Apple rejects operators with non-native content from App Store
William Hill among apps having issues with new Apple App Store guidelines to differentiate its app content from its mobile site
Operators’ native apps are being rejected by Apple under new guidelines requiring commercial apps to offer different features to their mobile web offerings.
One industry source told EGR that William Hill, BetVictor, Kindred, Sky Bet and Ladbrokes Coral had all had issues following the updated guidelines.
The 4.2 update in Apple’s Review Guidelines clamps down on apps being submitted as “wrapped websites”, requiring them to offer unique features.
Existing apps with minimal or non-native functionality have also been targeted and rejected from the app store.
CEO for app development company Mkodo, Stuart Godfree, said rejections could be hugely costly in terms of resubmission work and time to market.
“[It] can easily be avoided if an app is native and developed and optimised to respect the Apple Guidelines,” Godfree said.
Godfree said the guidelines would likely affect big and small brands as it is common practice for apps to be wrapped versions of an operator’s website.
One exec from a larger operator said they expected fewer issues as their app had several ‘native’ features like TouchID login.