Recommendations for the application for the App Store, strict rules on IDFA and $ 2.5 billion for Minecraft are the main mobile news for the week

App Preview Recommendations

With the release of iOS 8, developers have the opportunity to add video games to the App Store page. The clip will be located on the site of the first screenshot and will be one of the first elements that the player will see on the application page.

The video will be the main argument why the player should download your application. For 15-30 seconds you will need to show the contents of the application and its features. Not an easy task. To help solve it well, we have compiled a list of all Apple recommendations and requirements:
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The video can be removed from your device on iOS 8. To do this, you need to connect it to a computer with OS X Yosemite via a Lightning cable. After that, your device will work as a camera, recording everything that happens on the screen.

• The video should be made separately for the iPhone and separately for the iPad version, by analogy with the screenshots.
• It is possible to make one set of ipad / iphone / ipod videos for each localization separately.
• No need to make videos with people who interact with your application.
• No need to put moving hands on top of the video to display navigation and multi-touch gestures.
• No need to use zoom.
• You must ensure that the transitions between scenes in the application actually existed.
• There is no need to add a price to the video. It is already displayed on the application page, and this information will be redundant.
• When adding text, keep in mind that it should be readable. And if you made only one localization, and the game is available worldwide, then the value of this text is lost.
• Over the video, you can add music and sound effects to actions with user interfaces.

Bonus: the number of supported permissions increases. But Android is still far away)

Microsoft buys minecraft creator

This week, rumors were confirmed about a possible purchase of Mojang studio, which develops Minecraft, by Microsoft. The total transaction value is 2.5 billion USD. The amount is more than provocative, considering that Mojang earned 100 million USD for the entire 2013, which is much less than the same Supercell. Obviously, Microsoft is interested in the community and wants to join the highly developed Minecraft subculture and benefit from it.

Many analysts are wondering what will Microsoft do with the new purchase? They say that, at least in the near future, we will see a version for Windows Phone, perhaps we should expect Minecraft’s exclusive exclusivity for Microsoft platforms, it’s possible to change Minecraft’s pricing policy to increase the audience, create something more from Minecraft (where else) than there is now. In general, there are a lot of thoughts on this topic, anyway, Microsoft got a rather complicated audience, brought up by Notch, who spoke out against large corporations more than once, spoke negatively about Windows 8, canceled the Minecraft version for Oculus Rift after buying them on Facebook. a step to the right, a step to the left, execution, Microsoft should be extremely cautious, courtesy of the fan base that has done the mods on 20 Minecraft, just a little, they will do their own with all the consequences.

Notch himself will receive 1.41 billion USD, leave the company and devote time to their projects. Everything that began with a thesis at the institute ended with one of the largest acquisitions of Microsoft. Notch wrote a farewell letter to the community, explaining his action. The letter ends with the phrase: “It's not about the money. The point is my sanity. ”

How to request a rating from users

A good cheat sheet about how you can ask users for an assessment in an iOS application and how not to follow it (following the footsteps of a conversation with a manager from Apple):

• “Evaluate us” - quite.
• “Evaluate us and get a bonus” - no, it will not work, it is prohibited.
• “Rate us on 5!” - will go.
• “Evaluate us at 5 and get a bonus!” - no, again, point 2)
• encouraging a user to write a post about an application on Facebook or another social network is good.
• ask the user to leave a rating or write a review (without stimulation!) - good.
• encourage the user to put a rating or write a review on the App Store - wait for the refusal to publish the application under section 3.10 of the Agreement

Return purchase on Google Play is now possible within 2 hours

Google has officially announced an increase in the “window” for a refund up to two hours. Previously, the user had 15 minutes to decide whether to keep the application or get a refund for it. Apparently, this was affected by the court complaints of users.

Each application can be reimbursed only once - this is how the company is protected from the mercenary exploitation of this function.

Apple has updated IDFA guidelines for mobile applications: new working conditions with HealthKit

A minute of repetition: IDFA is a device identifier that allows you to uniquely identify a user. It was entered after the cancellation of the UID, so that ad networks could distinguish users from each other, it is also used to collect statistics.

The guys in Cupertino decided that it was enough just to collect unique identifiers. Now you can use IDFA only if you are clearly showing ads in your application. Otherwise, this may cause a failure to accept the application in the App Store!

The changes also affected the new HealthKit Guideline. Developers are prohibited from transferring medical data from the device to advertising networks. Medical information can still be passed on to third parties for research purposes, if the developers explicitly warn the user about this. This allows doctors, staff of medical centers and even insurance companies to give this information so that they can warn users about a dramatic change in their state of health. The future is here!