App Store Challenges
We know that getting app store approval is a complex process. That’s why we’re starting a new video series on the realities of publishing apps.
Stay tuned as we continue to share informed insights based on personal experiences navigating the app store.
App Store Review Process
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:25:08
I was doomscrolling through LinkedIn the other day and I stumbled across this sponsored content, talking about going from concept to MVP in the App Store in two days, and I laughed out loud. My first thought was, man, you couldn't even get through the first App Store Connect review cycle in two days.
Publishing Your App
00:00:25:10 - 00:00:47:03
So we're going to do a short series of videos. You know bunch of shorts here talking about some of the various challenges in getting through the App Store review process. You've built your mobile app and you now have to get it published to the stores so people can download it. And getting a mobile app into the app stores, you know, Apple's App Store Connect, Google Play can be challenging due to a variety of technical, procedural, and business related hurdles.
Strict Guidelines
00:00:47:03 - 00:01:14:15
And I would say the procedural and business related hurdles have gotten a lot worse, especially over the last year or two because of, EU rulings. Both app stores are known for strict app review guidelines, and common reasons for rejection can include bugs, crashes, and misleading content. But more often than not, it's usually a violation of either a human interface guideline or some weird privacy or procedural term that you weren't even aware of that's just been introduced.
Our Experience
00:01:14:18 - 00:01:37:02
We have endless anecdotes in this area, but let me share a quick one with you. When we did our award winning, cardiology apps for the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation. These were a series of apps that were basically catalog browsers. Cardiologists could browse through valves, and in some cases they could put in, you know, values like say, BMI and then calculate the right values, whatever it'll be.
Approval Nightmare
00:01:37:05 - 00:02:02:11
And we submitted one of these to the App Store, and the reviewer came back and said, you violated the, you know, of policies related to FDA approval for an embedded medical device, blah, blah, blah. I mean, they thought that this app was an interface to a pacemaker, and we had to then get in-house counsel for Minneapolis Heart Institute to draft a letter and send it to Apple, telling him that, no, that's not what this app does.
More to Come
00:02:02:12 - 00:02:10:05
Blah, blah, blah. To get it in the store. More to follow. Like us and follow. And I'll tell you about more of these stories here shortly.
End Note
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Ken Krutsch is Founder & President of KRUTSCH, a digital product design firm. From concept to delivery, KRUTSCH specializes in designing consumer and commercial applications. We generate and execute ideas, finding opportunities for our clients to innovate. Because solving the right problem builds careers, organizations, and professional relationships.
Follow KRUTSCH on LinkedIn to read the follow-up posts in the series.
