Why Chichamaps is not available on the App Store

Many of you are asking us on social networks and via our website when the Chichamaps application will be available on the App Store. We will answer you here.

Our goal has always been to offer Chichamaps services on a wide range of media – computer, smartphone, tablet – to reach the shisha community as a whole. That’s why we not only had started developing the www.shisha.com website, but also two separate mobile apps. Each dedicated to the most popular operating systems on the market: iOS (Apple) and Android.

Months of intense development to produce a beautiful, intuitive and practical application. Finally arrives the dreaded test of submission to Apple teams. This is where the problems started! A few days later, Apple informs us that they have rejected Chichamaps.

“We found that your application facilitates the sale or encourages the use of tobacco or nicotine-related materials, including cigarettes, pipes, hookahs and/or e-cigarettes, which is not allowed in the App Store.”

What to do?
Despite all the precautions we had taken upstream, such as being classified in the “17+” category reserved for adults, we first tried to understand the exact reasons for this rejection. With the few elements of response provided in front, we started a series of updates, without conclusive results.

Does shisha culture have a place in the Apple brand?

After having followed the rejections of submission, eight in total, we accepted the idea that the shisha culture no longer had its place with the apple brand.

The choice to be resigned to this refusal to see the project appear in the App Store is all the more difficult as we have always been transparent about our activities. Offer a search service and a social platform reserved for adults only, while at the same time having the written ambition in our ethical charter to unite an existing community, to inform and raise awareness of the risks associated with excessive consumption.

It should be noted, however, that Apple’s policy of tolerance 0 is relatively recent. Indeed, Apple has for a long time admitted applications related to the tobacco sector with a community of informed adults. The only condition: the app should not encourage excessive and dangerous consumption.

With the tightening of its policy towards the tobacco industry, Apple no longer accepts applications similar to Chichamaps, nor those related to the cigar industry and the electronic cigarette (or Vape).

Public health as an excuse for hunting apps

Many applications have since been removed from the platform, to the great displeasure of the multitude of active users. Others will be soon, or will stop working if they can not be updated.

Among them: Cigar Aficionado, the famous media and location service of cigar-friendly establishments, but also Planet of the Vape, the English website dedicated to the culture of vaping.

In conclusion, Chichamaps will never be available on the App Store, unless the policy of Apple was to change one day.

However, if the chicha culture can’t find its place with Apple, you can still access all Chichamaps services. Geolocation, the advanced search service, the social wall or our blog in free consultation via the website www.shisha.com and the mobile application available for free download on Play Store.

IPhone users, we haven’t forgotten you! You can create a shortcut to the website directly on the home screen of your smartphone, via Safari: