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All WiFi-Detecting Apps Yanked From the App Store

posted on Mar 4th 2010 at 6:27pm by Joe Tomasone

In yet another bizarre, head-scratching move, Apple has removed all apps that allow the iPhone and iPod Touch to detect nearby Wifi networks, such as WiFiTrack and WiFiFoFum.

The explanation from a few of the affected developers is that the apps were removed because they used ‘private frameworks ‘ to collect information on the wireless networks nearby.   Of course, this has added fuel to the jailbreak fire, with many calling for the developers to simply release the apps on Cydia. 

I ‘ll come out and say it “ the Android Market and it ‘s lack of draconian control is beginning to look more and more attractive by the day.   

  • http://www.socialjitney.com Create iPhone Apps

    Well it’s good because Wi-Fi takes too much time for scanning. Thanks for the update.

  • http://wigle.net bobzilla

    At the Wireless Geographic Logging Engine ( http://wigle.net ), a database and mapping system for "Net Stumbling" or "War Driving" hobbyists, we've seen the iPhone provide a low barrier-to-entry for this hobby. It combines a GPS with a Wifi radio, but it can only work when apps like Wifi-Where, WiFiFoFum and others are allowed to exist.

    These apps were inspected for months before finally getting through the nebulous App Store approval process. Some have been available for months or even years. Now, arbitrarily, they are banned. If they use API calls that Apple didn't want them to, why were they approved? Why weren't the developers contacted behind the scenes to address any fiddly technical issues Apple might foresee?

    As users all we see is a useful app, that was paid for, that now can not be updated. We can't find the least used frequency channels to set our access points to, can't take surveys of campus wireless coverage or find rogue wifi on a corporate network. And we can't help with wireless mapping projects. There's no app for that.

  • TychoQuad

    Update!: WiFiFoFum just appeared on Cydia! https://twitter.com/TychoQuad/status/10106329961

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