Apple publishes app review guidelines, allows third party mobile ads
Apple announced on Thursday that it would relax its rules on how developers can create applications for its iOS devices, including the iPhone and iPad.
The Cupertino-based computer maker at the same time published the guidelines for how it decides which iPhone apps can and cannot be sold through the Apple App Store.
Apple has previously faced widespread criticism from developers for the lack of transparency in its review process and the sometimes arbitrary appearance of its decisions about which applications were acceptable for its customers.
The company’s move has been explained as an attempt to woo developers, whose apps have driven the success of many of Apple’s products, at a time when Android is gaining market share in both the US and Europe. The App Store currently leads the market both in terms of the number of apps available and the amount of revenue it generates.
Apple also said that it would allow apps for iOS devices to be made with third-party software, lifting a ban it had instituted in April. The change will allow apps to be more easily developed simultaneously for multiple platforms.
Apple’s announcement is also good news for advertisers. Under the new rules, Apple will allow mobile ads to be served in its apps by companies other than its own iAds service, opening the door to the likes of Google-owned AdMob.
Analysts see Apple’s latest gesture as more than simple goodwill towards the mobile community, though, citing that the move also takes them out of the crosshairs of federal regulators who were becoming concerned with Apple’s approach to competition in app development and mobile advertising.
