App accessing 3rd party API - test accounts

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Created Feb ’19

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Dear all,

please bear with me if this is a standard question (or: if there is a well-documented answer for it, that I did not find).

I am developing an app, which accesses an API provided by a 3rd party (a large car manufacturer). The API is well known and used in many small tools you can find on the Internet, and apparently the company use it in their own web application as well as in their own app - which is considered buggy, not user friendly, etc. pp. (rating of 1.3 in iOS appstore).

I developed a small app that contains (from my point of view) the most relevant functionality you can find on their website/in their app, but with (again, from my perspective) more user friendliness, more valuable information etc. pp. It works quite well for me on my iOS device, and some friends saw it and asked me if I cannot share it in some way.

In fact, the app might be relevant for all users of the respective services, so I ask myself if I cannot share it using the app store. There might be many impediments, but the one and only that immediately raised to my mind is that I do not have any test accounts accessing the 3rd party API (I just used my own account during development), and most likely will never be able to have the company create some (in fact, there is no communication channel towards the company or their development community etc. that I know of). So I guess it will anyway not make sense to submit the app, correct? On the other hand: The situation is probably not too uncommon, so maybe there are other examples?!

Any experience with this (newbie) question? Again, any pointer to existing documentation / similar discussions would be very much appreciated.

Thanks

Jonas

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Answer 1

PBK OP

Feb ’19

>which accesses an API provided by a 3rd party

There are two aspects to this action.

The first is 'can an app access the same api'? Do you have to log in to an account or is the api available for public use? If you have to log in, can the app use your log in credentials for all users or can each user create their own account through the app? It may be possible to have the app guide the user through a procedure creating their own account and transfer those login credentials to the app - and this may answer question 2.

The second question is - are you violating the third party's terms of use in your solution to the first question? Will that violation be discovered and if not, do you care?

One answer to both questions is to contact the third party and tell them about your 'solution'. See if there is a collaboration here.

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Answer 2

KMT OP

Feb ’19

In lieu of a test account that can be utilized during a review, many devs create a demo video, putting it on the 'net where app review can reach it. Add the link to that app's meta data notes and expect review to reach out should they need more.

The demo video has the added benefit where it can also be use as that app's Preview video in the store.

Quoting the ASRGs:

Include detailed explanations of non-obvious features and in-app purchases in the App Review notes, including supporting documentation where appropriate. If we’re not able to access part of your app because it’s geo-locked or otherwise restricted, provide a link to a video of the functionality.

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Answer 3

jrt3141 OP

Feb ’19

Hi,

thanks for your comments. Indeed, getting in touch with the company who provide the API would be best. But given the fact that they do not even provide proper contact details for their own app, I simply do not know whom to reach out to. And as their app ass well as their own website use the same API, my app would just be another client (as are all the various tools you can find on the internet).

(Just for completeness: yes, you need to log in to use their service, the API provides respective services via JSON web tokens. And yes, every user needs to register with their service on the web - something I do not provide within my app - theirs does not support it as well).

Jonas

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