iDrill Moi

An update to iDrill Moi that brought in-app purchases was approved by Apple on Dec 21, 2009. Bundle Version 1.0 didn't stick and app didn't make it to front page. Was in review from 12/14 or just a week.

Noël

Noël is a remake of Triangle with a Christmas theme. I wanted to do Triangle as a Christmas app since I came up with triangle lines idea over a year ago. Last Christmas I was late, so it was released this Christmas season. Unfortunately, Apple was bitchy about Application Name in iTunesConnect not matching the name displayed on the iPhone (Application name in Info.plist) and rejected the app just for this reason two days into review on Dec. 10. So the app was late and approved on Dec. 17th when Apple being overwhelmed approved pretty much everything. By Christmas week it was buried under a pile of crap-ware not getting any sales like the rest of applications approved after the week of Dec. 10.

Fourteen

Fourteen is a re-release of Magiecom's 14 Puzzle under US label. It went into review the same day update to HexLines went in, i.e. Dec 8th. Reviewing brand new application took a bit longer then reviewing an update. Still Fourteen review took just 9 days (as opposed to 45+ days from Canadian side).

iSpell Inizio

By December App Store review process was overwhelmed prompting Apple to take itunesconnect down for Christmas week. Once November's "blanket rejections" didn't help Apple switched to approving apps left and right without much reviewing. iSpell Inizio in app-purchases were not tested, but the app was in review for just 8 days from Dec. 8th to Dec. 16th. By Christmas the app was buried behind crap-ware yielding worst initial two weeks sales ever.
Clearly, App Store is broken for both updates and new releases.

14 Puzzle FREE

Since iPhone applications were not selling past initial two weeks I decided to test different route - release apps for FREE, bug users with advertisement and provide in-app purchase to turn advertisement off. This is how 14 Puzzle FREE came about and was submitted on Dec. 08, 2009. At that time Apple was clearing up backlog and approving applications in hundreds after just a week in review, so on Wed Dec 16, 2009 14 Puzzle FREE went live.

Surprisingly enough, people do click on the ads and the first week 14 Puzzle FREE averaged about 10 clicks and $0.6 a day in ad sales on AdMob and 5 clicks and $0.4 a day in ad sales on Quattro, or $1 a day overall give or take. Around Christmas clicky picked up and in two weeks 14 Puzzle FREE sold $33 worth of ads clearing 600 and 1833 downloads. Out of those 2435 downloads, 4 people made in app activation by year end, making it 0.16% "click-thru" or way worse then 5+% CTR on AdMob.

That's all folks

As iSpell Casa came back from review I submitted updates adding in-app purchases to the rest iSpell House applications (but the most successful Russian) on Dec 8th. By December Apple have been approving apps without much testing (no in-app purchase receipts were logged on the server), so those three made thru review in exactly a week.

Also on Dec 8th I pretty much gave up and released all iCards Animals that I could release (with exception of English that got wrong bundle id). I am pretty much fed up with Apple. Until Apple makes releasing updates rewarding this is it, regardless that I have 5 language apps in the pipeline and updates for couple dozen apps already released. Ain't worth my time.

Welcome Android.

HexLines

Since setting "Version Number" in itunesconnect to 1.0 didn't work out I tried setting it to "1.0 gs" and released and update to HexLines that also fixed game saves.

Again releasing from US label was a breeze - update went in Dec. 08 and appeared on the App Store on Dec. 13. Unfortunately, release date didn't stick and update never made front page.

Münzwurf with in-app purchases

On Dec. 2 Münzwurf got two in-app purchases - Ancient and Historic coins. Nobody cared at least until the end of the year.

iSpell Me

On Dec 11 the rest of updates submitted on Oct 21st and rejected in bulk on Nov 19th finally made thru. For those updates that added in-app purchases that Apple have little knowledge how to test at least back in October - early November the review took 51 days or those updates are the second longest in review.

