[Journey] Building an iOS & Android App Empire
- Thread starter nakamura
- Start date
- Mar 22, 2013
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Update:
The revenue of May has been just around 10% better. I didn't earn that much more than in April. If you wanna see the revenue in numbers, simply look at the total amount and add 10% of it on top.I think there are two reasons for this:
- summer began in many of my targeting countries and they just spent less time on the phone (not sure)
- I noticed the CPI on Google went up around 30%, means I get less downloads for the same amount of money I spend
June will be all about this:
- Writing the eBook (finally)
- Creating Ad creatives mainly for TikTok and Instagram/Facebook
- Spending more money on ads to grow the apps/subscribers
- Updating existing apps + publishing new ones
Just few days ago I published a new app.
The revenue of May has been just around 10% better. I didn't earn that much more than in April. If you wanna see the revenue in numbers, simply look at the total amount and add 10% of it on top.I think there are two reasons for this:
- summer began in many of my targeting countries and they just spent less time on the phone (not sure)
- I noticed the CPI on Google went up around 30%, means I get less downloads for the same amount of money I spend
June will be all about this:
- Writing the eBook (finally)
- Creating Ad creatives mainly for TikTok and Instagram/Facebook
- Spending more money on ads to grow the apps/subscribers
- Updating existing apps + publishing new ones
Just few days ago I published a new app.
Max Riemelt
Newbie
- Jun 1, 2024
- 23
- 11
Very interesting. Good luck with your next projects.
- Mar 22, 2013
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I mostly focus on iOS apps these days, not putting any work into Google Play.
And yeah, I don't really make any outside promotion, but I definitely should. I will focus on this more in this month.
Drzeww
Newbie
- Feb 15, 2018
- 46
- 19
More than month passed and still can't go through review.
My app has been rejected 22 times in total because 4.3(a).
There s 3 variants of it :
First : "We noticed your app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers..."
Second : "This app duplicates the content and functionality of other apps on the App Store, which is considered a form of spam..."
Third : "Specifically, the app includes content that resembles protected third-party marks without the necessary authorization..."
I tryed to edit the look of application in any way, change the niche, using various versions of screenshots, but its gives nothing and always i was receiving one of the mentioned above errors.
As i saw the other developers puts the worst shit i ever saw to store without problems with insane copycats even on app title.
Tryed to republish app by new package name and profisioning profiles either.
Is there any specific applications types which automatically getting refused?
Maybe its because i bought the code from codecanyon, but i edited many things in it, so i dont think so.
Never supposted that anything could be worse than google.
- Mar 22, 2013
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Do you always just resubmit it? Or do you completely remove the app, then create a completely new listing with new bundle id?
Man, I am telling, it really depends on the guy who reviews the app. This is also something that kinda pisses me off. Sometimes, they immediately approve it. Sometimes, the guy keeps asking ridiculous questions. And sometimes, the reviewer simply calls it "Spam" and completely rejects it.
I dont know your app or niche, I don't know how many people used the same codecanyon template. But you need to change the look, add more features, add more screen if possible.
Drzeww
Newbie
- Feb 15, 2018
- 46
- 19
In case when app getting spam rejection i'm removing the whole application and resubmitting it with new bundle ID, provisioning profile, everything.
About numbers, i made 7 various type of this app but noone has been accepted to appstore because of 4.3.
In your case and rejection, you trying to explain the app in note section? I never got any real person reply from there.
And the type of app is just wallpaper, because i'd like to get the informations how appstore works at all with promoting/ecpm with my ad provider.
- Mar 22, 2013
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They are real people, but your reviewer is probably just copy and pasting. If you send a message, the person will also reply to you.
Ahh, I am not sure about Wallpaper apps...they probably restrict them in general, because there are too many of them, but I really dont know
Drzeww
Newbie
- Feb 15, 2018
- 46
- 19
So in case when your app getting Spam, what you doing?
Is there anything else you changing except just Bundle Identifier?
Are you editing name of the files?
Are you changing name of whole application in .plist or something, maybe Code Signing Entitleelements ?
Maybe they can see mine previous submitted applications (they're archived) and compare the name of folder, plist name (Debug, Release)
- Mar 22, 2013
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I change the bundle identifier and logo, then I change some colors. Also, I try to edit or add new features. I dont know well about your app, but try to add an onboarding (slider) in the beginning, and change the style of the app.
TheEnginner
Junior Member
- Sep 13, 2020
- 128
- 51
Note sometimes, they mark an account as "spammer". I noticed it when after publishing 2 codecanyon apps (with rejection), all future apps I was publishing was rejected as spam. After few attempts and finally success, my apps are easily approved now (even some codecanyon apps)
- Mar 22, 2013
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They will notice when you try to upload the same app with small changes.
There are two ways:
- Be one of the first to publish a specific app for a specific niche, then the quality doesn't matter that much
- If you enter a niche which is already saturated your app needs to be different and have more features than the others
In the end, it depends on the reviewer.
As I wrote before, I found that the quality of the reviewers got lower the past few months. They ask me really "noob" questions, ask me things about privacy policy, which are already written down in the privacy policy, and so on. In one case the review process took 3 weeks, because this guy just kept asking one question after another. He didn't just send me a whole list of questions, no, he asked one, let me resubmit the app, then ask another question, and so on.
If you are lucky, your app gets published immediately no questions asked, this happened to me around 70% of the time.
Drzeww
Newbie
- Feb 15, 2018
- 46
- 19
So you just keep resubmit those for review again and again?
Well, after 25 attempts for now i dont think is any sense annymore
Even adding sign in to app changes nothing, still spam about same binary.
I never got any question from reviever where you receiving those?
