MailWrangler and the Apple App Store
So in July I wrote a small iPhone app called MailWrangler. Basically this app enabled a user to add their GMail accounts (standard and Google Apps For Your Domain) which they could load and switch between them quickly. It embedded Webkit in to the app and logged you in to the accounts automagically. Normally to check multiple Gmail accounts in mobile Safari you would have to log in and out of all of the accounts, typing the username and password for each. Using just the Apple Mail application you aren’t able to see threaded views, your google contacts, archive (quickly), star, etc without going through the hassles that are present when using Gmail’s IMAP on the iPhone. There’s a similar app for the Mac desktop called MailPlane.
I submitted my application on July 17th. On August 29th I finally heard back from Apple:
… Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion. …
This is an interesting claim since although handing email, my app is simply directly loading and showing Gmail inside of an application. How you can confuse Gmail with Mail.app I’m not sure.
There was another issue:
… There is also no way to edit an account once it has been added. …
I agree that this should work. Currently you have to delete and re-add the account. You don’t lose anything since all the account info stores is a username and password. I felt for a first release this would be fine (how often do you change your gmail password?). The number of apps with this specific issue and other issues that apps have which are in the store, mine seems to be on par or ahead of the game. If you’re going to have rules about this, enforce them across the board. The number of shitty apps in the store is off the charts and yet mine that actually works is getting blocked.
What did I pay to be able to do again? Oh right, deal with Apple’s messy bureaucracy. I guess I should just write another flashlight or glowstick application to actually get published. That’s the only apps Apple seems to want in the store.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Have you conversed with Apple regarding the rejection? I have had success with a rejected app and rejected version of an app by responding with a good email addressing their issues. This is definitely a nice app and has more right to be in the store than many that are in.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Enough of the AppStore. Release your product on Cydia.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
[...] Duplicating Apple functionality? Well, not so much. [...]
September 20th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Hey Angelo,
I found your post on my reddit list, isn’t that weird man!
That sucks about your app. I’m really looking forward to seeing some Android phones and not just with AT&T.
September 20th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
[...] (2008-09-20): Angelo DiNardi’s MailWrangler (for accessing GMail) was also rejected from the App Store, for duplicating the functionality of [...]
September 20th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
[...] application named MailWrangler was also barred from the Apple Store for vaguely duplicating the functionality of Mail.app. From Angelo [...]
September 20th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
I feel that Apple must be the big company at this time
Just because a worm is there for the eating does not mean that we can demonstrate indifference to the farm, right guys?
September 20th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I was just wishing for a MailPlane-like app for the iPhone the other day. Sucks that this got rejected, I would have bought it in a second. The lack of threading in MobileMail drives me nuts.
If you decide to distribute ad-hoc or some other way, drop me an e-mail. I’ll buy.
September 20th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
[...] MailWrangler and the Apple App Store :: Angelo DiNardi – yet another case of Apple kicking someone out of their App Store. [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 12:48 am
[...] MailWrangler has also been snubbed for “duplicating functionality”. [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 2:49 am
” … There is also no way to edit an account once it has been added. …
I agree that this should work. Currently you have to delete and re-add the account. ”
Um. I’ll support you when your app *works*.
September 21st, 2008 at 3:17 am
How dare you criticize the lame products and policies of the company that brought the world the most successful brand for image conscious morons everywhere. You must work for Microsoft.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:00 am
Android.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:07 am
[...] Angelo DiNardi’s blog had an interesting entry on yet another app being rejected from the iPhone app store. [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 5:56 am
Can you please release it as a jailbreak app??!
It sounds useful and you can release it for free.
September 21st, 2008 at 6:44 am
The iPhone seems like a decent piece of hardware. I really hope we see a full Android release for all of Apple’s iPhone and iPod hardware soon after the G1 comes out.
September 21st, 2008 at 7:44 am
Such a shame. This is exactly the sort of app I’m looking for.
I’m really hoping Gruber picks this up, it needs the attention of the entire community.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:08 am
One word: Android.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:57 am
[...] Meer info: Angelo DiNardi [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 9:57 am
I’d be happy to sign a petition stating that MailWrangler does in fact provide sufficient differentiation and added functionality.
I have multiple Gmail/Apps accounts and can’t live without conversations, so Mailplane is a real lifesaver for me. A similar app should definitely exist for the iPhone/iTouch.
