Apple rejects Google’s Sparrow mail app update for iOS 6

Apple recently rejected a long-awaited update for loyal Sparrow users that added iOS 6 and iPhone 5 compatibility to the app. It apparently violated Apple’s App Store policies for what features can be compatible with iOS 5.

“We managed to get a rich text edition [and] the keyboard appeared without the user [having] to tap on iOS 5,” Dinh Viet Hoa, developer of Sparrow commented. The rich text feature was enough to for Apple to give the big rejection notice. Rich text email was a feature added in iOS 6′s default Mail app. It seems as though the real reason why Apple rejected Sparrow’s rich text compatible with iOS 5 users is because perhaps it would prevent certain users from upgrading to iOS 6 if rich text works fine on their current OS version.

“Apple called to tell me that Sparrow has been rejected,” the developer tweeted. “Our app will be removed from the App Store if we don’t submit a new version soon.” For Sparrow to get approved, the rich text composing must be for iOS 6 users only. “We’re fighting with Apple to get the update of the app through the App Store validation process.”

To get an update out quicker, Sparrow will have to abide by Apple’s rules, but it doesn’t look like Sparrow is going to go down without a fight for rich text in iOS 5 in the long run.

Google acquired the popular mail client this summer, but so far it hasn’t adversely affected the team’s work on the software. The rejection of the app update doesn’t appear to be linked to Google’s ownership of the client. Plus, nowadays Apple has so many better reasons to hate Google.

[via BGR]