As every app developer knows, the work of mobile app creation is only a part of
what you have to
do in order to bring the results of your toil to your users. All app stores
have different policies concerning what kind of apps they accept, but one thing
they do share — they all have limitations and guidelines, and failure to comply
with them is the major cause of app rejection. According to Apple, 88
percent of all rejections are a result of developers blatantly disregarding the
most common and straightforward store guidelines. And although criteria used by
different stores differ somewhat, on the whole, they are very similar.
In this article, we will cover some of the
principles you can follow to dramatically increase the likelihood of your app
getting accepted and avoiding any kind of potentially unpleasant consequences.
It is especially important for apps that deal with sensitive subjects — for
example, any apps that collect and process various kinds of confidential or
sensitive information.
1. Read content guidelines carefully
There are slight differences in what
kinds of content are considered inappropriate by different app stores, but
mostly they are very similar. If your app contains overtly sexual or
pornographic materials, graphic depictions of violence, discriminatory or
defamatory materials, content inciting religious or other kinds of intolerance
and other similar types of content, it is going to be rejected 100 percent of
the time. In some cases, you may even risk legal prosecution, so don’t try to
be clever and get something under the radar.
2. Don’t lie
The app itself, its description, and
functionality shouldn’t contain any kind of false or misleading information.
For example, you cannot list among its functions those that aren’t implemented
at the time even if they are planned for future releases. You cannot use logos
and other intellectual property of other persons or organizations. You cannot
provide false information about the status of the app in any kind of ratings
and so on. Lying to your users — and to the app store guardians — is a surefire
way of having your app removed and getting banned from the store.
3. Figure out ways of dealing with user-generated content
If your app has the functionality of
creating and sharing user-generated content, you have to make sure there are
ways of filtering objectionable content and preventing it from getting posted
in the first place. In case something gets past the filter, your users have to
have a way of reporting it so that you can recognize the issue and take
measures in a timely manner.
4. Test your app for crashes
If your app crashes regularly, it
isn’t just going to be annoying for your users. Chances are, users will never
get a real opportunity to be annoyed because it is going to be either rejected
outright or reported soon after posting and removed from the store due to not
meeting quality standards. So, do your best to test your app on as many
different devices as you can, figure out when crashes happen and what causes
them and, eventually, eliminate them altogether.
5. Follow the design guidelines
Both the App Store and Google Play have very specific guidelines concerning
the way apps should look and work. These are not just recommendations — failing
to meet the quality standards can and most likely will get your app rejected,
and you will have to make the necessary alterations. So why not save yourself
time and money and follow the guidelines the first time around? If your choice
of design aesthetic clashes with the vision of the app store you are aiming
for… well, tough luck — you will have to revise it if you want to have your app
accepted.
6. Take care of copyright
You should be able to prove that you
have full rights to use all the content used for the creation of your app,
including programming, overall design, artwork, and texts. In case there is
ever any doubt in your ownership of them, you will have to show all the
necessary paperwork to prove it, so better take care of it beforehand.
7. Make sure your app runs fluidly
App stores want users to believe that
they have certain standards of quality that are the same for all the apps
published in them. Any app that falls short of them undermines trust for the
store in its entirety. Therefore, they will try to screen out all the apps that
can become a liability. It doesn’t matter how awesome the design of your app or
how original its concept is if it is confusing, takes too long to load, causes
memory leaks or other performance issues, it is likely
to be rejected.
8. Respect your users’ privacy
With every passing year issues of
privacy get more and more traction in media, and both app stores and users
themselves get more and more sensitive about
protecting their personal information. Therefore, if your app collects any kind
of data off your users’ devices without their permission, it can serve as a
reason enough for rejection.
9. Make sure your app has valuable content and functionality
In the early days of app stores, they
were flooded with useless apps that didn’t offer anything in terms of
functionality beyond offering a link to the company website. Today such tricks
no longer work, and your app should provide genuinely useful functionality to
be accepted. It doesn’t have to be fully original — with millions of apps
present on both storefronts it is hardly possible – but it should do something.
10. Make sure you didn’t leave placeholders anywhere
If you’ve left placeholder content
anywhere in the app, either intentionally or unintentionally, it clearly
demonstrates that it isn’t complete and shouldn’t have been lined up for
publishing. Even if it doesn’t give the stores a reason to reject it outright,
it will encourage them to pay closer attention to it and try to find something
else that is wrong with it.
Boost your odds of getting into the app stores
Although nothing can give you a 100
percent guarantee that your app is going to be accepted by the app stores,
following these recommendations can significantly improve your chances. So,
invest some time and money into doing it, and we are sure it is going to bring
results!
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