Tim Cook's office helps 'Je suis Charlie' app get approved in just an hour

January 13, 2015

A two-developer team in France wanted to get their "Je suis Charlie" app — a way to demonstrate solidarity with those affected by the attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo last week — approved in a hurry. So, they wrote to Apple's CEO, Tim Cook and asked for his help. The result? According to iPhon.fr [translated from French]:

While it usually takes more than 10 days to get an app approved on the App Store, they wrote directly to Tim Cook on Friday night to make him part of the idea. It took 10 minutes to get a response from one on of his assistants, who said that they could get approval in 1 hour, on the condition that they become associated with a press title of a certain stature. This [press title] ended up being Nice-Matin, who obliged.

After partnering with Nice-Martin, Je suis Charlie was quickly reviewed and approved. With it, you can broadcast your location with the phrase "Je suis Charlie," or "I am Charlie." You can also view where others have used the app around the world.

For his part, Tim Cook also took to Twitter to personally voice his views:

Marching in spirit with my friends in France in the march against terror at the

#UnityRally

. An attack on one is an attack on all.

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook)

January 11, 2015

Je suis Charlie is available for free in the App Store now.