![]() This week Apple has backed off from its previous threats to remove a popular app from the Mac App Store due to its controversial name.Īt the start of the week, Apple contacted the developer of popular Mac app Amphetamine to say that the app violated app store guidelines. The app works to keep Macs from going into sleep mode, and Apple said that, particularly because of its name, the app violated guideline 1.4.3, which reads: “Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco and vape products, illegal drugs, or excessive amounts of alcohol are not permitted on the App Store. Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. Facilitating the sale of marijuana, tobacco, or controlled substances (except for licensed pharmacies) isn’t allowed.”ĭeveloper William Gustafson said in a GitHub post that he believed the app was not in violation of the guidelines, as the app does not promote the use of illegal drugs. He pointed out that amphetamines can be legally prescribed by doctors and that, “There is nothing illicit about, or inherently wrong with, the legal use of prescribed amphetamines.”Īnother argument put forth by Gustafson and other fans of the app was that Apple applies its policies inconsistently. He pointed out a number of other apps that remain available on the App Store which seem to violate the rule against the promotion of illegal drugs in a more explicit way, but which are still available for download. It is also notable that Amphetamine has been available on the App Store since 2014 and has been a popular and prominent app during that time, and Apple has only just decided to take action against it. However, after an appeal by the developer and support from many Mac users, Apple has decided it will not remove Amphetamine from the app store. Gustafson posted a note on Twitter saying he had spoken with Apple on a phone call and that the company had accepted the app and would let it stay on the App Store.NOTE: Amphetamine Enhancer requires Amphetamine 5.0. In its 1.0 release, Amphetamine Enhancer adds the following abilities to Amphetamine: Want to skip the introduction and just download Amphetamine Enhancer? Click here.Īmphetamine Enhancer is a helper application that enhances a couple of Amphetamine's features. Adds a fail-safe for the closed-display mode feature found in Amphetamine 5.0+.Gives Amphetamine 5.0+ the ability to use all running processes with Triggers and app-based sessions.More enhancements may be added in the future.Īmphetamine itself is a sandboxed app. All apps distributed through the Mac App Store are sandboxed (it's a requirement). Sandboxing severely limits what an app can do on your Mac. This is usually a good thing as it helps prevent malware and viruses from taking over your Mac or stealing your information. Unfortunately, sandboxing also means that certain actions/tasks can't be completed by the sandboxed app. Getting a list of every app and process running on your Mac is something a sandboxed app can't do. That's where Amphetamine Enhancer comes in. ![]() Since Amphetamine Enhancer is not distributed through the App Store, it's not sandboxed and isn't limited in the same ways Amphetamine is. Why Not Un-Sandbox Amphetamine and Distribute it Outside the App Store?Īmphetamine is a popular app and is downloaded hundreds to thousands of times every day. For better or worse, the App Store is an easy way to distribute apps. As an independent developer, with little to no income from my apps, I don't have a desire or the financial resources to pay out-of-pocket for the bandwidth and web hosting fees that would be incurred by distributing Amphetamine outside of the App Store. I also don't have an advertising budget either. Amphetamine has become popular via word-of-mouth and it is consistently ranked high in the Mac App Store (which gives it visibility to those browsing the App Store charts). This popularity caused Apple to feature Amphetamine in an App Store Story. It's unlikely all of this would have happened without the App Store as a distribution channel.īeyond that, the majority of people who use Amphetamine have no need for the advanced features that Amphetamine Enhancer provides. There's also a ton of people who would never visit Github and download a DMG or installer for Amphetamine. ![]()
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