App Rejections

It seems that DJ apps may now be “allowed” by Apple: this past week saw two approvals of apps that had been in limbo for months (e.g. Sonorasaurus [], Touch DJ [] ). Although … a third one caught in submission around the same time is still under review (DJ Player).

These apps are particularly interesting, in that we have a bunch of sensible theories around why Apple *might* have wanted to reject them, including the fear that they replaced the built-in iPod player. As with many approvals, of course – we just don’t know. When an app is “in review” for unusually long time – 70 days in this case – Apple provides no explanation. Russell Haglof (of Sonorasaurus) reports getting the standard “this app is taking longer than normal to review” but no other info about the delay. It’s only if the app is rejected that you get to find out why…

And, as Russell points out, it might just be coincidence that several got approved together:

The week that we were approved I also started becoming more aggressive in my quest for info and approval. I called and emailed at least once per day. I was also polite, but I was much more firm with them on the issues and did not hide my frustrations with the process. 2 days before our approval we got a request to show legal documentation that the songs we included were properly licensed. I forward that info to them and their lawyers reviewed it and the next day we received our approval notification.

The Touch DJ authors even went so far as to post a YouTube video about the delay. With only a few thousand views, it’s unlikely this made all the difference in Apple’s approval, but it’s an interesting tactic. Maybe worth adding that to the list of pre-flight marketing for a new app?

1. Make icon
2. Choose distinctive name
3. Send preview copies to journalists
4. Release a YouTube video showing the app in action
5. …
6. Prepare a YouTube video highlighting how long you’ve been in Submission