Tweetbot dev confirms Apple rejection of apps using UDIDs
updated 04:00 pm EDT, Thu March 29, 2012
Tapbots used tech for push notifications
Apple is indeed rejecting apps that collect UDIDs without consent, Tapbots has confirmed. The Tweetbot developer says it has received a rejection notice after trying to submit a v2.2 update to the App Store. "We found your app does not obtain user consent before collecting their personal data, as required by the App Store Review Guidelines," the message reads. Apple singles out the use of UDIDs, which are associated with individual iOS devices.
Tapbots notes that it should be easy to fix the situation, since it already had workaround code ready for a v2.3 update that it can simply insert into v2.2. A revised update has already been submitted to Apple.
The developer explains that it used UDIDs for its push notification services, pairing devices with a person's custom settings. If a person deleted and reinstalled Tweetbot, notification options would be automatically restored. Under the new system, reinstalling the app will require a person to manually reassign notification settings.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2010
Manually reassign settings?
It's a small price to pay in light of my data and information being respected by Apple.
The good news is since Google copies everything done by Apple, soon we may see Google privacy reforms similar to Apple's. (Except Google's policy will be "open" and fragmented so that some users are protected while others have their identity sold to advertisers.)