Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with appstore

Tracking iTunes Store prices on iOS?

jroybal — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 14:27:27 -0800

I use an app on my iPhone and iPad called AppShopper to keep a list of iOS apps I'd like to buy. It tracks them and sends a push notification when their price changes (or when there's an update to the app). Is there another app like that out there that tracks movies, music and TV shows (and maybe apps) on the iTunes Store? If there's no app, is there a website that does this?

Help me wrap my head around iTunes and its kin

not.so.hip — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:15:23 -0800

Where can I find a good, clear explanation of the functions of iTunes and its offshoots (the App Store, Music, Podcasts, iTunesU, etc.) and how to use them correctly? I need to explain all of this to a group of casual iOS users and I can't even seem to get a grip on it myself even though I've been an iTunes user since 2.0.

iTunes 11 on a computer is a media store/player/manager. iTunes on my iPad is for purchasing and synchronizing media, but not playing media. The Music app on my iPhone will let me listen to podcasts, but that doesn't seem to be true on my iPad. How does iCloud fit in with all of this? It's a bit confusing. I feel like I'm not quite seeing the big picture of how Apple is intending me to use them all across my devices and computers.

Can you recommend any articles, blog posts or even books that explain the history of, current uses and future plans for these apps? I've read the Wikipedia article and also the ArsTechnica history of iTunes but it's still not sinking in.

I kind of wish Apple would just come out with something like iMedia and make it nice and simple again, but I'm fully willing to admit that this could just be my inner curmudgeon talking. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Analytics

spicynuts — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 11:10:55 -0800

Need specific details about what tracking/user data is available through the basic Apple App Store developer tools. This may be a naive or misguided questions but my googling is getting me down a rabbit hole and Apple's own website is a giant, obfuscatory pain in the butt. So, building an iOS game for a large client. Time to start talking about analytics. Probably going to be using Flurry along with some other 3rd party add-ons, but I thought Apple rolled out a UDID-ban work-around and a set of native analytics/tracking tools. Did I misunderstand? Where can I find a list of the data or a view of the dashboard available from Apple for viewing and managing your user data? Or, do they do none of the actual tracking, and it's up to the developer to implement Google Analytics or Flurry or the like?

eBay sniping app for iOS

not that girl — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 17:12:44 -0800

iOS sniping app for eBay auctions? I like to snipe the occasional eBay auction. I am doing most of my computing on my iPad lately, and would like to have a sniping app. Most of the info I can find by googling is out of date by several years, I tried one app, which didn't work at all, but which cost several dollars, and I'd like to not make that mistake again. So: recommendations?

(Don't ask which app I tried. I can't find it again.)

Apples make my tummy ache.

mnsc — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:49:33 -0800

Can I transfer apps bought from the App Store to another person/Apple ID? Backstory: Got a free iPad 1 when it launched (some time back) and for a while I pitched a tent in the Apple Camp and bought a craploads of apps. Stupid expensive apps that I never use. Now I want to give them away 'cause I'm pretty sure my next tablet is No Apple. Not sell them or anything just give them to friends that might use them better. Is this possible in a legit way? Or some hack/jailbreak way? My iPad is not jailbroken.

Sudoku-esque game search

morganannie — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 19:04:18 -0800

Have you played the game The Heist from the app store? It features four different puzzle types. I am really fond of the sudoku-esque puzzle that uses figures instead of numbers and a different grid layout. Is there a name for this type of game? Can you recommend similar games? I don't really like the other three puzzle types and I have played all 15 of the one I do like. TIA!

I am looking for a site that aggregates all the Apps in Apple's App Store and arranges them in order by their average rating (five star being the highest) and the number of people who voted for it.

RapcityinBlue — Sat, 25 Aug 2012 14:13:58 -0800

I am looking for a site that aggregates all the Apps in Apple's App Store and arranges them in order by their average rating (five star being the highest) and the number of people who voted for it. I'd like to use this as info for crowdsourcing and finding apps that might be of use to me and that have been of great help to other users. Is there any website or program that has ranked all the Apps in Apple's App store according to user reviews and the number of reviews in total? I'm looking for something that also disaggregate the apps by category (productivity, school, games, etc). The closest thing I found to this is a PCWorld page where it lists the apps but arranges them in order without taking into account that a single five star review for an application doesn't trump a 4 1/2 star average ranking from 2000 people. For example, such a website would probably list Instagram as somewhere near the top in their ranking because its average user rating on Apple is 5 stars and more than 45000 people have voted for it.

