App Store: include metadata about Internet usage

[Matthew Exon]

Most apps in the app store right now assume constant Internet access and are completely useless without it. This is a problem for me because my Internet access is often intermittent, and when I need apps the most I often have no Internet access at all for long periods. But in general it's poor design anyway. Fundamental to a mobile operating system is that it sometimes has to deal with notspots, tunnels, overcrowded venues, etc. The vast majority of apps that are useless without Internet access could reasonably be implemented in a way that provided at least some functionality offline, using store-and-forward, caching and other techniques.

To help filter through the dross in the app store, it would be very helpful if apps included metadata about their Internet requirements. First of all a simple checkbox, "Does this app provide any useful functionality when there is no Internet connection?" An optional second question could ask for a guess as to the amount of network access it requires: light, medium or heavy. Then I could filter my search results accordingly.

This would also nudge developers to think about these things as a design issue, which might result in some better apps being submitted.