Facebook App Developer Quits iPhone App

Joe Hewitt, the developer of the iPhone facebook application, has tweeted for the first time in about a month and the tweet is shocking… he has decided to quit developing the app due to Apple’s approval process.

“Time for me to try something new. I’ve handed the Facebook iPhone app off to another engineer, and I’m onto a new project.”

TechCrunch was able to get a little more info from Hewitt and this is what he had to say…

My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple’s policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.

The web is still unrestricted and free, and so I am returning to my roots as a web developer. In the long term, I would like to be able to say that I helped to make the web the best mobile platform available, rather than being part of the transition to a world where every developer must go through a middleman to get their software in the hands of users.”

Check out TechCrunch’s full article HERE.

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  1. Haaaaa haaaa shunts.

  2. I use facebook on the iphone app only. no time to browse the web for it

  3. Amen

  4. this is stupid. apple isnt going to just shut down it’s approval process. If it did then the quality of apps would go down and the number of apps (and there are already WAY to many) would increase. We would be seeing apps like rolanso 1, 2, 3, 4 that all have viruses and stolen code. People would have crashing apps left and right. Dont forget inappropriate contend and people stealing info off the phone itself. Why fight a lost cause? All you are doing is hurting the users. The MILLIONS of users.

    perfect example. the web has viruses. its free but i’ve seen many a people loose info with spyware. I have heard complaints left and right from PC users that got viruses and now their computers run slow.

    So yes, the web is free. It’s also filled with viruses and people that try to steal your credit card info, spam you, and phis your info. So if you rather have freedom then safety on a PHONE you loose my respect. I dont want something I depend on daily to loose functionality, steal my numbers, become a slow POS, and just randomly die.

    • I couldn’t agree more! There’s a reason Apple products “just work” – it’s because someone takes care of quality control.

  5. RIP

  6. Sorry there has to be some form of a gatekeeper. The masses would take their frustration out on Apple/AT&T if their phones crashed after downloading X-App onto their phone. Those are the rules if you want to reach your vast customer base who is using the iPhone. Stomping your feet and saying YOU shouldn’t have to follow those rules lazy/weak.

    • Actually no. Microsoft has taken virtually no responsibility for the viruses that it’s Desktop OS is very vulnerable to. This is just they Apple does business…. The wrong way. Look at the Android process as the model for success. It might not be making as much money now, but it will be in the near future.

    • Well he doesn’t have to give up. He’s just lazy. It may be a hard thing to get through, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

  7. If only there were more gatekeepers! I’ve been in the Medical IT field for over a decade, and the number of sub-par applications our users depend on for patient care is shocking. Applications that are written to still require full admin rights to run, special activex plug-in required, etc, etc.

    His philosophical opposition to the process sounds more like a spoiled brat’s rant that “I shouldn’t have to follow the rules.” It’s called quality control – and while the Facebook app is one of the best out there, obviously written by a skilled developer, it’s high time for this guy to rethink his position – after all, it isn’t all about HIM.

    Oh well. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, buddy.


  1. […] iPhone app went downhill after developer Joe Hewitt quit after getting upset about Apple’s app policies. After taking forever to release an iPad app and now getting a really nice update with Objective-C […]

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