Je Suis Charlie iPhone app has been made available on Apple App Store after the app creator sent an email to Apple head Tim Cook for an immediate approval.
Apple is known for its lengthy App Store approval process, usually between 10 to 15 days on average. But the long process was shortened thus making the app available well ahead of the regular duration.
Nice-Matin reported one of Cook’s assistants responded within 10 minutes after the initial email was sent and the app went live on the App Store shortly thereafter.
The app was created by a French startup which at Apple’s suggestion, engaged a news agency to make it credible.
The free iOS app allows users around the world to show solidarity with Paris after armed gunmen killed 12 people in the offices of the controversial publication, Charlie Hebdo. The hashtag #JeSuisCharlie, a message of support which translates to “I am Charlie,” trended on social media following the terrorist attack on the French satirical newspaper last week and has been seen on signs at gatherings around the world.
The app opens with a map of user’s location and a counter that keeps tabs on how many “Charlies” are within the region. A user can join by tapping the Je Suis Charlie logo which ‘geotags’ current location with the raised fist holding a pencil as shown below.
