Why Apple Rejected Facebook’s Gaming App From App Store

Apple is known for its strict implementation of its rules regarding apps published in the App Store. Several companies, including Spotify, have complained against the Cupertino tech giant's alleged “unfair” practices that prohibits healthy competition.

Now, it appears that Apple has added another high-profile company to the list of those who have been affected by its policies. A new report from The New York Times, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, reveals that Cupertino continues to reject the social media company's “Facebook Gaming” app due to a certain restriction.

Per the sources, Facebook has tried several times to get Apple to accept the Facebook Gaming app and publish it on the App Store, to no avail. The iPhone maker said the social media company's app cannot be published due to a violation of Section 4.7 of its app rules.

For those who don't know, Facebook Gaming is the social media company's app for mobile devices designed to help it to engage with its users more deeply. The app allows users to watch live streams of other users as they play games, allows them to engage and socially network with other players, and also lets them play simple games like “Thug Life” and “Words With Friends.”

Facebook Gaming delivers the said games and many more using HTML5 software, and presents the games to the user via an easy to use catalog, which somehow looks like a store.

People with knowledge of the matter said Apple rejected Facebook's application five times now, citing Section 4.7 each time. This section of Cupertino's app rules states that apps will be accepted “as long as code distribution isn’t the main purpose of the app,” and that “the code is not offered in a store or store-like interface.”

Facebook had to redesign the app several times in order to meet Apple's rules, but kept getting rejected. It was able to get Google to publish the app on the Play Store without difficulty. It wasn't able to convince Apple to publish it, even after changing the interface many times.

For now, Facebook continues to weigh its next move, the NYT said, even going as far as considering redesigning the app so that it will either make it hard for users to find the games in it, or that it will not have any games at all.