Bad News (App Store approval delays)

[Sun Vulcan]

The Latest Long Apple Line: Developers Waiting for App Approval

Complaints are coming from some developers that Apple’s App Store approval process has slowed recently, with wait times running up to three weeks.

The drawn-out process is particularly troubling for some that are hoping to launch games or other applications in time for the holidays to take advantage of higher-than-usual phone and tablet sales. “It’s been a nightmare. It’s worse than it’s ever been,” said one developer, who spoke to AllThingsD on the condition of anonymity.

The same developer said Apple has been warning app makers over the phone that based on expected volumes, it could take up to three weeks to get an app approved. Additionally, if developers want to ensure that apps are approved before the New Year, it’s recommended that they submit them by Thanksgiving — only two weeks away.

Apple sent out a letter to developers today, reminding them that the company will not be processing any requests for one week this winter as part of its practice to shut down operations during the winter holidays. The shutdown this year will run from Dec. 21 to Dec. 28. An Apple spokesperson declined to comment.

While it is hard to gauge exactly what is normal since the approval process largely depends on the publisher’s circumstances, a rule of thumb is that Apple approves apps within 10 to 14 days. The new timelines being shared with some developers are likely presenting the worst-case scenario, with some occurring much faster. According to Apple’s developer portal, 84 percent of new apps and 95 percent of updates have been reviewed in the past eight business days (although those numbers have not been updated since Oct. 15).

A third-party service, called Shiny Development, attempts to track the wait times independently and is reporting an average wait time of nine days. It’s unclear how accurate that data is since it is based on developers self-reporting their times on Twitter. In the meantime, Shiny Development also reports that the Mac App Store wait times are an average of 19 days. Many believe that Apple has shifted resources from the Mac store to the iOS store to help with increased demand on the mobile front, resulting in longer delays for the Mac.

Apple’s week-long vacation always leads to longer approval processes around the holidays, but this year a number of developers are saying that timeframes increased earlier than normal — for obvious reasons. Developers have been busy creating new applications for the iPhone 5, which has a larger display. The iPad mini may also increase submissions as developers choose to tailor their iPad apps for a smaller display. Finally, developers must also update their apps to support new features in iOS 6, including Passbook, Apple’s new maps and Facebook integration.

Apple has been criticized for a slow approval process before, and many delight in the fact that Google’s Android has none at all. To be sure, it seems that the times once promised by Apple have slipped in recent years. In June 2010, Steve Jobs told developers that 95 percent of all apps submitted were being approved within seven days.

Now it’s not only consumers who are willing to stand in line to get their hands on the latest hardware; developers are eager to get their turn, too.

http://allthingsd.com/20121108/the-latest-long-apple-line-developers-waiting-for-app-approval/

 

[MadScience2006]

Funny, I beta test a Disneyland App called MouseWait which is community driven and relies on users at the Disneyland Resort parks here in SoCal to input wait times for rides and attractions. Maybe developers need a similar app...I suppose it could be called AppWait.

 

[J2fold]

Apple is a mess right now. Their online Apple store used to be simple and now I do not know whats what. The iPad 4 is just called the ipad or new iPad, there is no iPad 3 anymore. The app approval is so long, just like Zen got all their Halloween updates out on other os's but they are still waiting for Apple to approval still even now. Maps was bad, and now the iPad mini will have a retina screen most likely early 2013 which means Pinball arcade will have to refocus on that. Thanks for the update though and I don't doubt it will take even longer in the future.

 

[Lord Boron]

Apple is a mess right now.

Not to mention some executive reshuffling and a stock price drop of 20%. Looks like some of the polish is starting to wear off.

 

[Worf]

Well, the two kicked out execs pretty much had it coming. The retail exec was bad news from the get-go - I mean, given how bad the retail chains he managed are, he was bad news to the Apple Store. And his staffing mistakes earlier this year did not help his case. (Booting him out was a good thing).

Scott Forstall (iOS exec) ... is an interesting one. Apparently a lot of people (including other execs) hated his combative style and the iOS6 maps issue was the straw that broke the came's back (Tim Cook signed it after Scott refused to), and Apple was losing some other execs over it. Plus his attachment to skeumorphism and the stitched leather, oh the stiched leather.

As for stock price - at $700 it was WAY overvalued (though if you want it to be .dot-com valued, it's actually UNDER valued). I couldn't see it sustaining that price, and even reaching $1000 as people were claiming ("trillion dollars!") I found more fanciful than anything. Though this quarter, the Samsung Galaxy SIII sold more than the iPhone 4S (iPhone 5 was released in the last week of the quarter, so its sales were only 5M (opening week) versus 16M for the 4S and 26M for the SIII. But you could also argue well, sales slow down because the iPhone 5 was anticipated).

As for the app store - I can see why - if you check sites like Appshopper and such - the number of new apps being released at this time is ridiculous. It's nearly double the usual volume of apps. Perhaps that's why there are delays - everyone is sending their apps for approval during the peak period, so of course app approvals take longer. So yeah, developers wanting to have new versions in time for the holidays - well, so does everyone else. And it ain't getting better until after the holidays.