Ages 15–18 · Grades 9–12 · Computer Science
ShipForge
A submission lands on your desk. Will it make it into the store?
Making the app is only half the job. A store has an opaque pipeline of gates — a yearly SDK cutoff, an age rating, an honest privacy label, a review for completeness and rules, and a stricter kids’ section. Here a submission lands on your desk with the rule it has to clear: read it, predict whether it uploads and passes — then reveal the verdict and the fix.
The rules here are generic store criteria, paraphrased and dated — not any one vendor’s guidelines, and not legal advice. Stores change their rules every year, so always read the store’s current official guidelines. Runs on your device — nothing leaves it.
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How are you feeling?
A case · you decide
Mateo's first app-store submission
Mateo, 17 — submitting his first app, a study timer, to an app store
Mateo's study timer collects nothing about the user. His listing screenshot shows a feature he removed last month, and on the privacy form he ticked 'collects usage data' because he was not sure.
Reviewers compare the listing and the forms with the app itself.
A wrong answer that makes the app look worse is still a wrong answer, and it puts off careful parents and teachers.
What should he fix before submitting?
The form asks for an age rating. The timer has no chat, no web links, and no ads. What does he choose?
The app passed review on the first try. Mateo kept a note of every form answer and why, for the next version.
Who made this?
“In reality, every technology reflects decisions made by designers, companies, and communities, and carries the values and power of those choices.”
- Who benefits from this technology?
- Whose needs are ignored?
Brain break
What next? Pick a door
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- Something different CadenceForge Which chord is under this melody? HueForge Which colour pairing reads clearest? NimForge Is this position won or lost?