Apple rejected my App due to (lack of) "Minimum Functionality"

[simon.schvartzman]

Dear iOS Livecoders, just sharing with you my frustration, because neither my dog nor my wife care about it, and I have the need to unload my anger!

I've developed this free/simple (but in my view useful) App aiming to make the process of sharing your contact info (phone number, email, etc) as easy as possible. It works by QrEncoding your contact information (vCard) and presenting it on the device screen when you open the App. You then ask the person you want to share the info with to scan the QrCode and that's it. So in theory it would mean one tap for me (open the App) and two taps for the receiver (one to open the scanner and the other to accept the vCard).

Nice isn't it?
Not according to Apple reviewers:

I did appeal (yes Apple gives that option) but I lost the case to the appealing "jury" (decision was final as stated on the mail I received) .

So I added an extra (useful in my view) functionality which is the option to QrEncode Wifi credentials such that when your mother/brother in law comes to visit for Christmas you don't need to repeat 5 times your home Wifi password until she/he writes it down right...

Nice isn't it?
Not according to Apple reviewers using exactly the same argument as before.
Waiting for the result of the second appeal with very low expectations...

I've run out of ideas of useful minimum functionalities to add, assuming a QrCoded calculator or Clock wouldn't make much sense. Suggestions are welcomed!

Notes:
1 - Android versions of the App where immediately approved and can be found here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... n.qrmycard

GooglePlay link.png (5.27 KiB) Viewed 6155 times

2 - Happy to share my stack for those of you that would like to install the app on you iPhones (or I can invite you for TestFlight as the App was approved for it)

3 - I've seen new Android phones that already come with the native functionality to generate the QrCode out of a contact info but still require at least 3 taps: open the contact book, find the contact, tap to show the qrcode. I wonder if Apple is going to release something similar in the near future

4 - Never saw native functionality to Qrencode the wifi credentials

Happy week for all!

[richmond62]

The plain and simple fact is that Apple and Microsoft can tell us all to jump
off a cliff if they feel so inclined.

[simon.schvartzman]

So there is hope after all and I won't need to jump off a cliff!

To my surprise my second appeal to the Apple Store reviewers was accepted and the App has been deployed:

Apple Store link.png (5.26 KiB) Viewed 6046 times

Cheers!

[FourthWorld]

So there is hope after all and I won't need to jump off a cliff!

To my surprise my second appeal to the Apple Store reviewers was accepted and the App has been deployed:

Congrats, Simon.

There's a valuable life lesson there: so often the race is won by just not giving up when others might. Well done.

[simon.schvartzman]

Thanks Richard, the other lesson I took from the episode is how bad it feels to have almost no action by a decision taken by somebody else without a fair argument.
Just to close the subject, a few days ago I submitted an updated Version of my App aiming to facilitate sharing the App itself. Is just  one screen with two QrCodes with the links to the Google Play and App Store.

Guess what? Apple rejected it because "no reference to other platforms are allowed" (or something like this). Google approved it immediately.
As of today my score shows:

Google 2 x 0 Apple 

Have a nice week

[FourthWorld]

Apple rejected it because "no reference to other platforms are allowed" (or something like this). Google approved it immediately.

Apple's funny that way. Obviously it benefits both users and developers to have broad platform coverage, so users know they can share things with others no matter what brand they're using. But despite 80% of the world using Android, Apple appears to be heavily invested in creating an illusion that they're the only game in town.

For them you may need to just follow orders, hiding the Android reference when running on iOS.