Apple wanted to remove Amphetamine from the App Store, but has since changed its mind.
Amphetamine is an app that prevents Mac notebooks from going into sleep mode. Apple believed its developer was promoting illegal drug use through ambiguous branding. After a public outcry, however, the App Store team have taken another look at the app and reversed their decision, allowing Amphetamine to stay up with its current name and logo.
The consistency of Apple's submission and review processes has been, and continues to be, under scrutiny. That's especially true with this popular piece of Mac software that almost got yanked out of the store over its drug-inspired name and the image of a pill in its logo.
How Apple Almost Banned Amphetamine
Mac developer William C. Gustafson, who is the brains behind Amphetamine, says an Apple representative informed him on December 29, 2020 that the app's name and icon seem to reference "controlled substances" and "pills”. The argument left Gustafson dumbfounded because Amphetamine does not promote the use of controlled substances in any way.
Apple felt the app violated the following App Store guideline:
Apps that encourage consumption of tobacco or 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.
Gustafson was asked to change the app’s name and remove the pill from its icon or Amphetamine would be removed from the Mac App Store on January 12. Gustafson has complied with the request so Apple has reversed its decision and Amphetamine remains available in the store, as confirmed by Gustafson on Twitter.
On January 2, 2021, Gustafson got a call from Apple and was told the company has realized the word "amphetamine" and the pill icon are being used in a "medical sense" and "metaphorically".
Amphetamine Has Been Around Since 2014
The story gets more interesting if you know that Apple didn't object to Amphetamine branding back when it first approved the app six years ago. That's right, this app has been available in the Mac App Store since 2014.
Amphetamine has been downloaded over 430,000 times and has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.0 based on over 1,400 reviews. Billed as a "powerful keep-awake utility", Amphetamine sits in your Mac's menu bar and keeps the computer awake regardless of your energy settings.
You can customize the app to also prevent your Mac from showing a screen saver or dimming the display after a period of inactivity and so forth. Amphetamine is basically a simple app that sits in your Mac's menu bar and acts as a graphical user interface for the built-in Caffeinate Terminal command that does the same thing as Amphetamine.
Introducing The Executive Review Board
While serving as an example of how the power of media and public pressure can force corporations like Apple to reconsider their decisions, this particular incident has provided us with a glimpse into Apple's App Review Board, its appeals process, and how controversial submissions can be escalated to the Executive Review Board.
It is the job of that group, headed by Apple Fellow Phil Schiller, to make the final call and decide whether an app can stay on the store. The Executive Review Board has been meeting since 2009, Apple noted in a filing with the FCC.
Moreover, in June 2019, CNBC reported that it was that group that made the final decision to ban the controversial Infowars app from the App Store over a violation of the App Store content policies.
Another Day, Another App Store Error
Apple has clearly been aware of Amphetamine and its popularity since the app's inception. In fact, Gustafson told The Verge that he had interactions with several Apple employees since the app launched and none of them had any complaints about the app's name or icon.
It would appear that the reviewer who was tasked with screening one of Amphetamine's recent updates might have been confused and raised red flags.
But after Gustafson took to Reddit and GitHub to vent his frustration with Apple's decision, the issue was probably run up the chain to the Executive Review Board which has in turn ultimately reversed the decision. All in all, this is yet another example of the inconsistencies of Apple's app policies.
This all suggests that Apple was right to establish the Executive Review Board to handle hot cases like Amphetamine promptly and permit developers to take advantage of the appeals process.