Tranquilli.org

Sat Aug  7 00:05 CET UPDATE: PlaceTrack is now available on Cydia ($1.99) !!!
(only jailbroken devices can install from Cydia, you can learn more about jailbreaking at http://www.jailbreakme.com/faq.html)

(app description)
(discussion and support page about this app)

App Store users sorry, I don’t think this app is going to hit the official App Store anytime soon. I can’t really figure out what the problem is, it has still neither been approved nor rejected by Apple but the delay in the review process is definitely not normal. I think it has something to do with showing your Latitude contacts location on a map (I can’t know for sure due to the total lack of communication and transparency during the review process).  BTW, on the App Store there’s an app from AT&T with similiar features (AT&T Family Maps) that will show contacts on a map.. it’s just $9.99 per month to locate two phones on an account or $14.99 per month for up to five phones, that’s a good deal!

–> drop me an email with subject “PlaceTrack app store availability request” and I’ll let you know if this app is ever approved for the App Store.

July 31: I’m testing PlaceTrack on a jailbroken iOS4 device.. and getting ready for Cydia publishing.
July 15: I contacted the app review team and offered to self reject the app, remove some feature off it and resubmit, in case this may help approve the app. No replies as of July 31
July 14: my wife needed to replace her mobile phone… I got her an Android HTC instead of an iPhone
July 13: sent an email to sjobs@apple.com asking why Apple treats developers this way
July 12: I called Apple developer’s relation phone # and left a voce mail message: nobody called back as of July 19
July 6: 18days and still no news. I called Apple another couple of times and got as many mail replies from them. Top news is “we apologize that we do not have any additional information to share with you, but as soon as we do, we will notify you immediately”. I’m sorry I cannot do anything but wait. I’m not considering Cydia or other App Store alternatives at this time, I’m still confident Apple will finally approve this.
June 29: this is the eleventh day the app is stuck “In Review” state. Yesterday I called Apple Developer Relations and got no explanation about this delay (have been told no information from the review team was available). I’m sending Apple yet another email. Thanks to all the people (hundreds!) writing me and hoping this app will finally hit the App Store
June 23: still nothing from Apple. I’m getting a fair amount of web traffic on this page: feel free to drop me an email with subject “PlaceTrack app store availability request” and I’ll let you know once this app is approved
June 21: iOS4 is out but Placetrack is still “In Review” (Apple contacted me saying that the review process for this app “is requiring unexpected additional time”). I’ll post an update with further status as soon as I am able

Original post follows:

PlaceTrack is the long-awaited background Google Latitude updater for iPhone (soon available on the App Store!)

After weeks of testing with the new iOS4 background features, yesterday night I finally submitted this application to the App Store: if all goes well, I should have it approved by Apple in a couple of weeks, just in time for the iOS4 GM release to the general public on June 21st.

FEATURES

• keeps Google Latitude up-to-date with your exact location: install the app, authenticate, enable background, quit and forget about it!
• check out where your contacts are (thumbnails are shown on map or list view) once you confirm each other as friends
• optional location history and KML export: you may export past locations by email as a KML file and see them on a Google Map or using Google Earth
• Facebook support: update your Facebook wall with location data, a map and an optional text
• battery friendly background mode: the application suspends on exit and is woken up only when you move significantly (detected using cell towers signal); most of the time it just sleeps and the GPS hardware is powered off to preserve battery
• automatic relaunch: if the application gets killed for whatever reason (eg, after a power cycle) and background mode was enabled, the application is automatically relaunched in the background on the first location change event
• location by email: send your current postal mail address along with gps coordinates and a small street map and a “directions” link. If your receipient uses an iPhone, the “directions” link launches the Maps application (on desktops it opens the Google maps website with your current coordinates)
• fake location support: you can disable GPS usage completely and input a fake place name to be used as your location. When you enter a fake location, background mode is temporarily disabled
• uses the new OS4.0 multitasking features on supported phone models (3GS and up)
• security: your Google credentials are securely transmitted from your iPhone directly to Google and never sent to our or any third party servers
• a settings page lets you tune most configurable parameters (gps accuracy, timeouts, local notifications, etc.)
• your current location (address and gps coordinates) with altitude and speed (if available) are always displayed on the application main screen and included in Facebook status updates
• the application may send local notification on particular events (location changes, network failures, authentication errors): you can set a notification threshold for the error severity level or turn off notifications completely
• find your iPhone easily: keep the background mode enabled and locate your iPhone through Latitude in case it gets lost or stolen! The application still runs after a phone reboot or power cycle, and updates your iPhone location