September 21st, 2008 at 10:05 am
[...] Angelo DiNardi reports in his blog that his mail-consolidation app “MailWrangler” was rejected from the AppStore with the following [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 10:18 am
[...] Yet another app has been rejected for “competing” with Apple’s own apps, even though it doesn’t. This after the WiFi podcaster downloader also being rejected for alleged competition, and some apps being rejected for “limited utility” (yeah, because a dozen identikit ToDo apps are much more useful). Even Mac fans are unhappy. [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 10:33 am
added to the “ban list”:
http://odedhb.blogspot.com/2008/09/app-store-ban-list.html
September 21st, 2008 at 10:43 am
What I find interesting in all this Apple store iPhone thing is that many developpers (Apple fans I presume) seem to consider normal to have to *convince* Apple to let them develop what they want, like if it was their boss at work and Apple was paying them or something.
That’s insane.
September 21st, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Speaking to an Apple Dev Rep the other day, he claimed this was ‘a webview embedded in a app” and how Apple was trying to reduce this kid of app. I’m not however in agreement with his assessment nor am I of the opinion that it’s Apple’s place to decide this kind of thing.
Apple need to be an honest broker.
And Android. Man, will people actually LOOK at Android before mouthing off? It’s a cheap clunky copy, emphasis on the clunky.
September 21st, 2008 at 12:36 pm
[...] MailWrangler (mail client) [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
You might want to buy some bandwidth, you just showed up on /.
September 21st, 2008 at 1:26 pm
[...] que ha sido rechazada por duplicar la función de Mail en el iPhone. La aplicación en cuestión, MailWrangler, permite añadir varias cuentas GMail en un solo interfaz, sin tener que estar saltando de cuenta a [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 1:38 pm
[...] sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.
September 21st, 2008 at 2:41 pm
In their infinite wisdom, Apple works very hard to alienate users and developers. They must have a grand plan that is beyond our understanding.
Oblige them. Move on to a free platform like OpenMoko.
September 21st, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I think that apples argument is valid. There are so many people that would be confused by the application. I think that the person (developer) that commented that an email answering their questions might work is worth a try. Granted I hate to see them stifle creativity, but I would think that they would welcome competition and buy the programs and incorporate the new and or better features into their applications. Just my 2 cents.
September 21st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
All you have to do then is provide “sufficient differentiation or added functionality” and provide a way to “to edit an account once it has been added.” You can catch them at their own game if you simply comply with their request. Then, how can they refuse your application? So, go back and
1. Differentiate the application in terms of functionality
2. Make a way to edit an account
If Apple changes their reason for rejecting it then, the second time around, you can expose Apple’s criteria for what it is: ad hoc, and disingenuous.
September 21st, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I agree with Peter (above).
The only way you will get your application onto the store, is to met their requests. Yes, it sucks your application was denied due to so called ‘competition’ but as Peter says, play them at their own game and change or modify the application to fit without their ‘acceptable guidelines’. Yes, granted, these are questionable right now, but obviously Apple found your application to be to similar to Mail.app.
I’d definitely file a compliant. Your application IS different to Mail.app from how you’ve described it. When flashlight application are being added to the store everyday, which all have virtually no use, your application should have been granted it’s place on the store.
It’s an outrage it wasn’t.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I can’t agree that this app was different *enough*. I think the issue with both this app and Podcaster was that there were too many issues and two those issues together with the similarity caused the problem. You can’t just take one rejection by Apple and go whimper. We got plenty of bug-based rejections from Apple. We fixed them and went on our way.
Apple at first let anyone in to build the store. Now that they see what is in there, they were able to start being more selective. Its not a bad thing. They are *making* you do better. Consider it a positive thing – a challenge. Not a reason to whine.
September 21st, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Give the ap a big logo that says
“You are not using mail.app”
and add the edit feature Apple wanted to see.
September 21st, 2008 at 5:28 pm
[...] number to check app idea Hello, With all of the apps being rejected for competition or limited utility, does anybody know a number (not [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Will you make this app available to download for jailbroken iPhones?
September 21st, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I’d glad pay for a copy, especially if you are interested in sharing the source code too. You have my email address now, so balls in your court.
September 21st, 2008 at 6:39 pm
If you want to reach your users sooner, try to release your beta version via Cydia, there’re a lot people out there using Cydia to get cool apps.
If you need any help on hosting a Cydia source, please just let me know.
