OREANDA-NEWS  The updated rules:

 

  • Manipulation, misleading or other fraudulent activity will result in expulsion from the developer program and account deletion;developers must provide Apple and App Store users with reliable and easily verifiable information about themselves so that they can be contacted if necessary;
  • manipulating of charts or user reviews is prohibited on the site, as this undermines the credibility to App Store;
  • if a developer is unable to maintain the high quality of their application, this could affect on the Apple's decision about the violation of the site rules if it is discussed for another reason;
  • misleading promotion of apps, including the mention of a false price for a product or service, is prohibited, including outside the App Store. In case of violation, developer’s accounts can be deleted;
  • apps that promote the legal sale of marijuana must be geographically restricted according to the regions where distribution is permitted by law;
  • developers can inform their users outside of the app in the App Store that there are payment methods that bypass the site, but this cannot be done using the contact information obtained by the creator of the app through the App Store;
  • if the application includes the function of creating an account, it must also have a function for deleting it;
  • user-generated content within apps can include videos, articles, audio, and even casual games - and it is not considered standalone apps.

While many of the edits are aimed at fighting with fraud, the in-app custom content clause sounds like a clarification of Apple's position on Roblox. As part of the trial with Epic Games, the company stated that Roblox is not a game, and the new clause in the rules actually says the same. In Apple's understanding, this is an application with user-generated content.

Roblox was mentioned in the lawsuit between Apple and Epic Games over Apple not allowing game streaming apps like Microsoft's iCloud on the App Store. The company believes that each game in them is considered a separate application, which must be moderated.

After that, Apple indicated that Roblox is also a collection of games within one application, but the company did not agree. Now the App Store has a separate item to support its position.

As for fraud, Epic Games has used it several times as an argument against Apple, pointing out that even with the closed-area model of the App Store, violators are sneaking in.