Does an app relying on CoreLocation (GPS) fit the Swift Student Challenge judging criteria?

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Hi everyone,

I’m currently developing my submission for the Swift Student Challenge. My app idea heavily relies on CLLocationManager to track the user's movement (recording coordinates, altitude, and calculating distances) to provide a localized, real-world experience.

I have a few questions regarding how this will be evaluated during the judging process:

Testing Environment: Since the rules mention that Xcode app playgrounds are run in the Simulator, but submissions optimized for iPad are run on real devices, will the judges physically test an app that requires real-world walking/movement?

Location Permissions: Will the judges accept the iOS location permission prompts to experience the app, or should I build a "Simulation Mode" with mock GPS data to ensure they can evaluate the core logic without leaving their desk?

Judging Criteria: Does a location-dependent app fit well within the "Technical Accomplishment" and "Creativity" criteria, or is it too risky if the judges cannot test the physical movement aspect easily?

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DTS Engineer OP

Apple

11h

I want to draw your attention to the following quote from the fine print:

Create an app playground that can be experienced within three minutes.

Given that, I think it’s unrealistic for you to expect the judges to evaluate your submission in real-world conditions. If I were in your shoes I’d do two things:

Pre-populate your submission with data that demonstrates how things work.
Leave the real code in place, so that if a judge gets super enthusiastic they can try things out properly.

Finally, part of creating a good app for Apple platforms is making sure that you honour the user’s privacy choices, so you want to make sure that:

Your app behaves sensibly if the judge choose not to share their location.
You have a well-considered privacy usage string that explains why you want this info and what happens if they don’t share.

Share and Enjoy
—
Quinn “The Eskimo!” @ Developer Technical Support @ Apple
let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@" + "apple.com"

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