September 21st, 2008 at 7:03 pm
[...] functionality, Apple has gone and done it again. This time it’s Mail Wrangler, an app by Angelo DiNardi that has been rejected from the App Store because it “duplicates the functionality of the [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
You guys just don’t get it. It’s due to confusion not competition!!! Apple’s main goal is to make the phone as simple and easy to use…
September 21st, 2008 at 7:21 pm
[...] functionality, Apple has gone and done it again. This time it’s Mail Wrangler, an app by Angelo DiNardi that has been rejected from the App Store because it “duplicates the functionality of the [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 7:44 pm
[...] Angelo DiNardi writes that he developed an alternative email client for the iPhone called “MailWrangler” only to have it rejected by Apple’s App Store because it “duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I’m getting tired of all the whining about the App Store. When you write an app for Apple’s App Store, you are “partnering” with Apple, if you are accepted. They’re footing the bill to market and sell your product. So why would they want to compete with themselves and confuse users in the process? Lastly, we need another mail client like we need another flashlight app. Write something we don’t already have and they’ll want to sell it and we’ll want to buy it.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:00 pm
The App store policies and politics aside- FWIW, if you go ad hoc with this, I’d buy it.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Well, you could write a flashlight app, that also lets you turn on a preference to enable the rest of the mailplane interface.
It’s stupid, but it just might work.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I’m with Cydia: distribute it to people who have jailbroken their iPhones. Apple needs to let the end-user decide what they need and want to do on their own machine, and stop treating us like children. The “waled garden” approach to apps and app publishing is dead, in the end, and Apple should have realized that by now.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Android will fail and will do so hard, because it is in fact utter shit, from a usability standpoint.
It goes without saying: Sun tried to do it with MIDP, Android is the exact same thing — different input conventions, different layout conventions, different screen sizes, different habits. You can’t make a uniform framework atop of such variation. It’s nuts, or dare I say retarded.
September 21st, 2008 at 8:46 pm
[...] App store又ban软件了。这次的理由是“与apple捆绑软件（mail）功能过于近似”。 [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 8:47 pm
“without providing sufficient differentiation”
Maybe they don’t like that it has “Mail” in the name?
September 21st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
[...] Bitter? Sounds like it. Is Angelo justified in his anger with getting rejected from the App Store? Read the full article and decide for yourself here. [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 8:59 pm
I’d pay for your app and don’t see it as a duplication. I’d suggest what others have, which is to fix the problem they pointed out and re-submit it with an explanation on how it is different than the standard mail client.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:14 pm
iPhone jailbreak…here i come !!
September 21st, 2008 at 9:33 pm
[...] all: News Here’s an apparent second example (this was the first) of an iPhone application I’d like to use–one which makes it easier [...]
September 21st, 2008 at 10:51 pm
[...] sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.
September 21st, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Well this makes 2 Podcasting applications and 1 email application that have been deleted I am glad we halted our Apple iPhone development last week. No more throwing money away..
September 21st, 2008 at 11:29 pm
This sucks man. Apple is literally shoving a hot iron rod up their own ass by stopping these amazing apps from entering the app store.
September 21st, 2008 at 11:39 pm
[...] lead to user confusion. …” Apple wrote to the developer, as they rejected his application MailWrangler from being accepted into the App [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:24 am
I agree with the people who said that what you need to do is try to comply with their stated reasons for rejection, and try to submit it again.
I definitely think it’s immature to get one rejection, when you know that one of the feature doesn’t work, and then decide that Apple is evil and will never accept your app, and is stifling creativity. If you’ve already written the app, you might as well fix the problems you know it has, try to add a feature of two for further differentiation and try again.
My grandfather told me a story once about how they made precision gears during the war. They would ship the gears in, and some would be rejected and sent back. They would set the rejects aside for a while, and then resubmit them … usually they got accepted upon resubmission!! Crazy, but maybe the guy that reviewed your app was just having a bad day.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:00 am
In order to get this app on my phone I would have to:
1. Hear about it
2. Actually find it on the AppStore
3. Purchase and install it on my iPhone
Frankly, if I’m going through the above process I’m probably looking for the stated functionality. I can’t imagine the ‘user confusion’ Apple is referring to, since someone would have to be particularly silly to go through the above process and still not understand the difference with MobileMail.
A while ago I was considering putting up money to help people develop for the iPhone but with the existing NDA and in the absence of comprehensive and transparent guidelines it just doesn’t seem worth the risk. I can’t even recommend that people try, unless they’re hobbyists and have an income from elsewhere. Is this the kind of developer Apple is trying to encourage? It’s not the kind I’d want to invest in.
Apple is getting this very wrong.
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:04 am
[...] a post to his blog, DiNardi [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:27 am
[...] a post to his blog, DiNardi [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:44 am
MailWrangler was THE application I was waiting for. Anyone with massive amounts of email coming into their Gmail accounts can attest to the fact that once you go "threaded" it’s hard to go back to an old school app like Apple’s Mobile Mail.
I’m curious to know if Google were to develop an "official" Gmail application, would Apple approve on the first pass?
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:56 am
Apple sucks!
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:57 am
A shame. This kind of closed system is precisely why Apple failed to keep its stronghold in the market in the first place. Now its recent success has created another hubristic monster to contend with. The bubble of Apple 2.0 is about to fail.
