Well, considering how it would be implemented, I doubt "any app designed to help people use their phones less is unacceptable for distribution in the App Store" was the real reason. It sounds more like, "any app indistinguishable from a virus has no place in any app store, anywhere."<p>>> Google, conversely, has welcomed Space to its mobile marketplace, the Google Play store, Brown says. This is a signal that the search giant is ready to "give people a little more control about how they want their minds to work," he says.<p>No, it's a signal that Google doesn't care enough about what goes in their app store to review entries before publishing them.<p>Honestly, I don't care what sort of apps you make. People really should have a choice about what apps they can install. App stores create a barrier to entry for app developers that stifle creativity and expression.<p>But I also think it's important to tell the truth about why things are happening. This article is a PR campaign. Who even heard of Space before this?
From the 60 minutes article:<p>>Ramsay Brown and his garage start-up Dopamine Labs made a habit-breaking app as well. It’s called “Space” and it creates a 12-second delay -- what Brown calls a “moment of Zen” before any social media app launches. In January, he tried to convince Apple to sell it in their App Store.<p>Somehow I don't think that was why his app was rejected.
Ok I'm all for a good app store rejection story but this sounds pretty suspect: “any app designed to help people use their phones less is unacceptable for distribution in the App Store.”<p>It's way more likely because there isn't a public API for changing the application icon on iOS (at least until 10.3 <a href="https://developer.apple.com/reference/uikit/uiapplication/2806818-setalternateiconname" rel="nofollow">https://developer.apple.com/reference/uikit/uiapplication/28...</a>)<p>...and even when once there is a public API. It is certainly against app store rules to infringe on the trademarks of popular social network companies for what you use as your icon.
I'm guessing the real reason is that this app is apparently interrupting the function of other apps. Can't blame Apple for wanting to prevent that.
> A rep from the Apple Store Review reportedly said that “any app designed to help people use their phones less is unacceptable for distribution in the App Store.”<p>I call BS on this. Apple usually doesn't give you that precise feedback on why an app has been rejected. It seems only PR.
I like the idea a lot, since i often catch myself opening a new reddit tab right after closing another.<p>Anyone know of a way to accomplish this on linux?<p>Or maybe somehow through piehole or a similar system?
"We've developed this app for Amazon that makes people shop and spend less on Amazon"
"I can't believe Amazon rejected this"