In the year 2020, there was a dispute between Apple and Basecamp when the company launched their new email app called Hey. However, Apple removed the app from the App Store, stating that Hey only had a login option upon opening the app, and users had to sign up directly with Hey before using it, with a subscription fee of $99 per month. This decision by Apple led to criticism from David Heinemeier Hansson, the founder of Hey and also the creator of Ruby on Rails, who claimed that Apple was discriminating against him. Eventually, the issue was resolved when a “Try it Free for 14 Days” button was added to the app, allowing it to be available on the App Store as usual.
Fast forward to 2024, and the story is repeating itself. This time, Hansson revealed that Hey has launched a separate app called Hey Calendar, as users on the Hey platform requested a separate calendar feature for convenience. Just like the main Hey email app, Hey Calendar lacked any additional buttons on the home screen, with only a login button to sync with Hey account data. There were no sign-up or payment options within the app, similar to the previous Hey email app. Yet again, Apple rejected the app for being “non-functional” upon opening (as a login page).
In response, Hansson took a more aggressive stance. He started a meticulous 19-day review process, resulting in the app not being able to launch according to the initial plan. Apple’s rejection was solely based on the fact that the app didn’t have any functionality when opened (only a login page). Hansson mentioned that there are other apps like Netflix that have the same login-only functionality, as they are reader apps that connect to external content. Furthermore, he found other apps that only had login pages and couldn’t do anything else, such as Salesforce, JPMorgan’s banking app, or even Google Calendar. Yet, these apps are still available on the App Store because they belong to big companies with a large user base. Apple doesn’t want to risk having issues with these major companies, but they choose to create problems for smaller companies like Basecamp.
Hansson also highlighted the exemption clause 3.1.3 (f) that allows free apps to connect to paid cloud services like VOIP or cloud storage without using In-App purchases, just like the case of Hey’s email feature four years ago. He argued that Hey Calendar should fall under the same exemption.
But the claim that the app “doesn’t do anything” isn’t even in Apple’s formal guidelines! It’s solely fabricated for the purpose of this bullying tactic. Just look at all these apps that also “don’t do anything” when you download them!
TLDR: In 2020, Apple removed Hey, a new email app, from the App Store due to its lack of options upon opening. In 2024, Hey launched a separate app called Hey Calendar, which faced a similar rejection from Apple. The founder of Hey, David Heinemeier Hansson, criticized Apple’s inconsistent treatment of different apps and argued that Hey Calendar should be exempted based on previous guidelines. Apple’s rejection was deemed baseless, as there are other apps on the App Store with similar limited functionality.
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