General App notifications used for sales/marketing

[onepoint]

Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines (https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/):

4.5.4 Push Notifications must not be required for the app to function, and should not be used for advertising, promotions, or direct marketing purposes or to send sensitive personal or confidential information.​

Example, Papa John’s lighting up my phone with a notification to buy pizza before the Super Bowl yesterday. It drives me nuts when apps do this crap and don’t provide an in-app setting to limit which notifications you receive (in the case of Papa John’s, they provide notification when your order has left the store for delivery, which is useful - but if I want to receive those notifications I have to also deal with the sales garbage).

This might call for a “list of shame” - but in the meantime, safe to assume there’s no way within 10.3 Beta to limit notifications? Or to report this violation to Apple outside of the Feedback app? (Feels to me like that’s just something that would gum up the Beta feedback process). I can’t find a way to report the issue to Apple if the app in question was downloaded more than 90 days prior.

Anyway, open to ideas/suggestions. I’m trying to avoid publicly disparaging companies via App Store reviews at this point and find a system-level way to handle it - not holding my breath.

 

[Paddle1]

It doesn’t belong in the Feedback app (perhaps except for a feature request). All you can do is either contact them or Apple directly or use the App Store to write a review. It’s possible they would appreciate the feedback.

 

[NoBoMac]

Not a lawyer, and have not been to a Holiday Inn Express, but, reading the posted guidelines, "should not" is not "cannot" or from first part of the sentence "must not".

As Paddle1 said, write a review. Or let Papa Johns know your feelings on the matter. Or only turn on Notifications for the app when ordering. Or, if this is so onerous, walk the walk: stop buying Papa Johns.

 

[onepoint]

Not a lawyer, and have not been to a Holiday Inn Express, but, reading the posted guidelines, "should not" is not "cannot" or from first part of the sentence "must not".

As Paddle1 said, write a review. Or let Papa Johns know your feelings on the matter. Or only turn on Notifications for the app when ordering. Or, if this is so onerous, walk the walk: stop buying Papa Johns.

I sort of assumed those would be the suggestions - thank you.

Does anyone else deal with apps that do this? I go to great lengths to eliminate unnecessary distractions (I create enough of those on my own) and app notifications are a heavy focus of mine. I travel frequently for work and unfortunately rely on food delivery all too often; food ordering apps are brutal in this regard - often pushing out notifications to sell something, blatantly offering deals if I order soon, etc. However disabling notifications removes the delivery notifications (which I’m sure they’re well aware of).

 

[TETENAL]

Don't they ring the door when they deliver pizza in the US? What for does one need an app notification?

 

[onepoint]

Don't they ring the door when they deliver pizza in the US? What for does one need an app notification?

An example is staying in a hotel - delivery often wants you to meet in the lobby. I can start making my way down when I receive the notification instead of waiting for them to call when they get to the hotel.

Regardless, I'd at least prefer a distinction in the app's notification settings between sales/promo notifications and other types (disregarding the fact those types of sales/promo notifications are seemingly used in violation of Apple's Guidelines).

 

[ApfelKuchen]

It's a tough balance. The thing is, there will be customers who appreciate getting a heads-up about a good deal. That can be one of the perks for being a regular customer. And the there will be those who just get too damn many notifications; a company is better off if it doesn't annoy those loyal customers.

I think you have to make your feelings known to Papa John's and Apple. "Like, if you're going to send advertising, give me a separate opt-in/opt-out - separate toggles for delivery notifications and deal notifications. It's not like that's a strange, unknown practice, I've seen plenty of companies provide granular choices for email." Instead of wiggle words like "should," Apple's guidelines could actually say, "Advertising/promotion requires a separate opt-in toggle."

There are plenty of ways to send feedback. Some probably seem like they're black holes, but it's hard for one person's voice to make a big difference. That's why people found crusades and movements. But write to Tim Cook, write to Eddie Cue, figure out who at Papa John's is in charge of this stuff. They're executives, they have staffs to read feedback, you might get lucky and be heard by someone with some clout.

 

[onepoint]

It's a tough balance. The thing is, there will be customers who appreciate getting a heads-up about a good deal. That can be one of the perks for being a regular customer. And the there will be those who just get too damn many notifications; a company is better off if it doesn't annoy those loyal customers.

I think you have to make your feelings known to Papa John's and Apple. "Like, if you're going to send advertising, give me a separate opt-in/opt-out - separate toggles for delivery notifications and deal notifications. It's not like that's a strange, unknown practice, I've seen plenty of companies provide granular choices for email." Instead of wiggle words like "should," Apple's guidelines could actually say, "Advertising/promotion requires a separate opt-in toggle."

There are plenty of ways to send feedback. Some probably seem like they're black holes, but it's hard for one person's voice to make a big difference. That's why people found crusades and movements. But write to Tim Cook, write to Eddie Cue, figure out who at Papa John's is in charge of this stuff. They're executives, they have staffs to read feedback, you might get lucky and be heard by someone with some clout.

I appreciate the insight and advice. Maybe I need to see if a "list of shame" thread will garner some internal/external attention.