How is this in the app store

[Mark Wilcox]

Colin Holgate <coiin at verizon.net> wrote:



>> You could choose to only enable certain features to be available after the date that you expect the app to be in the store, but that is true even when you're using embedded features. If after approval you then reveal a new feature, and users complain about that new feature, you would get pulled from the store.

You're 100% correct, I should have said you *can* have a whole bunch of code included that was not testable at review time.  Of course the same applies to wrapped web apps and if you're using PhoneGap you could include some native functionality in the original app that you later access via downloaded JavaScript.  Even with native code you could have some embedded trojan waiting for a remote signal to execute.  Genuine malware (for which reviews are only a sham defence anyway) aside, Apple's main issue seems to be one of controlling the content in the store and the current situation where wrapped web apps can update to look and behave completely differently from what was reviewed/approved while other runtimes can't seems somewhat ridiculous.

I think users complaining is problematic, since in a typical A/B test, you only enable new functionality for a small subset of users while you test it. If someone in the test population complains and Apple checks the app they won't find the offending content.  Do they just take user's word for it and remove the app anyway?  Seems open to terrible abuse.  Also, there are plenty of things in the store rules which users may not have any reason to complain about at all.

I'm not expecting anything to change in a hurry but fundamentally it's developers that Apple needs to trust, not individual app versions.  Perhaps code downloading is something that is added as an explicit app capability granted at initial review - a privilege that is revoked if abused?

I'm genuinely curious whether there are any technical measures in LiveCode for iOS that prevent you downloading and executing stacks?  An exchange with Monte on the forums suggested there aren't.

Mark