What’s Happening with the App?

Site News 8

My plan was to build an iOS/Android app but that became almost impossible after Apple’s app review. To put it simply, they basically told me it’s not going to happen. In order for me to get it approved, I would need a letter of approval from Disney to allow the app to use it’s 3rd party data (the music). I do have an active license to play the music through ASCAP, but I’m not sure that would be enough. I also have to go back and make significant changes to the app so that when a user installs it, they are not prompted to log in to their account right away. Apple is against forcing users to share private information (name & email) unless the data is account-specific. I tried explaining to the Apple representative that the playlists are account-specific but it didn’t work.

So what is going to happen?

At this point, I’m going to hold off on then native app. It makes me so :angry: . But, why hold off? Because I feel that it would be a never-ending battle to get the correct approval and I can shift my focus on other things I feel this amazing community will really enjoy. I have been working on site improvements such as a new photo-sharing app. One of the things I saw people enjoyed were the way the old photos were handled. When the next version of D-COT releases, you will be able to create albums easier, upload photos easier and comment better. It will have a Facebook look and feel to the photos. With this, I plan to remove the “Legacy Photos” portion of the site which is from a much older version of D-COT. Please download those photos if you wish to keep them.

As I know most of you really like the community aspect of the site, I will be focusing more on making D-COT an actual application; think of something like Spotify or Amazon Music. The first step in this direction will be for me to build a Windows and Mac native app! It will load faster and the UI will be friendlier. The code-base behind this app will allow me to more easily transfer it to a native iOS/Andriod app if time allows me to battle the approval process.

Contributors + YouTube Show

I did not forget about this. :P I will be choosing contributors next week and will be announcing them on the new D-COT Talk show. That’s right! I can’t wait to have in place our news media outlet for all the juicy Disney rumors and news.

Questions? Share them in the comments below. Have a magical day!

By steve
Steve is the founder and administrator of D-COT. If anything breaks on the site, @TheSwedishChef is the founder and administrator.

8 Comments

  1. I am so sorry about the app! I know this was important to you and a lot of our members here, and after all the time and effort you put into it, for them to pull that, grrrr! :angry:
    I am excited about the potential for new pictures, even if it means losing the old ones already posted! And I’m excited to see who will be the new Contributors!

    • I put in countless hours into the iOS app, but I gained experience and knowledge on how to build something like that for the future. I’m super excited on the new way I plan to built D-COT into an app that can be used anywhere, anytime, anyplace. Now, who can add more time to my day? :) ?Oh no, :yensid: . Yeah, that’s it!

  2. I’m pretty sure “Pregnant Elsa” games should fall under the same category, using Elsa without Disney’s permission. But whatever. :donald:

  3. Thanks so much for all this, Steve! You know… realizing how friendly the mobile site is, I haven’t yet found myself missing an app! Keep up the GREAT work!

  4. I’m really sorry that Apple are being such jerks. I can kind of understand where they’re coming from with getting Disney’s permission, but at the same time like SEJ said, they seem to pick and choose when permission is needed. As for the logging in thing, that must be a more recent rule because I have several apps that I can’t use unless I immediately log in. I’m sorry for all the time you put in BUT I’ve been using your test app forever and it’s awesome so that wasn’t time wasted! :) and the greater population totally don’t deserve a D-Cot app anyway :P

    So for those of us who were testing the app through Test Flight, are we able to keep using that or will it go away? It was so awesome to use during my 10K last week because the music loaded much more quickly through the app so I was able to listen more easily during my run :)

    • It will eventually tell you that the testing has expired for the last build I made. I don’t plan to support that effort at this time. :(

  5. Steve, thanks for all your hard work. After scratching the surface of iOS development and going through getting apps on the App Store, everyone can rest assured that sometimes the Apple reviewers are quite picky, to put it generously, especially when you look at some of the App Store content that’s been allowed. Steve, I’m sure that the desktop versions will be awesome. And thanks again for this site – it’s been a go-to retreat from a lot of mundane office hours for me.

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