Names of iPad Apps

[NSquirrel]

Something caught my attention recently, but I only confirmed it last night concerning the names of apps. More than one app, of differing application, can share the same name. For instance, an article I read yersteday referred to using an app called ifunbox. So out of interest I looked it up in the app store and there are three different applications with the same name, by three different authors: two being iFunBox and one being iFunbox. (In fact there are more, but two of them have free or paid for versions.)

This surprises me in that I would have expected Apple to avoid such things when allowing apps to be placed in the App Store. (I doubt if Apple would be very happy if I tried to have ibooks on the App Store!) Obviously it can lead to confusion as to which one is being recommended.

So I suppose the lesson is to perhaps add the author name when recommending an app or the app-related icon.

 

[twerppoet]

The entire first line is the app's full name. No duplicates are allowed. But, as you've seen, all you have to do is add one word to make things more confusing. Some developers do this on purpose, trying to ride on the coattails of more successful apps. Developer's can protest this, but the resolution process is often more trouble tha it is worth.

It's one of those things that it seems, on the surface of it, it would be easy for Apple to fix; but the reality of the volume of apps that are submitted the store every day, and the number of exceptions for this and the other thing, make it a much more troublesome to fix.

I agree that it is a good idea, when there is a potential for confusion, to include the developer's name or other description. I do this when I think of it.

Apple is much better protecting its own proprietary names. The developer's agreement specifically for bids the use of certain words such iBooks or iTunes in any third-party apps.