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 am
[...] a post to his blog, DiNardi [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 am
[...] first information available about Google’s Android marketplace makes it clear that Google is planning to make the [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:58 am
ok, I will say it in german: … Apple, Ihr seid so arrogant das es zum Himmel stinkt, einfach nur scheiße was ihr da treibt … ok, now its better
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:18 am
I can’t believe how much this app submission process for the iTunes store sucks. Apple has a serious problem there and will deservedly lose developers if they continue to suck this hard.
I hope your app makes it to the store, I definitively could use it!
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:38 am
[...] Angelo diNardi [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:45 am
it’s arrogant to assume you’ll be ignorant enough to swallow their poorly disguised objections.
apple’s insistence on ignoring the persistence of the free market, favoring insular governance over communal innovation is precisely what’s kept me at a distance from their camp.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:47 am
[...] a post to his blog, DiNardi … HighTechGadget.info: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 am
[...] Podcaster und PullMyFinger haben wir mit MailWrangler nun die dritte von Apple abgelehnte und somit im AppStore fehlende iPhone-Applikation zu beklagen. [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 am
[...] rechazo de la App Store es un programa que permite consultar varias cuentas de Gmail a la vez. MailWrangler se une así a programas como Podcaster o el útil NetShare, entrando en el limbo infierno de no [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:43 am
[...] “duplicates” Mail Angelo DiNardis GoogleMail-App “MailWrangler” für das iPhone ist nicht in den App Store aufgenommen wurden. Er selbst hat den eigentlich [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:48 am
[...] a post to his blog, DiNardi [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:13 am
[...] a post to his blog, DiNardi [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:31 am
Geez, people, why don’t you get it: Everything that only has a similar function to any Apple product will not make it to the store. The reason is simple: Apple fears anyone can make a better product than they can. You may take any product from them, make it 1000 times better, it won’t make it to the store. If you want to code for the iPhone forget Chat (unless you mainly/only support non iChat protocols), forget audio players, forget mail apps, forget video players, forget anything to do with podcast… Apple will not accept any competition to their apps on the store.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:34 am
As a MailPlane user, I would be very interested in this app. I’d be willing to sign a petition. Maybe I should write Apple a letter — not that I’m convinced they’d be listening.
Six weeks to decide on rejection is terrible.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 am
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring Fireball): … Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
[...] Store According a blog post by developer Angelo DiNardi his MailRangler app was denied entry in the App Store because of [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:39 am
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring Fireball): … Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 am
Go ad hoc. I’d buy this in a heartbeat.
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 am
[...] MailWrangler and the Apple App Store Te gusta el Artículo? [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 am
[...] rejected another app for “duplicate functionality”. Angelo DiNardi reports on his blog that he created an app for opening multiple GMail accounts at once. Apple rejected this saying it [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:10 am
I’m a ‘walled garden’ supporter (and I can spell ‘walled’!). Nothing against people who want to jailbreak and use their hardware in any manner they choose, but for me it’s just a tool and it has to work like a tool. I want Apple to vet apps; I don’t want to wade through page after page of duplicates looking for functionality (not suggesting that’s the case with MailWrangler); I like the convenience (and safety) of purchasing my apps through the App Store portal.
I agree with the others who suggest Angelo address Apple’s concerns and resubmit – the inability to edit an account is significant and I’m kind of surprised that an app designed for people to use multiple accounts wouldn’t accommodate that out of the chute.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 am
ad hoc is an increasingly appealing option…
and you can always fix the two points they raised, polish the app and then re-submit.
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:38 am
I don’t know how it can be duplicating what Apple already has, unless it does not work! Mail.app on the iPhone worked for about 2 weeks for me. Now it simply says “Cannot Get Mail. The connection to the server ‘imap.gmail.com’ failed.”
So if you can actually get gmail on your app, you aren’t duplicating!
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:49 am
Why don’t you write a game and make $1 Million?
Why do you have to copy what Apple has already done? Duh.
You can already add a bookmark to Google’s Mobile version of GMail and it will do what your app does. This is a capability of Safari.
You should try to avoid duplicating services that the iPhone already has. Duh.
Do something original. Duh.
Or write a game and make a million bucks like that Indian guy that wrote Trism.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:03 am
[...] Checkout: MailWrangler and the Apple App Store [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:31 am
I just want to add that I think this app is great, and I am also upset at Apple refusing it.
