
Telegram apps fall foul of iOS App Store content rules - zhuxuefeng1994
https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/01/telegram-apps-fall-foul-of-ios-app-store-content-rules/
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grzm
Main discussion here (216 points, 145 comments):

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16281986](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16281986)

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Exuma
What's the possibility of Signal being removed? That's one of my most used
apps

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chrisballinger
Articles about App Store rejection are always a bit sensationalized. I'm not
very familiar with Telegram, but I think the issue here is that by default on
a fresh install there are public channels that could contain "obscene
content".

There are no public channels in Signal, so there's nothing objectionable for
an app reviewer to see on first launch. Apple doesn't restrict any form of
end-to-end crypto... except VPN apps in China. :-\

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duskwuff
> I'm not very familiar with Telegram, but I think the issue here is that by
> default on a fresh install there are public channels that could contain
> "obscene content".

Correct. Telegram has public channels and groups, many of which are used to
distribute porn. Earlier versions of Telegram for iOS prevented users from
joining (and possibly even viewing?) these channels -- this feature was
inadvertently lost in the "Telegram X" rewrite, which led to Apple's temporary
removal of the app.

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qubex
You mean that there’s no way to join these discussions in Apple-sanctioned
versions? I mean, I’m all for sensible defaults and protecting unwitting
users, but if somebody _wants_ to join and view, there should be something
they can toggle somewhere to enable that functionality.

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Nerdfest
When developing for iOS, you "serve at the pleasure of the King".

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steiger
Also true for Android, but the king in this case is a bit more easy going.

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Yetanfou
Not really true for Android as there are alternative ways to distribute
Android apps in the form of alternative app repositories like FDroid, Aptoide,
Amazon. It is also possible to sideload apk's without the need for 'rooting',
this in contrast to iOS.

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steiger
I didn't know you couldn't install apps from unofficial sources on iOS!

Still, I think that getting your app banned from Play Store 99.9% of the times
will mean an effectively dead app.

As an Android app developer, I try to publish on as many stores as possible,
but traffic from alternate stores is unfortunatelly almost non-existent.

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Yetanfou
True, the Play Store is the nexus of Android app distribution. The fact that
it is not the _only_ venue is a big advantage for both Android users as well
as developers as it makes it impossible for a single party - be it Google or
an entity pressuring Google into acting in a certain way - to keep
applications from reaching users. Although only a small fraction of the total
flow it is nevertheless significant in what it embodies: freedom from
censorship.

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steiger
I generally agree.

