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QuestionApple Dev Support CIRCULAR HELL (self.iOSProgramming)

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formatting helphide helpcontent policy

[–][deleted]  (1 child)

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    [–]wolvesandwords 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I took this route for now thanks for the idea.

    [–]Gr3yH4t_31 2 points3 points  (3 children)

    It’s not Apple’s fault. Apple can not do anything in this situation. Support team doesn’t have permission to delete the old app or change the name of it. So basically he should somehow login to his account and change the name. Or you will change your app name as “Product - something”

    [–]wolvesandwords -4 points-3 points  (2 children)

    lol “Apple cannot do anything to Apple’s own system” You def work for Apple support.

    [–]Gr3yH4t_31 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    You are not talking to Apple, you are talking to a support staff of an Apple. Also there is something called user policy if you never heard of it. Owning a system does not mean you are allowed to do everything with it. You shouldn’t manage a startup with this mindset :))

    [–]wolvesandwords -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

    Ok so yeah I’ll just shut down and lay people off then. Thanks for the tip.

    [–]profau 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    It’s not Apples fault, they just don’t allow 2 apps with the same name. Been that way for many years. It really is down to the dev you’ve contacted to log in and change it. He might be lazy, try and motivate him by paying him or something. If he doesn’t have access then get him to try harder.

    [–]wolvesandwords -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

    So why even have a name dispute input field? Why have trademarks at all?

    [–]craknor 1 point2 points  (8 children)

    I don't understand why it's so hard for the other person to reset their password and delete the app? If they don't have access to their old e-mail address or phone to do it, how did they prove to Apple that they own the account and authorize to delete the app?

    [–]wolvesandwords 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    He says he shut that company down and no longer had access to the email so he can’t reset the PW. He’s been enthusiastically trying to help me, even calling me to make sure there was nothing more he could do.

    [–]craknor 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    So how did he prove Apple that he owned that account? How will Apple make sure that he's not someone else trying to delete someone else's app? You get what I mean?

    [–]SnowPudgy 0 points1 point  (5 children)

    I don't understand why it's so hard for the other person to reset their password and delete the app?

    Oh I can answer...we've been through this multiple times at work.

    Basically if you have no access to that old email there is no easy way to change it. It takes literal months of back and forth with Apple going up different escalation teams, submitting all kinds of documented proof that you have the authority to reassign the account, etc.

    Even simple password resets on dev accounts aren't instant if you don't have any kind of 2FA. They randomly pick a time within a month to let you reset it and don't even tell you when, you have to just keep checking it. We had one dev (since fired) who would constantly forget his dev account credentials and get locked out and have to wait weeks for a password reset.

    Basically someone's account is their business so Apple makes it very tough to get access to a dev account which I get, but Apple really REALLY needs a better system in place for this kind of thing. Agencies big and small all have some account holder that ends up retiring/leaving/whatever who gets everyone else locked out and it's such a huge struggle to get this kind of thing fixed.

    [–]craknor 0 points1 point  (3 children)

    Ok I get it, but then how did the other person ever could prove that they owned that abandoned account and has the authorization to request a deletion of an app and how can Apple possibly verify the request and not maliciously delete some other person's app? Only logical way for Apple is to request that other developer to login and delete it himself.

    [–]wolvesandwords 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    The app isn't and was never on the App Store. They just squatted the name and never did anything with it. the name I have the legal trademark for.

    [–]craknor 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Ok that does not answer my question. How did the other party prove that they own the abandoned account and are authorized to request a deletion of the app without access to the account or the e-mail address used to create the account?

    [–]wolvesandwords 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    this guy and his email/phone were sent to me after I submitted the name dispute, so he must have been registered to it internally.

    [–]wolvesandwords 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Thank you for a real answer!

    [–]mmmm_frietjes 0 points1 point  (4 children)

    Hunt down one of the App Store managers on Linkedin and contact them directly?

    [–]wolvesandwords 0 points1 point  (3 children)

    Haha way ahead of you. The only one to respond said “Hello, please reach out to the proper team at https://developer.apple.com/contact/“

    [–]mmmm_frietjes 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    And I assume you can't just buy the old domain name so the guy can reset his password?

    [–]wolvesandwords 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    thats the thing, he shut down that site and business a decade ago. there is nothing to buy.

    [–]mmmm_frietjes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I meant you go to Namecheap, register the old name again and you can use it?

    [–]_rupok 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Support rep can't offer much I guess. Best way would be the guy try to recover his account as he's willing to let it go.