That sounds a lot like my experience as an Apple Developer too, with the added bonus (unclear from your description if you experienced this too) that they took my money before the verification process was finished and wouldn't refund it once their AI couldn't connect my face to my ID and wouldn't let me connect with a real person (the first dozen times were on them, but after that it was maybe my fault for including a middle finger in the photographs).

Is there a way around this shitocracy?

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_66o 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Going through hell with Apple Developer too. I didn't have to do much in terms of verification (probably because I created an account as an individual) but app submission is another story: - first time I got rejected for mentioning a name of a third party in my app description. The app description said: DISCLAIMER: not affiliated with xxx

- after fixing the app description I got rejected for using my app name(?!), multiple back and forths with the reviewer got me nowhere, they just copy pasted the same response not addressing my messages at all

- filled the app store review board appeal, it's been 5 days and I've got no response.

At this point I'm seriously considering rewriting the app for MacOS and distributing myself. I can't imagine going through all of this with every app update, it's beyond ridiculous.

	▲	GCUMstlyHarmls 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Lieutenant Appleby rejected my submission almost immediately. The notice informed me that I had committed the grave offense of impersonating a third party in the description. "I didn't impersonate a third party," I explained in my message to Lieutenant Appleby. "I only wrote a disclaimer stating: Not affiliated with ACME." "Exactly," lieutenant appleby replied. "By stating you have nothing to do with ACME, you have involved ACME. Therefore, you are unlawfully impersonating an unaffiliated party." "But I only mentioned them to prove I wasn't affiliated with them!" "Which is a violation," Lieutenant Appleby pointed out. It was a Catch-22. The Guidelines stated that to prove you were not affiliated with a third party, you had to write a disclaimer. But to write the disclaimer, you had to type the third party’s name, which was a strict violation of the rule against mentioning third parties you were not affiliated with. I deleted the disclaimer, thereby making myself safely affiliated with nobody by refusing to acknowledge anyone. I resubmitted the app. Lieutenant Appleby rejected it again. "What is it this time?" I asked. "You are using your app's name," Lieutenant Appleby replied. "Of course I am using my app's name," I replied back. "It is the name of my app." "You cannot use that name. It is trademark infringement." "Infringing on whose trademark?" "The app's." "But I am the app! It is my app!" "Which is exactly why you cannot use it," Lieutenant Appleby wrote patiently. "If you use the app's name, you are impersonating the app. And impersonation is strictly forbidden by the Guidelines. An app cannot go around pretending to be itself!"
	▲	skydhash 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		At this point, my phone is PDA level, mostly useful for quick checks. I use a laptop for computing. I know as a tech nerd, I’m far out of the bell curve, but I can’t really bother with those shenanigans unless they’re paying me for it.

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pjmlp 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Develop only Web applications, that are mobile friendly, notice I said mobile friendly, not PWA.

However, thanks to many of us that only favour Chrome like IE of yore, and ship it alongside their "native" applications, the Web is nowadays ChromeOS Application Platform, so we are only a couple of years away of Google owning that as well.

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edarchis 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Play the GDPR card, even if you're not from Europe. Find their DPO and state that you want to appeal the automated decision to a human.

Companies operating in Europe must provide a clear way to appeal automated decisions: https://www.edps.europa.eu/data-protection/our-work/publicat...

You might not have a way to actually file a complaint against them but quite often, their legal department will just have a quick look at your case and just give you what you want without bothering to tell you anything. Worth a shot.

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cuu508 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> Is there a way around this shitocracy?

Refuse to play. Switch to technologoy that the shitocracy has not gotten around to yet, or, eventually, pick up woodworking.

	▲	Freak_NL 2 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		I am doing leatherworking as well as woodworking. No idea if it is possible to actually make money with this¹, but damned if I'm not giving it a go just to have skills in an area where AI is not a threat for the coming decade. At the very least these crafts allow me to make things which do not exist and cannot be purchased off the shelf. 1: I mean, it is, certainly. I'm just not sure if I can make money by making leather gear.
	▲	kaizenb 2 days ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		Exactly. This is why I love building web apps, shipping features easily without needing any one's approval.
	▲	ozim 2 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Do what everyone is doing a web app.

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buzer 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> Is there a way around this shitocracy?

If you are in EU you could try complaining to your local DPA. That certainly sounds like "automated decision which produces legal effects concerning him or her or similarly significantly affects him or her" which is against article 22 of GDPR. Or you could consider suing them directly at least for the refund.

Outside of EU maybe try passing law like GDPR to actually get some rights back.