Coming on the heels of Apple’s latest endeavor into the mobile ad space, Apple has posted a note to all iPhone OS developers telling them their apps will be rejected if they include location aware advertising and don’t use Core Location for any other functionality on the app. If the app uses Core Location to find weather, restaurants, ATMs, etc, Apple will let the app through the App Store even if Admob is connected to location services. Many developers rely on Admob to make revenue on free applications, and Admob uses the user’s location in order to provide ads.
This move by Apple seems to indicate that they have plans for this space, most likely related to their purchase of Quattro and their plans to integrate the company’s advertising system into the iPhone SDK. Google’s Admob getting tossed is just a bonus.
A workaround is currently available for developers willing to remove the location frameworks and code from their applications.
Apple is really isolating itself and will end up shooting themselves in the foot….. Like it or not Apple’s life is as long as Steve Jobs life is….. when he dies the company is going down…..
what’s with this language about how location can only be used to “provide beneficial information?” Who makes this decision and where on earth does Apple get off making a policy like this? The company says earlier that location may be used to tell phone owners about “nearby restaurants, ATMs, and other location-based information.” What if the restaurants serve unhealthy food, though? What are you going to spend that ATM cash on if this iPhone app helps you find it? How does Apple determine that advertisements, particularly ones for things you could buy in the place where you are, are not beneficial?
It means you can make apps that helps user find things. The user has to request the information. The user will not become the subject of solicitations buy local advertisers. In other words, a developer is not allowed to bombard users with ads from local strip clubs, massage parlors, car dealers, or whatever without user’s request.
This is great for customers. If, however, you like your phone to provide constant supply of junk alerts, then by all means get an android phone.
Thanks, Apple.
1st google releases nexus one…
apple changes default search engine to bing from google…
google updates android to enable multitouch on nexus…
apple attacks admod (which was bought by google fairly recently).
just seems odd when you look at it this way
whoa this guy apparently can tell the future.. as the default engine is google.
tell me of your ways.
1st google releases nexus one…
apple changes default search engine to bing from google…
google updates android to enable multitouch on nexus…
apple attacks admod (which was bought by google fairly recently).
just seems odd when you look at it this way
OK, now let’s activate the Reality Distortion Field for a moment : as an app customer, I’m really happy to learn that Apple is taking actions to prevent ads from stalking me.
As a software developer, I’m not happy when someone prevents me from implementing whatever functionality I want in whichever way I want. “Let market decide : if they don’t want it, they won’t buy it”.
BUT, remember, this is the new computing paradigm : everything is simpler because I (the customer) can “trust” the platform provider (and not just the computer manufacturer or the OS editor, the WHOLE platform) for setting up things in a way, that, even if removing a lil’bit of my theoretical software/computing freedom, prevents me (most of the time) from falling on the classical adware/spyware pitfall.
After 3 years, we all know that the iPhone is not an open platform : Apple has a certain “editorial” control on the apps on its store. If this is a problem for you, as a dev or as a customer, there are dozens of other platforms around. So, “let the market decide” and make those other platforms a success.
It makes sense. Why would Apple want developers using location services for nothing other than delivering ads? It wastes system resources and provides users location information for uses that most people would not desire… Imagine if all the Flash ads on the web were able to collect location information from Firefox for nothing other than delivering ads. It’s not a huge privacy issue, but most people I’m sure would prefer if ad companies didn’t know their location.
I think that 9to5mac may have misunderstood Apple’s intent. Severely. Quattro uses location services in their ads, and they just bought them too. I don’t think this is an attack against Admob/Google, but rather a reminder to developers that the end goal is to provide a valuable service or function from various apps. Admob I think is the only one who ships their library with the default of asking for location services. This is a simple change that eliminates ‘crap apps’ from asking the users location by default. Turning this feature on or off doesn’t in itself generate more money for the developers. My app “Las Vegas Traffic” does use the users location, and I don’t pass that information on to the advertisers. They don’t need the information, and they don’t give me any more money if I provide it to them. So this policy revision won’t effect the end user, other than to increase the user experience, while maintaining the same revenue capacity.
Thank Gobs! I’m sick and tired of crap apps asking for my location every time I launch them when there’s no reasonable or meaningful reason to share it with them. And yes, I realize that they should only ask once, but that hasn’t stopped folks from writing crappy apps that ‘forget’ and ask every time until you say yes. Do they get paid more for their ads if location services are turned on?
At any rate, I don’t think this is a poke in the eye to Admob, I think it’s just Apple taking a reasonable step to shut down some useless activity on their platform.
GPS services are only need to find exact location.
Google/AdMob can use IP based location services and still serve geo-targeted ads.
Dude, all the reporters here are taking the COMPLETELY WRONG APPROACH to this story!
Apple just wants to make sure that developers don’t use core location if it’s NOT MEAN for the application.
This has NOTHING TO DO WITH ADVERTISING!
Apple wants to setup some best practices. If you are playing a board iPhone App, that has nothing to do with your location, Apple wants to make sure that developers’ only ask you IF your application needs it for it’s USE!
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GPS services are only need to find exact location.
AT&T’s iPad data plan was better than any other deal on the table the report adds, the company only said, “We’re very happy that Apple selected AT&T to be the main carrier partner on the iPad.”
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AT&T’s iPad data plan was better than any other deal on the table the report adds, the company only said, “We’re very happy that Apple selected AT&T to be the main carrier partner on the iPad.”
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AT&T’s iPad data plan was better than any other deal on the table the report adds, the company only said, “We’re very happy that Apple selected AT&T to be the main carrier partner on the iPad.”
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