After dominating the US smartphone market this January, Apple has changed the terms of its iTunes Connect interface for app developers, now stating that edits to descriptions, notes and metadata for apps must be approved by App Review before they go live.
Before these changes, developers on Apple's iOS and Mac App Stores had the ability to change description text, and "What's New?" information at will. However, since the change, developers can only make changes to the Privacy Policy of an application.
If a developer wishes to make changes to an app description, such as changing a typo, the only way to do so is to create a new app version with the desired changes made and submit it to App Review, the screening service for the App Store, to be approved. This could mean greater inconvenience for developers, who could now have to contend with a longer App Review queue, as more updates which only include minor changes await the approval of App Review.
Apple has not released a statement or offered any reasoning for the changes, which come amid reports that malware on Google's Play Store has been forcing users to give apps five-star reviews in order to avoid adverts.
Update: Apple has since reverted the changes and developers are now able to edit app information without App Review approval, as before.
Source: 9to5Mac
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