> I think it's fair to also cover the fairly rigorous testing that occurs for each app store submission.

By "fairly rigorous", do you mean "fickle, random"?

Not even close compared to Google Play and their review and appeal process.

Recently I had an app for a customer. Approved easily by Apple. Rejected by Google.

The reason given by Google was completely meaningless in the context of the app. When this happens, I usually make a bullshit change, increment the version, and submit again. That was also rejected in this case. I asked for more info and they provided a meaningless screenshot of the app - that was all. So I appealed. That was also useless! They provided no info to help.

Eventually I just created a new Google Play account and re-submitted a new version of the app, and it was accepted near immediately.

I've had some annoying experiences with Apples review process but it is gold compared to Google Play.

You have to pay $99/year even if you only want to use the app on your own device.

You can only sideload for free if you are willing to reinstall every X days.

They don't need to test an app if you're not asking them to distribute it through their store.

What’s worse is it used to be 90 days. Apple changed it to 7 days years ago.

90 days is still absurd. I have custom apps I install on my Android phones once per phone. I go years without bothering to rebuild them.

I would guess they do it because they want to minimize the chance that someone will install an unapproved app to someone’s phone and cause harm. I know it’s already pretty hard but Apple seems to be very particular when it comes to this.

Popup on app open that warns app is sideloaded?

There are simpler and more usable options that are more defensible than what they do today.

That is not their job.

That’s an opinion. Apple’s take is that they sell ”everything that runs on your phone has gone through our reviews, so you can trust it isn’t malware”

That, in their opinion, makes it their job to prevent people from permanently installing software on other people’s phones. I’m sure they would remove the “permanently” if they could, but developers have to test builds so frequently that they can’t review them all.

> You can only sideload for free if you are willing to reinstall every X days.

Does this mean you lose data, or is data retained when reinstalling?

OK, then don't charge me until I submit something to the App Store.

I should be able to self-sign an app for longer than a week on a free developer account.

"fair" would be letting me sideload if I didn't want to go through Apple's vetting. Their expensive review process is only required because they decide it's arbitrarily necessary and unavoidable.

apple could easily pay that with its money printer commision on app sales or on its money printer iphone sales, both of which are inpart because of the app developers.

whats the value add of rigourously validating an app that youre only running on your own phone?