The former App Store manager, responsible for accepting or rejecting App Store applications, harshly criticizes Apple’s policy and assures that it acts at its discretion with very ambiguous guides.
Phillip Shoemaker was the director of the App Store and the person most responsible for allowing an app to enter the App Store during the years 2009 to 2016, working with Steve Jobs in the creation and development of the store of iPhone applications, the App Store. His departure from Apple was not done in a very friendly wayand that’s why it’s no coincidence that in a recent interview with Bloomberg he was comfortable with the company and its policy when it comes to allowing or rejecting apps from its shop.
Former Apple executive says App Store review standards should be ‘black or white’, but nonetheless they are intentionally made in a very “grey” way to be able to accept or reject applications at the whim of the company. “The idea was to start like that and then refine the guides,” but according to Phillip that never happened, on the contrary, they became increasingly ambiguous.
He also addresses the controversial issue of the 30% fee Apple charges developers:This rate made sense in 2009, because Apple was creating a new platform and offering tools never seen before. But things have changed a lot since then. Apple could reduce these fees and still make a lot of money.”
When it comes to naming the culprits, Phillip is very clear about the name: Phil Schiller. Although he is almost retired, Shiller remains a consultant for the company and helps run the App Store. “You should take your big hands off the App Store. If Phil Schiller does not step down, the courts will impose the changes.”
Very harsh words from a former Apple executive who, curiously, was characterized during his time in the company by his controversies by openly criticizing developers who complained that their applications were rejected on social networks, even to the media who dared to criticize the company. When Joe Hewitt, Facebook’s iPhone app lead, quit the project due to Apple’s restrictions on apps in its store, Phillip Shoemaker harshly criticized him, calling him a “mediocre, credential-less developer.” The passing of the years seems to have changed it.
