Over the past year, some iPhone developers have become rather upset with Apple because of their review process for native applications, but could Apple be pushing the envelope a little too much when it comes to ratings? iPhone 3.0 ushered in a new phase in parental controls for iPhone and iTunes -- all applications sold within the App Store must contain a rating. Unfortunately, AppleInsider reports that Apple is making all applications with built-in browsing abilities to be rated mature (17+) with nudity ratings.
As a developer, you are given 50 promotional codes (just like an iTunes credit) that will allow anyone to download your application for free, but developers are also finding out that if their application has a mature rating (17+), the promo codes will not work in iPhone 3.0 or in iTunes. This is a shock for many developers who work hard on their applications, especialy those that add refining touches like web-browsing abilities.
It would, of course, be a little better if Apple could give some insight into how the app review process works, and a few pointers for developers looking to place their next hit on the store. If Apple doesn't do some policy changing, they might begin losing good developers for the platform.
