If you’re an iOS user then you’re probably aware of how in the iTunes App Store, developers will sometimes share a “What’s New” message. This area is typically meant to be used to share changes that have been made to the app in the latest update, but it seems that some developers choose to use it for nefarious purposes.So much so that Apple has since announced on iTunes Connect that come April, they will begin to review “What’s New” messages to prevent the feature from being abused. Prior to this, developers could update the “What’s New” section anytime they wanted. This meant that developers could enable server-side changes without submitting a new binary to Apple and advertise those changes without Apple’s approval.
Now based on these changes, it looks like developers will only be able to edit the “What’s New” section whenever they submit an app change, meaning that they won’t be able to simply make changes based on a whim. According to Apple, “Starting in April, you’ll only be able to edit your app’s support URL, marketing URL, and ‘What’s New in This Version’ text when submitting a new version of your app.”
It won’t be a huge change for most developers but it should hopefully cut down on any abuse that the feature is getting from other developers.