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I have been faced with a claim that Apple has disallowed the use of the "close" button in an iPad app. I have read the documentation, and -- though Apple frequently says you should try not to do it, that it frowns on it -- is there any specific statement from Apple that says that developers cannot use a "close" button?

I am not looking for a flame war -- What reference/documentation answers this question?

An app I am developing depends on the concept, so I need to know if I am going to get it rejected on those grounds. Again, I am not looking for opinions, but specific references in the docs, either pro or con.

Mogsdad
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iND
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  • Isn't it merely if your app is "accepted" by Apple or not? –  Jan 05 '12 at 07:57
  • @pst I am not looking to code anything where I don't know the consequences, especially not if I have to remove a feature. – iND Jan 05 '12 at 16:28
  • @iND You will have to remove the feature. – Jason Coco Jan 05 '12 at 16:32
  • @JasonCoco, I see that that is your advice from your answer below. The comment I made above was solely to pst's suggestion that I experiment rather than learn . . . a response to a limitation of existentialism, if you will. – iND Jan 05 '12 at 17:07

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Yes, you will absolutely be rejected. You may not programmatically quit your application. This is enforced through rule 10.1 in the App Store Review Guidelines:

10.1 Apps must comply with all terms and conditions explained in the Apple iOS Human Interface Guidelines

The relevant section of the Apple iOS Human Interface Guidelines is aptly named Don't Quit Programmatically.

Don’t Quit Programmatically

Never quit an iOS application programmatically because people tend to interpret this as a crash.

note: the docs are being annoying about direct links to subsections right now, so this is a link to the main section. The Don't Quit Programmatically" subsection is about two-thirds down the page and is accessible from the navigation panel on the left.

Community
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Jason Coco
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  • I read the "Don't Quit Programmatically" section. I do not interpret this as being "no close button". I see this as error handling . . . I read it as, "If your program is going to fail, then tell the user, don't just quit." But a close button requires a conscious user action. Has anyone been rejected *because of this clause*, or have any working knowledge of what this clause means to the Apple approval people? – iND Jan 05 '12 at 16:16
  • @iND Yes, people used to be rejected for this all the time. Most of the community knows not to try anymore. You are deluding yourself by quoting that part of the section. The title is _Don't Quit Programmatically_ which is a very clear statement. The section your quoting clarifies that even in situations where your app can NO LONGER FUNCTION you MUST NOT QUIT THE APP programmatically and you must allow your user to quit it herself by pressing the home button. – Jason Coco Jan 05 '12 at 16:32
  • Getting rejected is what I am looking for. Any citations to refer to on that regard? – iND Jan 05 '12 at 16:37
  • @iND Your questions says "What references/Documentation" and that's the answer you got. Google yourself to see people who've been rejected. It used to happen all the time when the platform was new and to new developers. Every tutorial and book now clearly tell people not to do this anymore because the rejection count was so high. I know four people personally who've been rejected for this but the reasons were clearly laid out in the docs above so it's not like they wrote papers on it to be cited. At this point just submit your app and be rejected. – Jason Coco Jan 05 '12 at 16:42
  • Just a note on the other part of your comment . . . it's not delusion, it's just not a clear statement from Apple. Generally, at least in law, the title is a brief statement, and clarification comes from the body; in this case, as all clarity talks about unintended (from the user's perspective) closing. But if they are using the title of the clause as the guidance rather than the body, well . . . ok, then. – iND Jan 05 '12 at 16:46
  • thanks for the thorough replies. I was looking for documentation that was the cause of rejection, so it's not out of context to ask for proof for both parts; but I get that it may seem like mission creep. – iND Jan 05 '12 at 16:56
  • @iND I understand... 'delusion' was probably too strong a word. It just seemed like you really wanted to add this feature and were looking to talk yourself into why it'd be okay. Communication without body language to read is difficult :) Anyway, I agree with the legal part, but this isn't a law document, it's a programmer's guide. The section heading is the core statement and the paragraph is the additional clarity here. – Jason Coco Jan 05 '12 at 17:13