So basically, I'd like to find something that can let me crowd source a bit and find precisely those apps that have five or four and a half stars from thousands of different users to help me find different Apps to try out on my phone.

Thanks

Taking control of iPads....

lattiboy — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:40:25 -0800

Setting up 20-40 Apple iPads at my company. We'd like to have these "locked down" to some extent. Also, setup standardized logins. Details inside...... I've read a number of articles online about the current situation with iPads and the corporate world. Most of them essentially say "it's a goddamn mess". Regardless, we are moving ahead with a rollout of ipads.

Our situation:

1) We currently have about 15 iPads in the wild. All for sales people. We'll be expanding to possibly 50 in the next few months. Replacing laptops for most.

2) They all have to run this app. Which, of course, doesn't offer volume licensing anymore. Currently, we're simply having people expense the app on their own iTunes account.

3) We're looking at a support/inventory tracker. We already use this company's program for our RF guns, so we're inclined to use this software. Any experience? Alternatives?

4) We're a strictly MS shop, but we're not averse to setting up a Mac if it will help with any of this.

5) We'd LOVE it if there was a way to sync their AD account logins somehow in place of this iTunes BS, but I'm guessing that's impossible.

6) Not horribly worried about security as Dropbox and the emulator both require independent logins. I believe every software offering we've looked at has "remote wipe" functionality.

7) We don't really care if people are running Angry Birds or whatever, but since we are paying for these we feel we should at least have the ABILITY to pick what they can and cannot install.

Extra info:

-No special setups on the iPads. Just VPN, the 5250 Emulator and Dropbox.

-Everybody is currently using the built in email client for Exchange sync. So far we haven't had any need for more powerful apps like Touchdown.

-These are sales people. Almost all consumption/presentation. They don't do much typing or producing of documents.

So, basically, I'm looking for experience IT folks have had integrating iPads into their existing infrastructure.

Thanks in advance.....

Pimp my iPad

psycheslamp — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:35:42 -0800

I can't be the only person on Metafilter who's succumbed to temptation and gotten their new iPad today. So now that I have it, what apps will make it extra awesome? I've had an iPhone for years, so I'm most interested in apps that are either iPad specific, or much better on the iPad than iPhone. The last iPad recommendation thread is from last year, so it seems reasonable to ask for an update.

Please don't recommend ridiculously addictive games - I have enough trouble with procrastination as it is - but other than that, I'm interested in anything that makes your life easier or more interesting.

How can I give Final Cut Pro as a gift?

theatro — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 19:26:27 -0800

I want to give someone a copy of Final Cut Pro X as a gift. But since there's no physical package anymore, I can't figure out how to do it, and I'm feeling pretty dumb. I thought maybe an iTunes Gift Certificate, but Apple.com says "iTunes Gift Cards and Certificates can be redeemed for songs, albums, audiobooks, videos, and games on the iTunes Store. They cannot be used to buy Apple products." Help? There's a different gift card option called the "Apple Gift Card," but for the Apple Gift Card options, it only lists buying things from the physical Apple Store or buying things online from "the Apple Online Store," and as far as I can tell that only means Apple.com's store (which doesn't carry Final Cut Pro--the buy link is for buying it from the App Store).

There are also what seem to be App-Store-only gift cards, but the highest denomination I can find for those is $50--and I worry, because often there's a limit as to how many gift cards you can use in one transaction. And does Final Cut Pro, which is sold through the App Store, count as an App technically? Or do they separate "Apps" vs. "Apple products" somehow, like that quote above?

Anyway, I have unexpectedly stumbled into an entirely new experience for me, the information elsewhere is conflicting, and I am all at sea. Please tow me to shore!

Publishing a magazine electronically - who should I be asking?

saysthis — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:13:13 -0800

I'm helping a Chinese magazine put out an electronic English edition. In addition to the Kindle and Apple iVenues, what are other platforms where we should be distributing this? They're hoping to achieve as wide a paid readership as possible without having to pay impossible listing fees. It's a magazine on the Chinese advertising industry. Are there any advertising industry-specific platforms I should be aware of?

How do I most efficiently promote my iPad game?