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:43 am
[...] reasons. Podcaster was banned because it was in competition with the iPod software on the phone and most recently MailWrangler – a wrapper around Gmail which Apple decided was too much competition for their Mail app to deal [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
[...] developer Angelo DiNardi told the tale of his would-be App Store application, MailWrangler, via his blog. By embedding Webkit and automatically handling login credentials, MailWrangler allowed users the [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 am
[...] volta si tratta di client per gmail. Direi che se c’era bisogno di una conferma definitiva, è questa. Scritto il 22/09/08 da [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
[...] weitere abgelehnte iPhone-Applikation sorgt für Aufsehen: MailWrangler sollte es Gmail-Nutzern ermöglichen, auf die Web-Oberfläche des E-Mail-Dienstes zuzugreifen und [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:19 pm
from a previously sent email:
On 9/16/08, Mike CARRIERI wrote:
I’m opening with a shameless plug and re-printing, to get an idea out there. Following is an excerpt to Alex Sokirynsky’s (Podcaster app) blog:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=10915658&postID=92390966363608663
“What about banding together with the other Apple-rejected app programmers and start a new software group/company, combining all like-minded people?
It may be better than getting p*ssed on by Apple, and could pick up traction from the Apple-using general public. I am offering a company name for free: CoreSeed.”
Here are some other suggested names:
SeedCore
CoreFree (as in not possible to be rotten)
martyrcore
martyrpod
martyrphone
applist
applistas
(new: )
BanndApps
ByeApps
I think this is a an instance of Apple ignoring market needs at their peril. They are leaving a vacuum, allowing a takeover in their software market. Good luck!
I’m also adding this: NetShare, the Nullriver product by CEO Adam Dann is now on this list.
My parents used to say, “We’ll talk about it later,” which was the kiss of death for a particular request or idea, similar to a “pocket veto”.
At the very least Apple could use these apps as beta testers to gage the market acceptibility and demand out there.
–
Sincerely,
Mike Carrieri
408 476-3750
mdcnet1@gmail.com
September 22nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
[...] 0. http://angelo.dinardi.name/2008/09/20/mailwrangler-and-the-apple-app-store/ 1. http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/09/13/1924215&tid=153 2. [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
develop your apps for android or openmoko .. apple will always piss on their developers .. if there is a conflict
all the best
.peace
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
[...] [via Angelo] [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I suggest you all send Apple feedback whenever you don’t like what they’re doing, or have a suggestion. They don’t read these blogs (I think), but lots of feedback through their official channels has at least some chance of being heard. Here’s the link for iphone feedback:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
Also, please post this suggestion/link on other blogs & forums. Thanks!
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
i totally understand you pain. i want to write for the app store, but with all the crazy problems i have been hearing am loathe to find out i wasted my time. my thoughts on this here: http://web-poet.com/2008/09/22/run-around/
September 22nd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
[...] more about Angelo’s struggles here… and be sure to leave him a positive comment. App development ‘aint [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm
cydia ist the name in the game
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
I think the program is different enough from the Mail.app that it should have been given a better response if not an acceptance. However, complaining that Apple won’t release everything is a losing battle. Most big companies realize they can not please everyone, so they please the “majority.” In this case, the majority is not “the techies” but “the average phone using Joe / Joanna.” Those “Jo”s don’t care too much about this type of thing.
I am into tech, and I don’t have 4 gmail accounts. I just don’t want to have to mess with so many when 1 would work just fine. However, we are each entitled to our own opinions, and I think that makes the world go around
I’ll be happy to let them know that I think it is “sufficiently different” from the Mail.app. Of course, Apple lost me when they deleted my post on their website because I stated that I was no longer subscribing to MoblieMe because I had no personal communication form Apple (except the apology everyone is aware of in the e-mail). Of course, since I couldn’t GET my e-mail… Well, you get the idea…
I wish you well.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:22 pm
[...] DiNardi has a program for the iPhone that checks multiple gmail accounts while keeping some of the Google functionality [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:24 pm
[...] Angelo DiNardi reports in his blog that his mail-consolidation app “MailWrangler” was rejected from the App Store with the following [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Please sell it by ad-hoc distribution. I need you app as hell.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm
*your
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
go to android, develop what you want, and google will not say no. they wont review your application, they will just let you do what you do, which is develop, and give something for these apple fanboys to complain about.
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I would pay for this app
I love Mailplane (I paid for that too)
September 22nd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
You might consider calling your app “gMailWranger” or “WebmailWranger”.
I have a feeling one of Apple’s concerns is your title which kind of implies you can use *any* mail account. At least that’s the impression I got before reading what it does. This might make it a little clearer to both Apple and the end user.
