Apple refutes FlickType developer's account of App Store issues

Apple has told AppleInsider how it denies FlickType developer Kosta Eleftheriou's claims in a lawsuit, over the App Store handling of his accessibility keyboard app for Apple Watch.

During the launch of Apple Watch Series 7, Apple unveiled a feature called QuickPath. It presents a full QWERTY on-screen keyboard on the Watch, and allows users to either tap to type, or swipe to select letters and have Machine Learning predict what's intended to be typed.

Following the launch event, the developer of an Apple Watch keyboard app, tweeted "See you in court" to Apple. Kosta Eleftheriou was referring to his current lawsuit against the company, filed in March 2018, where he claims Apple abuses its power over app developers.

Apple has now told AppleInsider that a letter Eleftheriou posted on Twitter after the "California Streaming" event, dates from 2019. At that point, FlickType had been removed for contravening the App Store's then-rule about Apple Watch keyboards.

However, after Eleftheriou resubmitted the app to the App Store review team with an explanation of its accessibility functions, Apple says that the update was allowed.

Also, later in 2019, Apple says it separately revised its App Store guidelines to allow keyboards for the Watch. This was in response to how the Apple Watch Series 4 featured an increased screen size.

Now, says Apple, there are multiple Apple Watch keyboard apps available on the App Store. And FlickType itself was highlighted in a Top Apps of 2020 promotion on the store.

Kosta Eleftheriou's lawsuit had already been filed when Apple unveiled QuickPath. Apple says it has told Eleftheriou that following further explanation from him, it now believes that the app's accessibility keyboard complies with App Store rules.

A version of the app is currently on the App Store and Apple says that it would welcome Eleftheriou submitting future updates to the App Store review team.

15 Comments

dotcomcto 128 comments · 18 Years

About 3 years ago

Now that we've made your keyboard app irrelevant, you're more than welcome to resubmit it to the App Store.
Love,
Apple

lkrupp 10521 comments · 19 Years

dotcomcto said:

Now that we've made your keyboard app irrelevant, you're more than welcome to resubmit it to the App Store.
Love,
Apple

So you would have the government ban big tech from releasing anything that resembles what some developer has done? Big tech can’t copy it, can’t improve it, can’t market it. Microsoft used to call it ‘embrace and extend’. Wagging tongues now call it sherlocking. Tough luck, Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, if you didn't do it first you cannot touch it. Is this what you want?

dk49 284 comments · 9 Years

I honestly find the keyboard very "UnApple". I mean, Apple is known to have easy to use UIs. Even after the bigger screen size, that keyword is not going to be easy to type on. There was a reason why Apple chose to have a digital crown in the Apple watch rather than allowing pinch to zoom on its screen.

shareef777 136 comments · 16 Years

lkrupp said:

dotcomcto said:

Now that we've made your keyboard app irrelevant, you're more than welcome to resubmit it to the App Store.
Love,
Apple

So you would have the government ban big tech from releasing anything that resembles what some developer has done? Big tech can’t copy it, can’t improve it, can’t market it. Microsoft used to call it ‘embrace and extend’. Wagging tongues now call it sherlocking. Tough luck, Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, if you didn't do it first you cannot touch it. Is this what you want?

Are you serious!? Apple blatantly blocked a developer so they can launch their own version.

In YOUR words: "So you would have any big corporation ban developers from releasing anything that resembles anything the big corporation WILL do!?

And between our two statements, one is hypothetical and the other is what happened.

DAalseth 3025 comments · 6 Years

If as Apple says the app was resubmitted and allowed that undercuts a lot of his case. Honestly it would be easy to verify and that’s why I believe Apple. They’d be stupid to lie about something that could be so simply confirmed. I think though this goes to his first legal battle, that Apple was “abusive”. I always thought that was a weak case. Ludicrous even. His latest one, which seems to be that they stole his idea also seems weak. Unless he invented the very first keyboard ever put on a watch anywhere, he will lose on the basis of prior art.