Surprisingly enough, on Oct 21st I submitted a bunch of similar apps that got rejected on Nov. 19th, resubmitted on Nov 20th and they made thru review on different dates: Dec 2nd, Dec 4th, Dec 8th and Dec. 11th.

iSpell House

Being pissed at Apple for Nov 19th "blanket rejectection" and still seeing updates appearing on the front page with "release date hack" I submitted an update to iSpell House on Nov. 20. By Dec 09 the app made it thru review. Bundle version didn't stick and app remained buried under pile of crap-ware.

iSpell Casa

The day after an update to iSpell Casa that Apple never tested got approved I submitted the new one fixing in-app purchase downloads. That was on Oct. 21. For almost a month Apple didn't even look at the app, rather on Nov. 19 "blanket rejected" iSpell Casa with other apps that similarly were pending review for 2+ weeks. The update was resubmitted next day - Nov 20. This time around Apple did test in-app purchases on Dec 07 and approved the app next day. All in all the update was in review for 48 days. With no incentives to release updates to apps buried behind a pile of crap-ware it is to be seen if there would be new updates to iSpell apart from the ones already in the pipeline.

9 days later iSpell Casa scored the first in app purchase and yet another 9 days later another one (both were for "Inizio"). On 12/24 there was another in app-purchase. This time for "Animali". All in all 3 in app-purchases from 3 different devices in 3 weeks on what seems to be 5 updates and 2 new purchases.

14 Puzzle (competition edition)

On Oct 15, 2009 Apple permitted in App purchases for free applications. Next day, i.e. Oct 16, 2009 I've submitted in-app purchase activation for "competition edition" of 14 Puzzle. 3 weeks later on Nov. 4th 2009 Apple send an email apologizing that in 3 weeks they didn't have time to look at my applications. In-app purchase receipts are logged on my server, so I could see when Apple is testing. Clearly around late Oct. - early Nov. Apple didn't have means to test in-app purchases, so they let some (early) applications in without testing and blocked review of the most. 14 Puzzle (competition edition) fate was to be blocked and be "blanket rejected" with other totally unrelated apps on Nov. 19, 2009.

After coming to their senses Apple finally let application in on Dec. 8, 2009 making 14 Puzzle (competition edition) the winner in "Magiecom app longest in the review" contest at 53 days in review.

Clearly word FREE is a key for freeloaders. Unlike 14 Puzzle FREE that cleared 602 and 1833 downloads in the first two weeks, 14 Puzzle competition edition being identical application did just 379 and 157 downloads before dropping to average 100/week for free application.

Eighteen

From the start my experience with Apple from Canadian side (as in Magiecom) was pretty bad (compared to Objectorium from US side). By the fall of 2009 I had enough of it and decided to eventually fold my relationship with Apple from Canada and move all Magiecom applications over to Objectorium.

Eighteen is US re-release of Magiecom's 18 Puzzle.

As expected releasing from US label was far better then releasing from Canadian. App went into review on Nov 20. and came out on Dec 7. Absolutely no "45 days in review" bullshit.

iDrill

Being overwhelmed Apple switched tactics by early December. Instead of "blanket rejecting" application pending for too long they started allowing applications referencing non-public APIs asking not to do it later on. iDrill Mí and iDrill Me was submitted for review on 10/21/09, got "blanket rejected" on 11/19/09, resubmitted on 11/20/09 and approved on 12/04/09. 44 days in review - not a record by 2009 standards. In-app purchases were tested by Apple on 12/02/09... hmm twice from two different devices.

iSpell Mé

An update to iSpell Mé adding in app-purchases of new lessons was submitted for review on 10/18/09. Apple didn't even look at the app, rather on Nov. 19 Apple "blanket rejected" iSpell Mé with other apps that similarly were pending review for over 2 weeks. (In-app purchase receipts are logged on my server, so I could see when Apple is testing. There was no receipts for iSpell Mé logged). The update was resubmitted next day - Nov 20. This time around Apple did test in-app purchases on Dec 01 and approved the app next day. All in all the update was in review for 45 days making it the second longest review process.

In a month there was no in-app purchases from iSpell Mé and just 2 updates. Is there a reason to release updates to apps buried under a pile of crap-ware?