Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Apple
    • Apple
    • Development
    • Mobile
    • Small Business

    Apple Axes WiFi iPhone Applications

    By
    Nathan Eddy
    -
    March 6, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      In a continuation of Apple’s controversial method of managing its App Store for the iPhone, the company decided to remove a variety of applications designed to find WiFi hotspots the device can connect to. These “stumbling” apps run on a private application programming interface (API), which Apple has been known to reject in the past. Technology news site Softpedia reported the removal of WiFi stumbling apps after a developer contacted the site.

      The developer of the WiFi-Where, iFiFoFum and yFy applications have had their products removed from the App Store, according to Softpedia. “It also appears that all other competing WiFi-enabled apps have been removed as well,” the unnamed developer of WiFi-Where, who goes by the moniker “codemonkey57”, wrote in a blog post. “This is very unfortunate as the past 2-3 months have seen a handful of new WiFi apps get approved. Hopefully Apple will allow this functionality in a future SDK.”

      The reports come on the heels of Apple’s decision to remove a slew of applications featuring potentially offensive or suggestive adult content. However, it has been rumored that Apple is considering an “Explicit” tab on the app store that would be limited to adults. According to Cult of Mac, which quoted an unnamed developer in a Feb. 24 posting, Apple introduced “Explicit” as a possible primary category for application submissions in its iTunes Connect system. That category has since disappeared, raising questions about whether Apple was testing the interface or decided to pull back after the news leaked.

      In the case of the adult content apps, Apple spokesperson Trudy Muller told Apple blog Macworld that as a policy the company reviews customer complaints about objectionable content. “If we find these apps contain inappropriate material we remove them and request the developer make any necessary changes in order to be distributed by Apple,” she said.

      Apple has charted an impressive path to growth with its App Store; research firm IDC recently predicted the number of apps would grow to 300,000 by the end of 2011. With that growth, though, the company has courted controversy with its attempts to craft a fair culture of content regulation. In April 2009, Apple pulled a “Baby Shaker” app, which let users shake their iPhone in order to presumably kill a virtual infant, after protests from a number of groups. It followed that in May by yanking “Me So Holy,” which had attracted protests for its perceived religious insensitivity.

      In addition to pulling apps in response to protests, Apple also began taking down programs by developers who allegedly posted false positive reviews, as it did in December when it removed 1,000 applications by Molinker. Apple’s stringency may increase as third-party developers begin creating programs for the company’s upcoming iPad tablet PC, which utilizes the new iPhone SDK 3.2 beta.

      Nathan Eddy
      A graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Nathan was perviously the editor of gaming industry newsletter FierceGameBiz and has written for various consumer and tech publications including Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, CRN, and The Times of London. Currently based in Berlin, he released his first documentary film, The Absent Column, in 2013.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×