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?

18 Puzzle (competition edition)

After being stuck in review since late October finally on Nov. 30th an update to "18 Puzzle (competition edition)" made it to the App Store and allowed to activate full version from within the app. 45 days in review was only possible thanks to me rejecting and re-uploading the binary on Nov. 17th, thus saving the app from Apple "blanket rejection" by putting it at the end of review queue and giving Apple some time to come to their senses.

An update to FREE app doing about 100 downloads a week (in Nov. up from about 50 a week thru summer till November and 250 down to 100 a month back in the spring) didn't increase number of downloads and cleared about 235 updates first week, 73 - 2nd and 25/week there after).

Hex

Being pissed at Apple for rejecting Magiecom apps in bulk for bogus reason on Nov 19. I decided to game itunesconnect a bit and hopefully push an update to front page. Judging by updates that made it to front page after Apple closed release date loophole the trick is to fool itunesconnect to accept 1.0 as application version. Version Number is a text field after all that is unrelated to BundleVersion in Info.plist. So on Nov 20. an update to Hex bringing score panel went was submitted as Version 1.0 and as with all Objectorium apps (and unlike Magiecom apps against which Apple discriminates) made thru review in 7 days. Unfortunately, release date didn't stick and app never made it to front page again.

18 Puzzle 1.2

As a follow up to 14 Puzzle, on Nov. 5, 2009 I submitted an update to 18 Puzzle that Apple dragged thru approval for 20 days. Release date loophole is closed for sure, yet some manage to get to the front page still.

14 Puzzle 1.2

To test "release date hack" I released an update to 14 Puzzle early October 2009 (Oct. 15?) that got approved on Oct. 27, 2009. Luck would have it that right around the end of October 2009, Apple closed "release date loophole" that apparently everybody but me were using.

iSpell Casa

iSpell Casa was the test app for an update adding in-app purchases of new lessons. It was submitted for review on 9/28/09 and was hanging in review for 3 weeks. In-app purchase receipts are logged on my server, so I could see when Apple is testing. There was no receipts logged for iSpell Casa. Moreover, in-app purchases were broken, yet on Oct. 20, 2009 the update was approved.