- Mar 22, 2013
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Yes, I do, but I don't know your app. If its a really basic app with very less content, screens, functions, etc. they will keep declining it. You mentioned it is in the Wallpaper niche. There are hundreds if not thousands of apps in this niche. If you make one, it must exceptional. Means: have additional functions others do not have. Or must have an exceptional user interface / experience.
You can ask questions and get questions on the review page. If you get a rejection, below there somewhere is a button/link that says "reply".
- Mar 22, 2013
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Once in a while it happens that Google just confirms that it was the best possible decision to not deal with them any longer and to not rely on them.
Few weeks ago, they removed one of my apps on Google Play (that was there for many months) because the privacy policy link didn't work anymore. The hosting was down for 24h and they just removed the entire app because of that. Wtf?
Today, another thing happened. Google AdMob send me a message that something is wrong with my iOS app (that shows ads for almost one year with no problem ever) and the reason is "site navigation behavior". These guys even added screenshots that show that everything is fine. LOL. Now I send an appeal and asked: "what is the actual problem?" I don't show any banner ads. There are only rewarded ads in the app. Wtf do they want?
Overall, dealing with Google is such a pain as a developer. You have to deal with unexpected crap like this all the time. Completely random, absolutely unecessary. Just randomly sending an email about restricting the ads in my app, showing me screenshots that show absolutely nothing special.
I opened this thread around 4 years ago. Two of these four years I only struggled with Google. They were the reason I always had to start from 0. Once I ranked an app, they removed it or even terminated the entire account. It is really demotivating, especially for beginners. You see money coming in and then they just destroy you for ridiculous reasons and there is nothing you can do except sending 1000 letters of appeal, begging them to save all your work and not destroying your income. they are the police, lawyer and judge all in one and they do with you whatever they want, whenever they want.
The only reason I am banking hard from last year till now is because I moved from Google to Apple completely, no of my apps get removed and I can just keep scaling, keep improving and keep creating new apps.
Few weeks ago, they removed one of my apps on Google Play (that was there for many months) because the privacy policy link didn't work anymore. The hosting was down for 24h and they just removed the entire app because of that. Wtf?
Today, another thing happened. Google AdMob send me a message that something is wrong with my iOS app (that shows ads for almost one year with no problem ever) and the reason is "site navigation behavior". These guys even added screenshots that show that everything is fine. LOL. Now I send an appeal and asked: "what is the actual problem?" I don't show any banner ads. There are only rewarded ads in the app. Wtf do they want?
Overall, dealing with Google is such a pain as a developer. You have to deal with unexpected crap like this all the time. Completely random, absolutely unecessary. Just randomly sending an email about restricting the ads in my app, showing me screenshots that show absolutely nothing special.
I opened this thread around 4 years ago. Two of these four years I only struggled with Google. They were the reason I always had to start from 0. Once I ranked an app, they removed it or even terminated the entire account. It is really demotivating, especially for beginners. You see money coming in and then they just destroy you for ridiculous reasons and there is nothing you can do except sending 1000 letters of appeal, begging them to save all your work and not destroying your income. they are the police, lawyer and judge all in one and they do with you whatever they want, whenever they want.
The only reason I am banking hard from last year till now is because I moved from Google to Apple completely, no of my apps get removed and I can just keep scaling, keep improving and keep creating new apps.
KillerKoala
Registered Member
- Mar 15, 2017
- 92
- 36
My conspiracy theory is that the Google workers, the actual people who operate this shithole called Google Play, are exploiting this system by banning easy-niche competitors with shit apps and earning millions from it on their own with their own (shit) apps.
- Mar 22, 2013
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I believe the same. You will never get into trouble if you don't rank. But once you rank and get organic downloads, they will remove you. I sent an appeal before and sent them a list of 30 other apps that were live and didn't get removed. Then, this person at Google just said "we don't discuss other people's apps". The double standards are crazy.
Its almost like they first decide to get rid of you and after this they find a reason why.
Drzeww
Newbie
- Feb 15, 2018
- 46
- 19
As far as i saw the same happend in appstore.
I'm checking and following the ranking few times in week from idk 5 months?
The simple spam apps like Wallpapers sometimes can reach even top rankings with crazy copycats keywords like "FNAF, Poppy Playtime, Minecraft, Roblox, Squad Busters", but of course in my case i am not able to use title like this, because 4.3 Copycats version.
How they make these apps approved then, some of them literally has been published 3 weeks ago.
Not even talking about "reference" category where to even start the app and see what's inside you have to connect debit card and subscribe first, ofc its not any violation, and of course its not any Spam Design, specially i'm seeing these apps from 5 months in various version on always new account, the same app...
And i think its not like the apple never removing the apps, because few of them misteriously dissapeared, entering from the link causing site bootloop.
Actually i have no even idea what type of app i should publish and what is alloweed, because i see randomly shit in ranking, then i'm checking the app and its literally the same like mine, or even worse.
- Mar 22, 2013
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Its all just luck. Some also publish the app under another name and then later on just publish and update with an updated name and hope they will accept it.
Well, I never had any problem with Apple besides that sometimes the review process is a bit weird due to the reviewer. But I never got any app deleted, removed or anything lke this.
The revenue is stable. This month is around 10% lower, because I stopped advertising. But will start ads again soon.
Before 2 years Apple store was more demanding with approving new apps, back in 2022 i paid for one year and they reject all my apps with some silly reasons and I give up. These days Google try to copy Apple store from that time and its much harder to make any money with Google Play. Because of that I give new chance to Apple store and they approve some of my apps and that apps earn some money on Admob. Now I have a problem because I have 10+ years experience with Google play apps and 0 experience with ios apps. :/