templated apps is wiping small businesses from the App Store
(Update) There’s hope: Apple revises its controversial guidelines on template-based apps
