Apple has updated its App Store guidelines for developers looking to make use of the company’s new Face ID technology and ARKit framework, aiming to ensure that apps are providing a worthwhile experience rather than a single gimmick. In somewhat vague terms, Apple claims it will only approve ARKit-based apps that “provide rich and integrated augmented reality experiences,” likely meaning apps that feature the ability to place a single object into a situation or run a single animation won’t fit the bill. Apple also added in new privacy restrictions, explicitly prohibiting the mining of facial data to identify people, requiring that the use of facial recognition for authentication within the app use Local Authentication rather than ARKit technology, and forcing apps to provide an alternate method of authentication for users under 13.
Apple has added the ability to use apps to transfer funds as well, provided the gift is entirely optional and 100 percent of the proceeds are delivered to the intended recipient. The objectionable content list has been updated to include discrimination based on “national/ethnic origin,” and the crackdown on so-called virus and malware scanners has been formalized, with Apple banning apps from “including content or services that it does not actually offer” in marketing. And in a very ominous warning, Apple makes it clear that, “In extreme cases, such as apps that are found to facilitate human trafficking and/or the exploitation of children, appropriate authorities will be notified.” [via Paul Hudson]
