Just as iOS users were rejoicing following Apple’s crackdown on spammy video ads and questionable incentivizing within apps, a turnaround by the company has seen the policy partially reverted.
At the start of June, developers found that if they offered rewards to users for sharing social sites or viewing video ads, then they could see their app pulled from the App store. Apple also denounced apps that encouraged users to review, rate, or download other apps.
It saw certain apps that rely on these practices to monetize or market their apps wondering if they would face the chop.
Incentivizing reviews
Just two weeks later, Apple has reversed its decision, according to a report on TechCrunch. Those apps, which could have included big hitters like Candy Crush Saga, have now been allowed back in. But while Apple is now allowing apps that give user rewards if they simply watch a video ad or share the app on social networks, incentivizing users to review, rate, or download other apps is still a big no no.
The news will likely be indifferent to users not having had the time to get used to an environment that incorporated these restrictions, but for developers, the move will certainly be welcomed.
The new rules were initially deployed to tackle various ways developers would try and influence the App Store’s Top Charts. But while watching video ads isn’t going to make a huge difference, using one app’s leverage to boost another certainly could.