
So you’re foolish enough to make satire for the App Store - morisy
https://medium.com/@everydayarcade/so-youre-foolish-enough-to-make-satire-for-the-app-store-9e5303acd47b#.b8o4qstlo
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captainmuon
I've heard apple developer accounts have been free for a while (previously
$99/year)?

Seriously, why don't people do this:

\- Put the unsigned binaries somewhere on the web

\- Have the user get a developer account

\- Make a little (macOS, Windows) app that takes the binaries, signs them with
the user's developer key, and pushes them to their phone - pretending to the
phone that the user is "developing" this app.

Wouldn't that work? Or do apps in-development with Xcode (but not yet in the
store) only work tethered or something?

It would be a bit of a hassle, but I'd say to the user it's probably less work
than rooting an Android phone, which plenty of users do. And you could run all
the stuff (emulators, edgy content) that Apple forbids.

It's probably against some TOS (but it would be hard to define how you're
exactly violating it - I can develop an app, and give you the Xcode project
and let you help me develop it). But the allure of the forbidden might make
this even more interesting.

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SyneRyder
Hacker answer: Yes, you can do this right now, as of Xcode 7 Apple allows you
to build test apps and upload to your devices for free:

[http://9to5mac.com/2015/06/10/xcode-7-allows-anyone-to-
downl...](http://9to5mac.com/2015/06/10/xcode-7-allows-anyone-to-download-
build-and-sideload-ios-apps-for-free/)

Human answer: Expecting everyday users to download & install a 3GB
application, learn how a compiler works, join a developer program, learn how
code-signing works, even learn how to plug their phone into a computer when
they probably used iCloud instead of iTunes Sync... it's just not practical.
It's a usability & support nightmare with a minuscule audience. It's easier
just to develop for Android. (And if Google rejects your app, the sideloading
story for Android is within the reach of normal users.)

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jclulow
Ultimately we get the over-sanitised walled gardens we deserve. As with overly
prudish advertisers pulling ads from comedy TV programmes, though, the power
of (and need for!) voting with your feet can be quite hard to discern for most
consumers.

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kevincox
Ignoring the political aspect I find it hard to understand why so many people
want to make native applications when usually a website will do it (and often
better). The PhoneGap/Cordova approach is awesome as well because you can get
App Store visibility while still making a single application for all
platforms.

I found this story a striking anecdote of the advantages.

~~~
fleitz
It depends on what your definition of better is, personally I find native apps
much better on iOS.

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nickm12
In other news, water is wet.

Seriously, what is the news here? Anyone remotely paying attention would know
that these apps would not fly on the iOS App Store, satire or not. If you
don't like that, then you shouldn't develop for iOS.

Personally, I don't use iOS for this very reason.

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jhbadger
The truly annoying thing about the App Store isn't just the censorship, it is
how inconsistently it is applied. App X gets in and App Y doesn't for reasons
that would equally apply to X.

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ratfacemcgee
Pff, I didn't even _want_ those grapes.

