Apple and the Crab

Dec 20, 2018

Yesterday, while casually browsing twitter and Apple related news sites, I noticed a swirl of comments regarding the fact that Apple was sending out push notifications promoting Amazon's Alexa compatibility with Apple Music.
As further considerations were beginning to raise in my head, my attention got caught by the footnote on this MacStories article:

I’m not a fan of promotional push notifications like these, which violate App Review Guideline 4.5.4 against using push notifications for advertising and promotional purposes. Unfortunately, that’s a rule that Apple has violated itself before and one that it has never meaningfully enforced against third parties.

Not knowing it by heart, I went to see what App Review Guideline 4.5.4 reads:

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. Abuse of these services may result in revocation of your privileges.

Not adhering to rules is something to be condemned or, at least, deprecated; not adhering to your own rules is a story as old as mankind.
From one of my favorite Aesop fables:

The Two Crabs

One fine day two Crabs came out from their home to take a stroll on the sand. "Child," said the mother, "you are walking very ungracefully. You should accustom yourself, to walking straight forward without twisting from side to side."

"Pray, mother," said the young one, "do but set the example yourself, and I will follow you."

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