Apple has always been strict about what makes the cuts in its App Store, and the arrival of iOS 8 seems to be ushering in some extra rules. It seems Apple is looking to remove apps that rewards social sharing or provide in-game credit for watching videos.
A number of developers have reported having their app updates rejected by Apple — where changes have been merely cosmetic — because they provided in-game credits for watching videos, promoting apps other than themselves, and using social sharing. They’re all incredibly common monetisation techniques — Candy Crush, anyone? — so if Apple’s clamping down it will have a big impact on developers.
Last week Apple unveiled new App Store features that make it easier to browse categories and sub-categories of apps, and it could be that it wants to stamp out developers’ cross-promotion. Currently it’s unclear how strict Apple’s policies will be and how they will be enforced. [TechCrunch via MacRumors via Engadget]