Re:How to launch when the app directory rejects you
by evanelias on Thursday July 09, 2020 @12:16PM
(#23781789)
Exactly correct. In theory, GitHub's app marketplace offers developers a separate option for "unverified listings", which have "no minimum install or user count requirements", but requires your app to be free.
However, when I submitted a new app as an unverified listing last year, I received a rejection email stating they were only "looking for apps with at least 25 installs". I attempted to appeal (based on their marketplace system's text directly stating there was no minimum user count), but I received no response, and none of the ~dozen engineers I personally know at GitHub were able to help.
I can still make my app available, and implement a third-party billing system, but without a marketplace listing it's much harder to gain exposure and users.
All in all, developing a GitHub app was an extremely frustrating experience, especially since GitHub extensively makes internal use of my open source project upon which my GitHub app was based.
However, when I submitted a new app as an unverified listing last year, I received a rejection email stating they were only "looking for apps with at least 25 installs". I attempted to appeal (based on their marketplace system's text directly stating there was no minimum user count), but I received no response, and none of the ~dozen engineers I personally know at GitHub were able to help.
I can still make my app available, and implement a third-party billing system, but without a marketplace listing it's much harder to gain exposure and users.
All in all, developing a GitHub app was an extremely frustrating experience, especially since GitHub extensively makes internal use of my open source project upon which my GitHub app was based.