Find a page, but have no time to read it now? There’s an App for that, and it even lets you read the sites while you’re offline. A pretty handy tool right? Well, Apple’s denied them an update. Version 2.2 of the application won’t be permitted into the App Store for some bizarre reasons which are very suspect.
To start, we should probably list off changes for version 2.2 before we get into too much detail about the rejection. Read It Later 2.2 is going to increase the speed of downloading full websites, revamp the process for sharing (Delicious, Facebook, etc), provide Retina Display support, and fix numerous bugs. If it sounds like your typical point release update, you’re probably right. There’s nothing ground breaking here, just a developer trying to make the current version of his application the best it can be. So why then has Apple rejected the update to the application?
According to the Read It Later team, Apple’s dismissal is for the following reason: “Applications cannot require user registration prior to allowing access to app features and content; such user registration must be optional and tied to account-based functionality.”
Now that’s a new one. While the reasoning is a little vague, it seems to us that Apple’s saying that the only time an application can have user registration is if the application requires account-based functionality, and even then it must be optional. Here’s an example of how we understand it: think of it kind of like a forum. A user should be able to use the web forum in all ways possible, without having to login to the service. If a registration should be required, it should only be to change profile settings.
It kind of makes sense, but it’s a little bit late. Twitter, Facebook, and a whole slew of other applications like Evernote do provide an application that works without user registration. So then, why should Read It Later be the one web application that does? Could Read It Later do away with the registration? Probably. Should they have to in order to get on the App Store? No way.
This rejection letter could set a dangerous precedent, and we can’t wait to hear how it plays out between the developer and Apple’s review team. It could get dirty.
If you want to support the developer you can get the Pro version for 4.99 on the App Store.
Article Via Read It Later Blog
