Apple's heavy hand risks pushing industry over to Android, says Best Apps Market

App promo tool Best Apps Market has warned against any attempt by Apple to clamp down on third-party game discovery services on iOS, suggesting it will simply push people over to Android.

In a statement sent to PocketGamer.biz following the furore surrounding a change to Apple's App Review Guidelines - clause 2.25 citing apps that promote other apps - community manager Neranjan Bobby Bissoon said Apple risks alienating the dev community.

An eye on Apple

"Recently we have seen a lot of companies making a bigger push on Android due to Apples new practices," said Bissoon in an email, adding that Best Apps Market itself had "decided to go to Android over iOS."

"Though I understand Apple wanting to have a greater control of its store to prevent the gaming of charts, I feel this is going to alienate developers and publishers."

While Best Apps Market itself isn't impacted by Apple's decision the app promo service operating solely on Android Bissoon said any move by Apple against third party services would be dangerous for all involved, as "companies like ours are innovating in ways that the App Stores aren't."

The great debate

"This innovation wouldn't happen if we weren't allowed in the market," he added.

So far, just one app has publicly come forward to PocketGamer.biz to claim it has been impacted by clause 2.25 Apple finally giving Turkish app iTurkeyBiz the green light once app charts from different territories from around the globe had been removed.

The impact of the updated App Review Guidelines, then, so far appears limited to say the least, but Bissoon believes it remains indicative of the major differences between Apple and Google's platforms.

"The real battle between Android and iOS is just starting to happen, as fragmentation issues diminish and Android positions itself as the more open platform," he concluded.

"I can only hope that Google is smart and capitalises on this by keeping Google Play open while finding ways for easier monetisation."