promo code downloads can't be rated any more

I just quote a part of a toucharchade tread, but I think it´s quite important info....

"Apple confirmed, that promo code downloads can't be rated, reviewed and they don't count as purchases anymore, so they don't will alter your ranking list.

Just wanted to let you know.


Quote from Apple:
"Hi,
Anand here again from iTunes Store Customer Support. Thanks for writing back and letting me know your concern.
I understand that you are still not able to write a review. I know how disappointing it can be when things don\'t work out the way they should.
I am sorry to inform that it is no longer possible to rate or review an app if it was downloaded using a developer's promotional code.

However, I took the liberty of submitting your feedback to Apple on your behalf. Please know that Apple takes the feedback from our customers very seriously. This is the reason for our feedback page - to create a forum where our users can vent, praise or share whatever feelings they have to allow us to meet your needs, and grow as a company. I suggest that you use the link in order to share your feedback with us. I would also encourage you to share this link with all of your friends and family who wish to submit the feedback, and have them all submit the same request."
-----
"It is no longer possible to rate or review an app if it was downloaded
using a developer's promotional code.

You can review this app by purchasing it on a different iTunes account
using something other than a developer's promotional code, such as a Gift
Card, Gift Certificate, or other payment options."

Here you can find the tread:
http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=92960

 

Promo codes shouldn't be allowed to vote, people give many of those codes to friends and that would get games off to a really unfair start for reviews.

 

Thats pretty surely the idea behind disallowing it.

Over the past 3-4 weeks apple has removed / disallowed any "Advertisement" Service that gives you Vcurrency and other benefits for installing and application and other similar things which skew the rankings. In addition they modified how the ranking is calculated and now they take away the last remaining way to illegally impact your position, finally fairing and squaring the field for those 98% that never went by such shady measures which previously were on the "losing side"

Go Apple GOOOO

 

It completely shut down this site - http://iphoneapp-promocodes.com/

But at least now I won't get any more PM's on toucharcade begging me for promo codes in return for a review.

 

Hopefully it shut it down, with their attitude (apple a bunch of jerks), they didn't do the devs too much good anyway.

Apple reacted to what the devs did with the PROMO code, which happened to be for promo, not for "skew your rating", so the codes are now back to where they were intend to be: hand out to pages to review it, hand out to your former beta testers as a form of thank you, not "missuse it as PR material to skew your ranking on the store up to 50 times at $0 for apple". Now you finally have to pay for the PR you want to missuse apples system for (you can still rate if you got it gifted and thats what devs missusing "free handouts for good PR" now will have to do)

Might be I see that a bit too drastic, but I personally welcome any measure apple takes to disable big players, money tree growers and other shady companies to artificially modify their position on the store. They can do as much PR they want outside, thats their good right, but the AppStore basically never allowed such measures and now Apple is finally taking steps to make the AppStore a fair field for all again

 

I think you are right and I also think it should be a good move for indies. Unfortunately it seems that they allow services like tapjoy again and that banning them was only for a short period of time....

 

I don't think that's a good move for indie.
Big company can still buy review ( you can get 1000 review in 1 days ), and they can still get a temporary boost in sale for the launch, to be visible in the top 100 with good PR + advertising.
Big co can still cheat the system, It's just a little more expensif. Small indie can't afford that.

Of course cheating the system is bad, and such use must be forbidden.
But now, legitimate developper can't have anymore:
- Have some free review ( they will just pay them with gift...). None US developper can't gift app to US customer...
- Most free app will have their income reduced ( selling other app was a great way to earn money )

Tapjoy was a way to get exposure for small legitimate indie ( even temporary ) with a good game. That way is gone now.

By eliminating cheater, you eliminate legitimate also. I don't think that's totally good for indie.

Just my opinion.

 

You forget one part in the equation: Quality becomes more important, as it is what ties and brings users. Not shady tricks.

Also your point on free apps just shows how desperately the kill of lite as "sales driving" force was needed, if you consider selling apps income for free, cause then it all started on the wrong end of the horse, the one full of S***


Unsure on what "trick services" will return or put differently: what measures apple has taken on the ranking to punish them (they could easily give apps missusing such measures a general weighting factor which makes 1 sale / $1 gross revenue only count as 0.5 and whatever or lock them out the top XXX completely

 

I disagree that this is a good thing. The whole point of a "promo" code is promotion. Being able to put those codes on something like TouchArcade for your newly released game was a great way to generate some initial interest without having to pour any money into advertising. Without the ability for those users to rate/review your app, I don't really see the point in even having promo codes. And, the fact that those reviews could be positive OR negative AND that every developer had those codes at their disposal meant that it was a pretty fair system in my opinion.

 

if it were used like that, apple wouldn't have stepped in against it.
Fact is that many bought explicitely only good reviews this way, in trade for the free app.
Similar how others, biggers, with more than one app sold app installs through virtual currency in other games etc.

And the promo codes still serve as promotion, they just no longer serve as ways to get 50 friends to give you good reviews or generate 50 fake accounts to do the same, they now allow you to promote your application, send it to reviewers etc without paying to do so.

 

Maybe it's just the fact that I don't have 50 friends

I always just put my codes on sites for people to review me - good or bad. It never even occurred to me to try and buy reviews with them... what a missed opportunity

I see your point though I guess.

 

The promo codes are useful for getting your app reviewed by a big review site. If dishonest people can longer use these codes to artificially pump up the ratings of there games than it seems like a good thing for honest developers, if only marginally.

 

hehe yeah being honnest sux at times one would think at least in todays business fields where everything is used and all is fine as long as you aren't cought.
thats at least the impression I sometimes get - I know not all are like this but those that are are not exceptions or small numbers
I for myself don't intend to drift to such measures just for the sake of success, if I wanted to become such a shady money sucker, I would have studied economics and become a manager.

 

@hercule: services like tapjoy are allowed again:

Inside mobile apps, wrote: "It’s unclear what Apple’s final policy on incentivized installs will be.

According to multiple sources, the ban appears porous: some apps with offer walls are getting through and others aren’t.


Tapjoy is voluntarily dampening the effect of its incentivized install campaigns in the wake of a crackdown by Apple on the practice. The company is putting a cap on the number of installs any single app can drive for another."

http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2011/04/25/tapjoy-voluntary-cap-incentivized-installs/

 

But it's seams that tapjoy have set a download limit to be authorized again.
-> Yoy can't climb into the top 100 with tapjoy alone.