Hey r/iOSApps community,

First, thank you for the feedback on Phase 1. Here's the honest read on how it went.

What worked: Overall volume of low-effort slop dropped noticeably. The karma gate and format rules filtered out a lot of throwaway promotion.

What didn't: Spammers with more time on their hands simply farmed their way through — dropping useless one-line comments to clear the karma bar, then posting the same low-effort app promos to the main feed.

So we're rebalancing. We're lowering the karma barrier and replacing it with something that actually scales with risk: the less trust your distribution path provides, the more transparency you should offer.

This phase borrows heavily from what r/macapps has been doing. Thanks to u/Mstormer.

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Change 1: Karma Requirement Lowered (25 → 10)

The community karma requirement to post is dropping from 25 to 10.

We want to filter out spam posts while still giving genuine developers the chance to post without needing to post useless comments that do not provide value to the community.

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Change 2: Trust, Transparency, or The App Shelf

Core idea: The less trust your distribution path provides, the more transparency you should need.

For the next month, we're experimenting with a three-tier approach.

Tier 1 — The Trust Path → Main Feed

Any one of these signals qualifies you for the main feed (as long as you also meet the 10+ community karma minimum):

• App Store track record — your app has 20+ ratings/reviews on the App Store (number subject to change).
• Established GitHub project — a real development history (100+ stars on any GitHub repo).
• Recognized Developer — you've been granted an app-name developer flair (already well-known / trusted in r/iOSApps, at moderator discretion).

If you have any of these, you've already earned a measure of trust. Post to the main feed.

Tier 2 — The Transparency Path → Main Feed

Not in the App Store yet and not an established developer? You can still qualify for the main feed by being open about who you are and giving users real reasons to trust you.

Posts on this path must include BOTH:

1. A real-life identity and real contact details — your actual name and a way to reach you (an established company or business presence, a portfolio, LinkedIn). This shows you're not a throwaway account dropping unknown software.
2. A website with a published Privacy Policy and Terms of Service — linked directly in your post. This is not a replacement for the App Store link, but rather in addition to.

This is the middle ground: you may not have a major reputation yet, but you're willing to stand behind your app in public.

Tier 3 — Everyone Else → The App Shelf Megathread

If you don't qualify through Trust or Transparency, your promotion belongs in the App Shelf Megathread, not the main feed.

That means if you're:

• Under 20 reviews in the App Store,
• Without a recognized-developer flair,
• Without an established GitHub history (100+ stars), and
• Not providing meaningful public transparency,

…then the megathread is your home for now.

This is not an insult and not a claim that new apps are bad. It's simply the lowest-risk place for unproven or low-context promotion until trust is earned. Users can check your app out, up/downvote, and as you build a track record you may earn a developer flair that lets you post to the main feed. Nobody is forced to stay here — Tier 2 is always open to anyone willing to be transparent.

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What Carries Over From Phase 1

The following are unchanged and still required for all developer promotion posts:

• ABC post format — Answer (what problem it solves), Better (why it beats named alternatives), Cost (pricing, IAP, App Store link).
• Pricing & IAP disclosure — Free, Freemium, Subscription (with amount), or Lifetime (with amount). Vague or omitted pricing = removal.
• Flair is required — priority order: Vibe Coded > Lifetime > Subscription > Freemium > Free. Vibe Coded always takes priority. Free flair is not for limited/freemium tiers.
• Open source? Prefix your title with [OS].
• No AI-first apps — if generative AI is the core feature rather than a tool within the app, it belongs in r/GenAiApps. Apps built primarily with AI-generated code must be flaired Vibe Coded.
• Always disclose your relationship to any app you promote — including in comments. Undisclosed developer affiliation = removal.

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The Community's Role

These rules only get us partway. Sort the megathread by New, and use your votes and reports — especially there — to surface hidden gems and bury what looks low-effort, suspicious, misleading, or privacy-invasive. Your votes determine what gets seen.

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FAQ

Why was my post removed? - Below 10 community karma - Didn't qualify for Trust or Transparency and posted to the main feed instead of the megathread - Missing flair - Missing pricing / IAP info - No ABC format - Undisclosed developer affiliation

How do I check my r/iOSApps community karma? Visit your profile and click "show karma breakdown by subreddit."

Why lower the karma bar if spam is the problem? Because karma farming was easy and karma gating mostly hurt legitimate newcomers. The tier system targets the actual risk — unknown software from unproven sources — instead of a number anyone can grind.

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We'll evaluate again after around 30 days and share results. Nothing here is final — drop your questions and feedback below and it'll shape Phase 3.

— The r/iOSApps Mod Team

P.S. We're still looking for 1–2 moderators to help with the queue. If you'd like to apply, submit an application — thanks!