Facebook Plunges Again
Tumblr 101: Tips And Tricks To Get Started
Apple issues warning about location-based ads in iPhone apps
Sometimes, Apple's decisions about content in the App Store can be petty and anti-competitive -- like asking developers to remove any mention of Android. But sometimes, they make a call that seems to put users first. This time, it's a request that developers use your location to provide useful information, rather than just serving you location-based ads. Here's the text of the warning to developers, posted in Apple's developer forum: Developers might balk at the removal of a possible cheap and easy revenue stream, but I think Apple is doing the right thing, here. Apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, which allow business to advertise specials, should be unaffected, because they also your location for checking in, finding your friends, and other important game elements. The kind of app being targeted here has no reason to know where you are except to show you ads, and I can get behind Apple trying to block that use of the feature.If you build your application with features based on a user's location, make sure these features provide beneficial information. If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user's location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.'
Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb actually seems pretty angry about the situation. His point is that if an app is going to show you ads, whether it has location-based features or not, it should be allowed to show you local ads. Marshall seems to balk more at the idea that Apple wants to decide what constitutes "beneficial information." I agree that Apple may have worded that part of the warning artlessly, but I think what they mean is "non-advertising information."
What do you think, Download Squad readers? I'd especially love to get an iPhone developer's perspective on the situation.
Comments
6
Subscribe to commentsMatthew W.Feb 5th 2010 11:55AM
I think eventually all this control freakishness is gonna blow up in Apple's face. And no, I'm not some crazy Apple basher...I own/have owned and been very happy with many Apple products. It seems like Apple is spending a lot of its time trying to limit choice, kill competition and force its "vision" on others. "Think different" has become "Think the way we tell you to", and I don't like it. Why can't users decide whether they want Flash on their iPhones and iPads or not? Why should Apple have anything to say about how ads are delivered in an ad-supported app? If customers don't like it, they won't use it anymore.
MikeFeb 5th 2010 12:22PM
Imagine the backlash if Microsoft were to ban any reference to Apple on the Windows platform. There would be fan boys screaming anti-trust from the mountain tops.
MxxConFeb 5th 2010 12:25PM
while i think some of the decisions apple made when it comes to app store are rather bone-headed, i can see some significant benefits in being such a control freak.
they are forcing developers to write quality apps and not to pollute app store is crap.
look at free apps in windows mobile marketplace. 90% of those are either "lite" or "demo" or "trial".
Apple said dev are not allowed to do it in their app store, and thankfully to that you get a pretty good list of USABLE apps.
GrigreFeb 5th 2010 12:36PM
Given Apple's
1) recent acquisition of Quattro,
2) the constant pushback on Adobe and Flash (which is often used for ad delivery), and
3) a recently stated plan to build a mobile ad model to "help" developers make money on free apps,
this new stance could be seen as an attempt by Apple to control yet one more aspect of the mobile proposition (i.e. take a piece of the profit pie from advertisements). While the free ap developers would share in this revenue stream, Apple would certainly take its cut. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, as it could facilitate more free apps and allow the developers an easy route to some payback, but it's not entirely altruistic, either.
Since it’s currently possible to not allow access to location per app, maybe a better way to address the problem is to make it possible to permanently turn off access to location data for ads while still permitting the app to use location data for functionality.
I am very happy so far with how my iPhone operates, but I would prefer that Apple loosen the reigns a bit on issues like multi-tasking, background apps, etc. for those who are willing to make the trade-offs of battery life for functionality, or in this case, having the choice to see local ads or not. Let the consumers who are paying several hundred dollars for the hardware, and another $30/mo for the data access, to have a little control over the experience.
PeaboyFeb 5th 2010 1:06PM
Grigre, you are spot on. Apple has\is building an integrated vertical. They're definitely going to allow location based advertising, but they want to do it through their stack and their advertising provider (Quattro).
TheOneAndOnlyJHFeb 6th 2010 6:58PM
Actually, this can be a good thing. I don't know for sure, but I bet every time an app queries your location it uses a little extra juice from your battery. I don't know how the iPhone gets its location, but it may create bandwidth usage over the network too.
I personally would rather an app didn't create unnecessary battery drain or network usage. I'm guessing some of these apps don't have very useful location aware ads either. Lemme guess, 'Meet sexy singles near right now!' ?
So if an app has no legitimate use for location other than serving ads, I'm all for blocking it. If they want my coordinates, they better damn well have a good reason for needing them!