I understand how an app can remain in “Waiting for Review” for a while when there’s a backlog. But how on earth can an app remain “In Review” for this long? Is Greg, who’s responsible for this part of the review, still on vacation?
We’re running serious businesses here. Releases are planned around OS launches, marketing, customer expectations, and other deadlines. I seriously doubt Apple would accept this level of unpredictability from one of its own critical business partners.
App Review is broken. There’s virtually no transparency, no meaningful indication of what’s happening once a review stalls, and even expedited reviews can apparently sit there without progress.
At some point, Apple needs to establish a greater level of trust with longtime developers who have been shipping reputable apps on its platforms for years. Otherwise, as legislation continues to open these platforms to alternative distribution, Apple shouldn’t be surprised when established developers choose to distribute outside the App Store simply to regain control over their own release schedules.
The App Store should be the place developers want to distribute their software, not a gate they tolerate because they have no alternative.