Brainy — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 11:41:24 -0800

I released an app in the app store. How do I promote it? What works and what doesn't? So, I am mostly an artist but since I'm part of a start-up, it's all hands on deck for everything. This means I'm a large part of the promotional team and I'm trying to learn as fast as I can! I would love some practical advice on where to send info, how to get attention. Basically: whatever you think might help!

Here's some topics I am concerned about/things I've done:
1. Friend promotion Told everybody I know about it. I spammed twitter & FB for a few days and a lot of friends DID download it....but since it's an iPad app, there just aren't that many friends with iPads.

2. Do reviews matter? We got a lot of strangers to download via promo codes, but they can't add reviews. I hate begging friends for (honest) reviews, but if it makes a large difference I will. I feel like reviews mostly just push people who are already interested over the edge.

3. Review sites Nobody I know just browses the app store for fun looking things, they use some sort of review sites. So we've sent promo codes/press releases to them and a few other similar ones, but of course so did everybody else in the world. Are there any non-obvious sites I might not have thought of that I could send an EPK to?

4. Advertising. We're taking out an ads, but really just because a site we sent an EPK to responded with an ad offer. So it's not a well-designed campaign, just "sure why not, this sounds reasonable" sort of thing. Any advice on a good campaign?

5. The cheaper the better. I'm not sure on the exact details of our budget, but it's not very large and of course we don't want to spend more on ads than we're going to make on sales, but who can predict that?

I'm sure there's a lot of things I'm missing. Please tell me what they are. Also I looked for previous questions on this topic and didn't find any. If I missed some, please point them out to me.

Sorry if I sound frantic, but this is an entirely new domain for me.

How do I make an app?

hal_c_on — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:51:19 -0800

Questions about iPad app development. I have a ton of questions here that come from my basic question of "How do I publish an ipad app in the apple store?"

I have an idea for a VERY simple app. Its useful for a very small group of people, including myself.

How do I develop it, publish it in the app store, and get money for it (if possible)? I don't see more than 500 people using this app, so I'm not doing it for the money. Of those 500 people, it is probably most useful for me. So it is worth it to me to have this app developed, even if I lose money on it.

Its EXTREMELY simple. I have no development background, so I don't know what to call it but basically:
The user would input text: Bananas
The ipad would display text: Bananas in pajamas
or
The user would input text: Oranges
The ipad would display text: Oranges in pajamas

I'm not giving away details on it here, but its basically the above idea.

It would not need ANY updates for at least 5 years, so releasing a version after the initial isn't necessary at all if it works correctly.

Can I make it myself? Is it that easy to do? Do I need to pay some kind of fees and become a apple developer or what? Or do I need to hire a professional to do this? Could I get someone to develop it, publish it, and fix the bugs without them getting any ownership in it? Could I publish it in a specific country's app store, the US's app store, or worldwide?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, mefites.

A cost effective music solution

antgly — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 08:53:23 -0800

What is the most cost effective way to have tons of music (piracy is not an option)? At the least I want something that lets me listen to music on my iPad offline because it is a WiFi only model. The only options that I've seen are mostly paid plans with trials and nothing free as far as I've seen. I'm looking for something legal and with a variety of music. I like Rdio, but my trial ended. So I'm wondering if there's anything really cheap or free? Free would be the best option.

Overlooked gems on AppStore?

jragon — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:34:10 -0800

I remember a blog that highlighted overlooked gems on the AppStore. There was a focus on being particularly beautiful or unique. Does anyone remember it?

How to get Japanese iPad apps on my US iPad?

raygan — Mon, 31 May 2010 01:54:56 -0800

What exactly do I need to do to be able to download a Japanese exclusive iPhone/iPad app? (I am in the US, and the app in question is Puyo Pop Fever Touch.) I'm assuming I would need a Japanese iTunes account but I'm not sure how to get one or what problems I might encounter. I'm pretty motivated though, I'm obsessed with Puyo Pop Fever and the fact that the iPad and iPhone versions exist and I can't have them is driving me nuts!

The fact that the menus and text are in japanese won't really be a problem; I've played the game on so many platforms now I'm sure I could figure it out.

How to ensure iPhone news aggregator app is included in the App Store?

Anonymous — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:45:00 -0800

My iPhone news reader app was rejected from the App Store for what looks like copyright reasons. What should I do to get it accepted after all? It's a basic news reader app that monitors RSS feeds from news sources and displays the headlines along with the source name and a short description (up to 420 characters). You still have to visit the news source's site to read the actual article.

