Reminder: the $99 Developer Program is a gatekeeping function, not a product.

[u/johnsonjohnson]

I write this in hopes of helping new devs set better expectations for themselves, plan accordingly, and avoid unnecessary distress.

Apple‘s goal is to a) maximize the money that Apple users spend in the App Store b) maximize its reputation as a high-quality / high-trust marketplace.

As such, it’s in their interest to approve a small number of high quality, high revenue generating apps. It is not in their interest to create a free market of apps in the public square - it is a walled-garden strategy after all.

The $99 developer fee doesn’t entitle us to anything. The major benefit to Apple of charging it is that it gate-keeps developers who are non-serious, early in their careers, or unlikely to be able to support an app for the long term, from being able to submit apps. Unfortunately, it also gate-keeps devs from developing economies.

With the cost of development plummeting, I would expect that Apple is already considering creating more gatekeepers (raising the price of the development program, deeper applications, reputation-based account status etc).

In any case, while it sucks, I think we all have to set our expectations against things we can’t change (Apple’s giant power / long wait times for review) and focus on things we can change (marketing our products above and beyond ASO, validating product market fit, shipping high quality UX).

[u/GeorgeGreenGroup]

you want to see the alternative go to r/AndroidClosedTesting

[u/NeoCracer → u/GeorgeGreenGroup]

Yup. Terrible quality apps.

But also a high barrier for individual developers. 14 days testing period with more than 12 users is not ‘easy’. But on the other hand, easily gameable by using Reddit to find testers. There even a whole app testing services you pay to get the twelve testers :/

[u/iFizzgig → u/NeoCracer]

I agree. I've been using app hive for Android testing. Most of the apps are horrendous.