November 11, 2009 4:50 PM PST

Apple offers progress reports on apps waiting for approval

by Erica Ogg
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In a move that should please developers, Apple has added the ability to track an iPhone application's progress through the review process.

As Wired first noted, Apple's Dev Center site now includes status updates for apps wending their way through the reviews queue. Apps are now noted as "waiting for review," "in review," or "ready for sale," along with a time stamp.

It's a small concession by Apple, but an important one in keeping developers in the loop. Some iPhone app makers have complained vociferously about the often frustrating process in which applications are submitted and ultimately approved for or rejected from appearing for sale in the App Store.

Though the store has accepted app submissions for more than a year, it wasn't until August that Apple made its first public comments on the inner workings of its reviews process. At that time, the company tried to assure developers that 96 percent of all applications submitted were approved within 14 days. But with the 100,000 applications currently available in the App Store (Apple is receiving something like 8,500 new and updated submissions every day), many app makers felt lost in the shuffle with too little information.

Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica.
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by Gold_Storm_Mac November 11, 2009 6:55 PM PST
apple opening up in small steps.
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by lesbihonest17 November 11, 2009 6:56 PM PST
bout time
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by irperez November 11, 2009 7:14 PM PST
HELL FROZE OVER & PIGS ARE FLYING!!! Apple is opening up!!!
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by Gold_Storm_Mac November 11, 2009 7:21 PM PST
same reaction to the intro of Boot Camp.
by cvaldes1831 November 11, 2009 8:00 PM PST
What's the "approval status" of GV Mobile, VoiceCentral and Google's own Google Voice apps?
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About Circuit Breaker

The Circuit Breaker will keep you plugged into the world of consumer electronics and PC makers, with close attention to Apple, ever the trend-setter. Erica Ogg will try to make sense of the constant stream of new and increasingly connected devices we find in our homes, cars, and backpacks, as well as the companies that make them. Based in San Francisco, Erica is partial to gadgets that allow her to search for the best mac-and-cheese recipes, read grammar blogs, and watch "Mad Men" and the Los Angeles Dodgers whenever she wants.

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