AutoAlert

There’s been lots of stories about individuals making bundles of money on the app store although with thousands of apps out there this tends to be the exception rather than the rule

However, I’ve just noticed that there are a number of apps in the top 25 today. They are cheap apps selling the ability to see through a friends clothes or track ANY mobile telephone. It appears to be a joke and when you read the description it does clearly state what the app does or doesn’t do but lots of people seem to be downloading them regardless.

Three of the apps are below. 2 are from the same developer, all have got really bad reviews and all appear to be very simple apps to put together.

X Ray Scanner to see under your friends clothes

Phone Tracker: Location any mobile phone

Sex position game

What ceases to amaze though is how many people seem to be surprised that the app doesn’t do what they thought.

I take a few learning from this and i’d be interested to hear your views.

1) People don’t read the descriptions (or at best they skim read)

As an app developer we’ve seen this ourselves. No matter how clear you try and make the description and how much information you provide on your website; people will still download the app but often have completely different expectations to what it actually does.

The same is true for help and instructions. No matter how clear you’ve made your instructions (or how clear you feel you’ve made your instructions) people will still have problems.

2) The cheaper the app the more bad reviews you’ll get

The more expensive the app, I assume the more research people will do before purchasing. The cheaper the app the more likely people will download it without really knowing what it does, then be upset when it doesn’t do what they thought.

3) Bad reviews don’t matter

As a developer we put a lot of effort into trying to create good apps which will be useful to our customers. When we first released our applications we always took it personally if someone wasn’t happy. Of course we still want to make the best app possible but given the above it seems that reviews shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Obsviiously constructive critisms can help you develop your app further, but bad reviews appear to make little difference to sales.

4. If you want to make a lot of money quickly, release a really bad app

The apps I mentioned above were obviously quick to make and appear to have upset a lot of people. However, they are in the top 25 paid applications as well as the top 50 grossing applications today. If you create a buzz in the app store, even if for the wrong reasons then it appears that your app will get priortised. Sensationalism sells!

By the way, before any one thinks this is just another marketing ploy for these apps, thiese companies have nothing to do with us!

I’d be keen to hear your thoughts, both around marketing of applications as well as on a lighter note, some ideas for equally bad apps which could sell millions.,

Have you ever left your car somewhere then had that sinking feeling when you’ve realised you can’t remember where you parked it.

With AutoAlert you don’t need to worry.  Simply open your AutoAlert iPhone Groups application, send your location then access the Radar screen to see where you are in relation to your vehicle.  Leave the application tracking and you can watch yourself home in on your cars position.

If you haven’t got an AutoAlert GPS Tracking Unit in your vehicle, you can still use the AutoAlert iPhone Tracking app to leave your location when you get out of your car then see your current position relative to that location when you are trying to find your car later on.

And if you don’t have an iPhone, you can use any colour mobile telephone to check the last known position of your vehicle by pointing your phone at http://www.autoalert.me.uk/mobile/ then logging in with your account details.

For any other help and advice using any AutoAlert product, check out our AutoAlert Support pages

There is lots of talk and frustration around the Apple iStore approval process.  It is opaque with what seems to be often arbitrary decisions as to what gets in to the store and what gets declined.

However the situation is improving, and with a bit of common sense you can improve the chances of getting your applications approved, and getting it approved quickly.  Our latest application  - the Milan Ecopass Check and Remind app was released in just a month whereas our latest upgrade to our Tracking application went through the whole process in about 2 weeks.

So how did we do it?

Firstly, understand the approval process.  Apple has over 100,000 applications in its store.  All the applications are checked by Apple employees, it is not outsourced or done by freelance employees.  This should improve consistency however it does mean that these approvers are busy.  Make the application clear and simple and provide as much detail in iTunes connect  so that the approvers know what the app is for and understands how it works.

A good tip, is to include information such as links to your other approved apps which may have the same features and provide feedback you may have received from Apple within the Demo Account – Full access section of the detail for your application.

Also, understand the Apple Human Interface guidelines.  Apple wants a consistent look and feel across its applications.  The user should be able to understand intuitively how your application works.  There should be clear information so the user knows what is happening, i.e., if the application is connecting to the internet then highlight this to the customer rather than showing a blank screen which may look as if the application has stopped working.

Obviously good coding is also paramount.  Ensure your application is not seeping memory which would cause it, or other applications to stop working.  Use lazy loading techniques to ensure it works quickly and efficiently.  Test the application thoroughly and with as many people as possible.  If you can understand how different people use the application and ensure it works smoothly no matter how it’s used, then this will help you with the approval process but also provide a better application to your customer.

Finally, if you do get stuck get to know people at Apple.  It is a large organisation and sometimes difficult to get through to.  However, they do appear to be making an effort and getting in touch by email and phone.  Get to know people there, keep a record of their name and contact details and if there is a problem then pick up the phone.

We hope this helps, send us your comments or get in touch!

##Stop Press## Apple has just released a news feed to give you up to date information on submitting applications. Subscribe here.