In this respect it is similar in functionality to various apps already available in the App Store, such as Fluent News, Notice News Aggregator, Broadersheet and I suppose many others. It's basically an RSS reader with pre-selected feeds.

The review team didn't specifically mention copyright to me but phrased it as such: "[We] cannot post your application because it appears to contain features, namely, content, that bear a resemblance to well-known third-parties [sic]" and then goes on to list a couple of the news sources monitored in my app.

I understand that the legality of some kinds of news aggregator implementations is debatable, but I feel I have a credible claim to fair use for this specific app. After all, I'm driving traffic to the sites, I don't actually offer the content but for a title and short description, etc.

Do you have any tips as to which steps I could take to make sure the app is published after all? Any angle I should pursue with Apple to get them to see my side? Have any of the developers among you encountered a similar situation and have any advice to share? Finally, what resources are there on the internet for people in my situation?

Thank you very much in advance for any help and/or insight.

How to license soundbites from a defunct TV show for an iPhone app?

neilkod — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:08:46 -0800

How would I go about obtaining licensing/permission to use soundbites from a no-longer-running major network show in an iPhone application? Or even so, what department would I approach to make an official application for the now-defunct show? A search of the app store yields no results for neither the show name nor the main character's name.

On the other hand, if I created an unauthorized version, would the approval process immediately shoot me down? I'd prefer to take the high road in this case and obtain permission, or even partner with the network, rather than get denied by Apple on account of licensing issues.

Multiplayer iPhone games?

Tu13es — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 05:13:44 -0800

What are some multiplayer iPhone games that don't require players to be actively using their phone to play? I just discovered Words With Friends (and Chess With Friends) and love it because I don't need to be actively using my phone at all times to play it. If you haven't played them, they're basically Scrabble (or Chess) games where you open the app, play your move, then wait until your opponent makes their move. Perfect for when I'm at work and can only use my phone occasionally.

Games that are only multiplayer over wifi or bluetooth are out. Bonus points for games that are free, but I'd consider paid ones as well. Bonus points for apps with Push notifications when it's your turn too.

What happens to iPhone apps on upgrade?

perrce — Sun, 24 May 2009 04:38:13 -0800

If I upgrade my iPhone, can I move my App Store apps to the new phone? With all the recent talk of a new iPhone model coming out this summer, it got me wondering what would happen to all the apps that I've bought through the App Store. Can they be re-downloaded for free on to the new phone? Can I work some magic with iTunes? Or do I lose them all and have to buy them all over again?

What sites offer useful iPhone App listings & reviews?

shanevsevil — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:49:28 -0800

The App store on the iPhone is so cluttered it's practically unbrowsable for me. Things are only a little bit better on the desktop version of iTunes. For the most part I've been finding cool applications as they are mentioned in some of the blogs I already read. Surely there are some websites out there that keep up a good overview of the best iPhone apps. What sites are you using to find good apps for the iPhone?

learning is fun!

changeling — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:35:59 -0800

Should we place our iPhone app in the Education or Games section of the App Store? My husband and I have created an iPhone app, and we're about ready to put it up on the App Store. It's a math-related puzzle game, and it would fit under Education or Games. We've seen similar games in each category. So... where should we put it? There are far, far more apps in the Games section; thus, way more competition. But do games in the Education category generally sell less? Should we choose the high-traffic, high-competition category? Or the lower-traffic category with more visibility? Apple is so dang secretive about sales volumes -- beyond the most popular games, it's really difficult to know how an app is selling. Any opinions or experience with this would help. Thanks!

Now, explain it to me like I'm a four-year-old.

Iteki — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:30:38 -0800

iPod Touch/iPhone app development for utter idiots. I want to make an app to sell in the store, a very simple app like the flashlight or lighter ones, basically a picture you could say.

I have seen that there are supersimplified ways of making widgets and so forth (Jiggy for example?) but they all seem to be for jailbreak users.

Is there something similar for making actual apps for the store? What steps do I need to make something simple like this? I have signed up as an iPhone developer (I gather it's the same devgroup?). Do I have to pay the 100 dollar developer fee? Do I have to learn obj-c or are there other, simpler options? WTF is a toolchain?

Please break this down for me, I have some webdev experience and a couple of smart and patient friends, but I need to know the basics and where to start.