September 22nd, 2008 at 6:14 pm
I’ve been wishing for an app that gets Gmail out of the Safari stranglehold on the iPhone. I hope you keep polishing, maybe change the name of this app, and then try again. Also, if after the app is working you still get rejected by Apple, please give us an email address at Apple to lean on. They may think Gmail is too similar to their Mail app, but they should hear from a few of us who disagree.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
[...] what many perceive to be ‘not cool’ business tactics. However, when I read this blog post that alleges that Apple rejected a mail app from being listed on their App Store, I couldn’t [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring Fireball): … Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:05 pm
[...] waiting for about six weeks, DiNardi finally got a response from Apple that denied MailWrangler on the basis that: … Your application duplicates the functionality of [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 pm
[...] that the company says “duplicates the functionality” of the iPhone’s built-in Mail app. Angelo DiNardi’s MailWranger app claims to let users check multiple GMail accounts without manually logging in and out and to [...]
September 22nd, 2008 at 10:59 pm
[...] MailWrangler es rechazada del App Store para iPhone por hacer lo mismo que la aplicación de correo electrónico incluída en el teléfono. Aunque no es necesariamente cierto ya que MailWrangler sólamente revisa cuentas de Gmail. ← Anterior | Inicio Comparte esta anotación Imprimir [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:43 am
[...] that the reason MailWrangler was rejected is [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:18 am
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring Fireball): … Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:45 am
[...] a post to his blog, DiNardi [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 10:07 am
Please release it in cydia, it’s very very useful, do it for us and against stupid Apple
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
[...] DiNardi氏は、自身のブログで、ユーザーが複数の「Gmail」アカウントを追加してアクセスできるようにする同氏のアプリケーションは「アプリケーション内部でGmailを直接ロードして表示するだけ」であり、「一体どうしたらGmailとMail.appを混同できるのかわからない」と述べている。 [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:33 am
철수의 생각…
아이폰 App Store, 애플이 하고 있는걸 만들면 안된다네 ……
September 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
철수의 생각…
아이폰 App Store, 애플이 하고 있는걸 만들면 안된다네……
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I’m a huge mailplane fan and would love this app. More fuel for my iHate I’m afraid
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
[...] Vía Blog de AngeloDinardi. [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
[...] Looks like Apple has banned another application, MailWrangler, that competes with it’s own email [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
[...] another app has felt the wrath of App Store rejection. Angelo Dinardi wrote in his blog about an app he had created and submitted to Apple for review called MailWrangler. The app used [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:10 pm
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring Fireball): … Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
[...] the past week or so there’s been many outrages surrounding apps like iPhone Podcaster and MailWrangler , which have both been rejected for duplicating functionality already included in Apples iPhone [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 pm
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring Fireball): … Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone [...]
September 23rd, 2008 at 8:38 pm
[...] without a preliminary review, so that users decide whether they’re useful. That means Angelo DiNardi’s MailWrangler application won’t be rejected because it duplicates the functionality from a built-in [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 2:35 am
[...] without a preliminary review, so that users decide whether they’re useful. That means Angelo DiNardi’s MailWrangler application won’t be rejected because it duplicates the functionality from a built-in [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 4:14 am
[...] questi giorni si stavano moltiplicando le notizie relative ad applicazioni per iPod e iPhone cui era stato rifiutato l’accesso all’iTunes AppStore perchè “replicavano le funzionalità di [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 5:08 am
[...] From the App Store Is Not About + Whil Shipley: iPhone App Store: Let the Market Decide + Angelo Dinardi: MailWrangler and the Apple App Store + Daring Fireball: The App Store’s Exclusionary Policies This entry was written by jem, [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 6:39 am
[...] second example is the app MailWrongler designed to improve the gmail experience within iPhone. Again a rejection on the grounds that it [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 6:46 am
[...] developers now covers App store rejection letters. In the past few weeks there have been several apps rejected from the app store for “duplicating functionality” that Apple already has [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 7:01 am
[...] week werden er weer een aantal Applicaties geweigerd. MailWrangler werd geweigerd omdat het volgens Apple te veel op de eigen applicatie Mail lijkt. Echter biedt dit [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 8:26 am
[...] iPhone and unqualified greatness, and then right as it seems that they can’t fail, they start rejecting apps for duplicating itunes or iphone functionality and then start waving the NDA flag when people start [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 9:05 am
[...] MailWrangler – Motivul: aplicatia are aceeasi functie ca si clientul de mail de pe telefon. [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 9:46 am
[...] get ‘rejected’ by Apple for seemingly unethical reasons. A great example of this is MailWrangler. Designed and developed by Angelo Dinardi, the application was meant to enable a user to add their [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 10:59 am
[...] No Comments First, it was NetShare, and then it was Podcaster. Now it’s MailWrangler by Angelo DiNardi (via Daring Fireball). The application, like MailPlane for Mac OS X, allows you to log into several [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 11:02 am
[...] doet Apple om negatieve publiciteit te voorkomen, zoals dit bijvoorbeeld gebeurde met MailWrangler: Een applicatie waarin je meerdere GMail-accounts kon beheren. Deze applicatie werd geweigerd omdat [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
[...] secondo caso era stata invece creata un’applicazione che permetteva di controllare la posta su piu’ account Gmail senza dover fare logout e login da ogni account per passare da un [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
[...] dupliziert” (Podcaster) oder “Ähnlichkeit zu bestehenden Programmen” (MailWrangler). Ähm, hallo Apple, so funktioniert [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
[...] zu diesem Thema gibt. Jetzt hat Apple ziemlich willkürlich zwei iPhone-Anwendungen, Podcaster und MailWrangler, abgelehnt, weil sie – so wird vermutet – Funktionen enthielten, die Apple selbst für zukünftige [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
[...] another app has felt the wrath of App Store rejection. Angelo Dinardi wrote in his blog about an app he had created and submitted to Apple for review called MailWrangler. The app used [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
hey u should take advantage of the Ad Hoc app in the app store, and let poeple send u there UIUD so u can let people test them without interference from Apple
September 25th, 2008 at 8:11 am
I left feedback at the Apple product feedback page, explaining why this is the main reason that makes me choose an Android based phone over the iPhone.
September 25th, 2008 at 8:18 am
[...] Angelo DiNardi (Blog des MailWrangler-Entwicklers) // [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 10:23 am
[...] even more: Seems that email clients aren’t allowed either. Oh, and not only do they want to have the last word on the App Store, but they’ll also [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 11:53 am
[...] for a myriad of reasons. First was Podcaster, rejected for competing with Apple, then came the MailWrangler rejection: “Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
[...] seferki uygulama, Angelo DiNardi‘nin MailWrangler uygulaması idi. Apple, iPhone üzerindeki Mail uygulaması aracılığı [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Have you considered renaming the app GMailWrangler?
perhaps that would help differentiate
Have you considered tweaking and resubmitting?
Podcaster, I think, was problematic on many levels. Circumventing iTunes for anything is not a winning bet. For me, it would be better if the app synced with iTunes and perhaps provided a dedicated interface for viewing/listening to Podcasts already in iTunes and on the device.
For your app, it might be the name, which suggests a universal interface for all mail accounts. That would be confusing for an end user. Where do I add my Exchange or Mobile Me? With a new name, I think the distinction would be clearer.
For what it’s worth.
September 25th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
[...] From Angelo DiNardi [...]
September 25th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring Fireball): … Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone [...]
September 27th, 2008 at 8:48 am
[...] wahre Frage, ob es Apple noch gut geht, stellte sich dann jedoch bei den Programmen “Mailwrangler” und [...]
September 27th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
[...] week there have been several stories on the blogsphere (here, here, and here, for example) which consist of developers complaining that Apple has rejected an iPhone application [...]
September 27th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
[...] This week there have been several stories on the blogsphere (here, here, and here, for example) which consist of developers complaining that Apple has rejected an iPhone application [...]
September 27th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
[...] ‘Unforseen’ has claimed the lives of many great apps that weren’t able to make it through the app approval process (see MailWrangler) [...]
September 28th, 2008 at 4:06 am
[...] rejections in August and early September were considered missteps. The rejection of Podcaster and MailWrangler with reasons of “duplicating functionality” & “confusing users” gave apple the [...]
September 28th, 2008 at 8:51 am
[...] Apple’s iTunes App Store: Mailwrangler. The reason, according to Apple (as cited by developer Angelo DiNardi, via Daring [...]
September 29th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
[...] up: MailWrangler, a simple app that lets you view your Google Mail from multiple accounts. It was rejected for duplicating Apple functionality “without providing differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” [...]
September 29th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
[...] “open” philosophy is only escalated by the recent news of Apple rejecting apps that are too simple, too competitive, or just plain stupid. Google takes the opposite extreme, allowing anything into [...]
September 30th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
[...] rejections in August and early September were considered missteps. The rejection of Podcaster and MailWrangler with reasons of â
September 30th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
[...] (Bart) – Apple are at it again, another good app banned for “duplicating” non-existant functionality (Developer’s blog) [...]
October 1st, 2008 at 7:10 am
[...] MailWrangler and the Apple App Store on Angelo DiNardi’s blog [...]
October 1st, 2008 at 2:07 pm
[...] app rejections? IBM’s Lotus Notes has been approved for sale in the App Store, despite apple rejecting a third party G-Mail app earlier for “duplicating funcionality and potential user confusion.” Granted, Lotus [...]
