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Apple has now reinstated the ability to issue promotional codes for apps with a mature age rating after controversially removing it just ten days ago.

Although they expire if not used within twenty-eight days, and can be used once only, promo codes proved much easier than special ad-hoc builds which require the end-user to relay their Device-ID to the developer. As well as this, they have extremely awkward install methods compared to the simple ‘redeem’ button that users are used to in the App Store, which recently turned a year old.

Promotional codes are used widely by developers to distribute their apps to reviewers and many believe that this is vital for small time app developers who otherwise would be unable to promote their application next to big companies with rather large advertising budgets.

When Apple removed this ability on the 17th of July, developers across the globe caused uproar which resulted in a lackluster response from Apple, explaining that Parental Warnings aren’t displayed when apps are redeemed, leaving many to ask why they didn’t just add in this feature.

An educated person would be correct in my eyes to assume that the only apps which have this mature age rating are ones with adult content, and they’d be completely wrong. In fact, any application that provides access to unfiltered third-party content, such as a web browser, is considered 17+ — even if its target audience is something much lower than seventeen.

Thankfully, Apple backtracked, and less than two weeks later, developers now again have the ability to issue their fifty codes to whoever they like, regardless of age rating — a feature that had been available since last year. Apple have yet to officially comment on their change of heart.

[TUAW]

About The Author

Edmund Heaphy

Edmund Heaphy is a technology enthusiast living between Cork, Ireland, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Edmund is involved in numerous businesses across the globe and sidelines as a web designer when he has enough time to commit to building websites for people. As well as web design, Edmund writes for various publications across the internet and is a self-proclaimed Apple fanatic.