App Store rejection...

[grgcombs]

I guess it was bound to happen. I've been successfully using MTStatusBarOverlay to indicate the status of network data updates for well over a year now, and through a mountain of successful app updates without issue. Until today. TexLege was rejected because I was violating HIG by creating a "custom status bar". It's okay to hide the system status bar, but we can't make it seem like we're creating our own because it "causes confusion". My reply outlined how the system's network activity indicator causes more confusion than anything else they provide on the device ...

[xuyunan]

I care this issue very much

[bejo]

+1 Base CRM app was rejected a few days ago due to the HIG violation :(

[arielcamus]

was it a temporal status bar or did you keep it there forever? I just want to show it for some seconds and then I'd like to hide it and show the original status bar again.

[bejo]

It was only a temporal status bar :(

[igz]

Curious if anyone knows why certain apps are rejected for this feature, while others aren't. Viddy gets away with it; maybe it's because they're backed by celebrity $..

[myell0w]

I don't know for sure, but I suspect it depends on the reviewer, after all they are human beings too ;) kinda like a lottery, there are still apps getting approved using MTStatusBarOverlay while others get rejected.

[horseshoe7]

has anyone pleaded with Apple to make a definitive decision on this? Is there a way to ensure I can rely on such a feature? Is it just a matter of how the status bar overlay looks? I mean, I can keep the functionality and just get the designer to make it look less like an Apple component?

[arielcamus]

I know some approved apps using MTStatusBarOverlay. I assume it's safe to use it.

[bejo]

I talked about MTStatusBarOverlay with Apple reviewers at WWDC labs in June. They told me not to use it. Moreover, if there's an app in App Store that's using it then it's been just lucky and can be pulled out from App Store at any time.

[myell0w]

the new Twitter app uses a similar overlay that Apple can't possibly have overlooked, it's really like a lottery game - unfortunately.

[bejo]

Lottery is the keyword here :]

[Loceo]

Apps that require location is most definitely going to be rejected since the location-arrow is concealed.

[mdestagnol]

If you take a closer look at the Twitter app, you'll see the notification is not displayed on top of the Status Bar.

It hides the Status bar from below, meaning the Status Bar is hidden by the app and the notification comes from the app. Not sure if it changes anything, but worth mentioning it.

[francissevilla]

Im planning to use this but if apple rejects apps using this are there any alternatives to it?

[LarryLee]

good luck to you.

[vinzenzweber]

We had no issues with our app regarding MTStatusBarOverlay, but as others mentioned, the reviewers are just humans and some apps might get rejected.

btw I am happy I read about those issues AFTER our app got approved ;)

[Baza207]

I was wondering, for people who got there apps rejected, were you just showing a simple message or more detailed thing like the drop down table? Also did you cover the status bar for long time?

"Don’t create a custom status bar. Users depend on the consistency of the system-provided status bar. Although you might hide the status bar in your app, it’s not appropriate to create custom UI that takes its place."

I'm guessing this is the part of HIG that is being used to reject apps, but what if its not being used to emulate the status bar but just show a message for a little while?

I know there are no correct or incorrect answers, just wanted to know people thoughts. :-)

[bmoweb]

+1 Base CRM app was rejected a few days ago due to the HIG violation :(

[thetylerhayes]

@bmoweb I think this is always going to be an issue unless Apple says it's OK to do. My app Slapshot was rejected about a month ago when I tried to do this too. I haven't submitted another release using MTStatusBarOverlay since then but I imagine it's like everyone in this thread has been saying: it really comes down to the reviewer. And I imagine your app's clout too — Twitter and Mailbox can get away with this because they're very popular apps that the app store reviewers themselves likely use personally, so they see the value of overtaking the status bar.

[bmoweb]

@thetylerhayes I think you are absolutely right about this, I liked the result using MTStatusBarOverlay, but I'll remove my app is for corporate use anyway. :-/

[hohl]

My app has been using MTStatusBarOverlay for months. Yesterday an update (poorly it's a critical bug fix) got rejected because of using MTStatusBarOverlay.

[1b0t]

my App got rejected as well. For a quick fix i moved the statusbaroverlay to the bottom of the screen - that seems to be ok with apple.
But this is really not a lasting solution.
Can you recommend any AppStore-Proof alternatives?

It's really too bad. This is a superb project!

[obrhoff]

Same story here...

[evertoncunha]

Any updates on this?

[abrahamventura]

Defiantly we would like to know if Apple is rejecting the use of this control.. Anybody?

On Oct 30, 2013, at 10:09 AM, evertoncunha wrote:

Any updates on this?

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

[hohl]

Yes, they rejected my app because of using this component.

Am Dienstag, 5. November 2013 schrieb prolificmethods :

Defiantly we would like to know if Apple is rejecting the use of this
control.. Anybody?

On Oct 30, 2013, at 10:09 AM, evertoncunha wrote:

Any updates on this?

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/43#issuecomment-27753106
.

[antstorm]

Got my app rejected because of MTStatusBar as well. I think the problem is with iOS 7 and the fact, that MTStatusBar doesn't support matching background color to the current color of the status bar.

Mailbox app is still using the similar functionality and have their app in the App Store, last time updated just few days ago.

So the issue is not the concept itself, but how it looks visually.

[1b0t]

no. the issue is the concept itself. It conflicts with the HIGs. It has
nothing to do with iOS7 as well. You are not allowed to cover/overlay the
StatusBar.

HIGs:
"Don’t create a custom status bar. Users depend on the consistency of the
system-provided status bar. Although
you might hide the status bar in your app, it’s not appropriate to create
custom UI that takes its place."

The Problem is that the enforcement on this policy is very lax. Many
popular apps (like Mailbox or LastFM) are using this. And I know for a fact
that some Apps added this exact library with one of their recent updates.

My (former iOS6) App got rejected because i used it. I even filed an
appeal. No chance. I moved the frame to the bottom of the screen for now.

On Tue, Jan 28, 2014 at 1:55 PM, ANTStorm [email protected] wrote:

Got my app rejected because of MTStatusBar as well. I think the problem is
with iOS 7 and the fact, that MTStatusBar doesn't support matching
background color to the current color of the status bar.

Mailbox app is still using the similar functionality and have their app in
the App Store, last time updated just few days ago.

So the issue is not the concept itself, but how it looks visually.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/43#issuecomment-33475551
.