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:07 am
[...] Podcaster was rejected for duplicating the podcast features in iTunes and the iPhone ‘iPod’ app. MailWrangler was rejected on the following grounds: [...]
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Try to talk with Apple or something. I’d really like this App on the store, it looks awesome.
October 4th, 2008 at 4:51 am
[...] clipped from angelo.dinardi.name [...]
October 9th, 2008 at 5:07 am
[...] week there have been several stories on the blogsphere (here, here, and here, for example) which consist of developers complaining that Apple has rejected an iPhone application [...]
October 28th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Maybe do what the podcasters are doing and release the app independently. Might break apple’s terms and conditions but so what! More info: http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/9/rejected-by-apple-sell-your-iphone-app-yourself-profit-aapl-
October 30th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
[...] applications already built-in to the iPhone. Recently they rejected an application called ‘MailWrangler‘ because it ‘duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail [...]
November 14th, 2008 at 8:31 am
[...] without a preliminary review, so that users decide whether they’re useful. That means Angelo DiNardi’s MailWrangler application won’t be rejected because it duplicates the functionality from a built-in [...]
November 20th, 2008 at 8:41 am
[...] hat es auch die Applcation “MailWrangler” kalt erwischt. MailWrangler ermöglicht es, mehrere G-Mail Konten abzufragen ohne sich [...]
November 27th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
[...] MailWrangler and the Apple App Store [...]
January 18th, 2009 at 8:40 am
9r4snJ hi! how you doin?
January 18th, 2009 at 11:23 am
[...] maila to ju
January 21st, 2009 at 10:45 pm
[...] the iPhone, has any capabilities that AirSharing does not also possess. And I don’t see how MailWrangler could cause user confusion over duplicate functionality in a way that Yahoo! oneConnect does not. [...]
February 10th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
[...] iPod application requires you to download them to your computer and sync them to the iPod app. MailWrangler is an application lets you view Gmail email. According to Apple it duplicated the function of the [...]
March 18th, 2009 at 3:35 am
[...] kann man aber sagen, dass auch über 1000 zum Teil sehr sinnvolle Programme mit mehr oder weniger fadenscheinigen Begründungen abgelehnt wurden. Das Verfahren wird also weiter für Kritik, Unmut und Ärger [...]
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Good Day. [M]aybe the most any of us can expect of ourselves isn’t perfection but progress.
I am from Burma and now teach English, tell me right I wrote the following sentence: “Our lowest price guarantee on airline tickets, hotels, cruises, and travel packages let.”
Thanks
. Granville.
April 9th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
I bought my 3G iPhone from Greece last month. It has really wonderful features, I enjoy it. You can contact to good person who can help you out. Here is his email ID zoomobileslimited@gmail.com
July 27th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 27th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
[...] MailWrangler, a native Gmail client for the iPhone was also rejected from the App Store because the “application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion.” As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier. [...]
July 29th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
[...] There has been speculation that Google is preparing its own iPhone app for Google Voice, however, in light of the news that Apple ‘requested’ that Google make Latitude a web app instead of a native app “in order to avoid confusion with Maps on the iPhone,” I wonder if we are unlikely to see such an application from Google. [...]
July 31st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
[...] the last time, the App store has got better (no NDA) and worse (more apps banned capriciously, like MailWrangler). There were lots of good posts on why it’s a mess, but Gruber probably comes closest to the [...]
August 21st, 2009 at 7:13 pm
[...] a podcast app because it duplicated the podcasting functionality of iTunes (on the desktop!). They rejected a GMail app because it duplicates the functionality of the Mail app. And now they’ve apparently rejected [...]
September 18th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Hi angelo,
As a heavy duty user of Gmail, I’ve wished for MailWrangler from the beginning. Sure you can use Gmail through Mobile Safari — as you can use Google Voice — but as Apple soon learned after trying to convince users and developers that web apps were all we needed, there are certain things which a native application makes much easier.
November 1st, 2009 at 8:37 pm
[...] can throw anything they want. I still remember my first App Store "uh oh" was when I heard about MailWrangler, a native iPhone application for GMail, which was rejected because it "…duplicates the [...]
November 12th, 2009 at 3:21 am
One of the biggest benefit of webapps is no installation required. There are thousand of webapps and I have made a webapp to search all iphone apps easily on iphone. The application list is updated daily from Apple website. It includes all apps approved and rejected by Apple. It is designed specially to use on the iphone so that you can get the application you want instantly.
If you are rejected by Apple to list your application, you can submit your iphone webapps at http://ipoh.blogdns.com/. It is 100% free and searchable. Please make an introduction to your work at the forum.
All are welcome!
November 19th, 2009 at 1:49 am
there is always another point of view to everything