Apple Loosens Stranglehold On App Developers; Opens Door To Flash?
Apple said Thursday it will make sweeping changes to its iOS Developer Program license "to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year," specifically in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9.
"In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code," Apple said in a statement. "This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need."
Along with loosening its restrictions, Apple will publish the App Store Review Guidelines, which the company said will help iPhone and iPad developers understand how Apple reviews submitted applications and create more transparency in the application development and review processes.
Since the launch of the Apple App Store and Apple's App Developer Program, Apple's approval and selection process for submitted App Store applications has long come under fire for secrecy and lack of communication in how it approves apps and the time it takes for developers to receive a yay or nay.
While Apple did not single out Adobe and Flash specifically, one of the key sections that will be relaxed was altered last year to prohibit Flash use on the iPhone and iPad.
Earlier this year, Apple updated section 3.3.1 of its iOS Developer Program license agreement that essentially banned Flash. The section said that software used to create apps must be written to run directly on the device's operating system and not for an intermediary layer of software, which is what Adobe does, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The other restrictions Apple is relaxing include section 3.3.2, which says no interpreted code may be downloaded or used in an app except for code run by an Apple-documented software program; and section 3.3.9, which prohibits the collection of data about a user for a third party without Apple's written consent.
According to Apple, the App Store has more than 250,000 apps and more than 6.5 billion have been downloaded, with App Store developers earning more than $1 billion in sales from apps.