Hello, One of our apps has been rejected under Guideline 4.3 for spam. Our studio has been on the App Store for 10+ years and this particular app has been available for over two years without previous issue. We have submitted a couple responses to the original rejection outlining why we think our app is unique and not spam and unfortunately we have been rejected. I have also submitted an appeal and requested a phone call. This is compounded by a live issue happening in our app right now that requires a build to unblock. I added that to our review notes for submission but was rejected. We believe we have been flagged as spam in error and would like to release builds to our active players ASAP to get them unblocked and provide further value to them. Beyond submitting an appeal and requesting a call is there anything else I can do?

For all the people who have the issue of 'A functional link to the Terms of Use (EULA). If you are using the standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA), include a link to the Terms of Use in the App Description': If the app mentions binary, they must include a link to the Terms and Conditions within the app (source code). If it mentions metadata, they need to go to Apple Store Connect, in the version they are going to submit for review, and at the end of the review field, add the link to the standard Terms of Use, if they are using them This worked for me

Hello, My app was rejected because of App Review Guideline 4.3 – Design Spam. The response I received states: “We noticed your app shares similar features, interface design, and functionality with other apps available on the App Store. Apps that duplicate content or functionality from other apps without adding significant value or unique user experiences are considered spam and will not be approved for distribution.” I developed Plinking Platform Rise, a reaction and accuracy game where players control a platform to balance a ball while avoiding obstacles. The game becomes more challenging with each level, and a dark mode adds an exciting element by reducing visibility and requiring greater precision. I’ve tried multiple times to understand the exact reasons for this rejection and made several updates to address potential issues, but all my efforts have been ignored by App Review. None of the changes I implemented led to a resolution. This is the first app I’ve submitted to the App Store, and I developed it independently. I haven’t copied any design, functionality, or gameplay from existing apps. While my app uses Unity, which might result in some similarities, I’ve worked hard to create a unique experience with original gameplay, visuals, and mechanics. I can’t identify any apps that closely resemble mine, but the rejection suggests otherwise. I would appreciate any advice on how to resolve this issue and demonstrate the originality of my app. Kind regards, Ihor Koval

Received email from Apple with title "notification of apple Developer Program License Agreement (“DPLA”) violation." We're writing to inform you that your company isn't in compliance with the Apple Developer Program License Agreement (DPLA). Section 11.2 (Termination) states: (g) if You engage, or encourage others to engage, in any misleading, fraudulent, improper, unlawful or dishonest act relating to this Agreement, including, but not limited to, misrepresenting the nature of Your Application (e.g., hiding or trying to hide functionality from Apple’s review, falsifying consumer reviews for Your Application, engaging in payment fraud, etc.). Be aware that manipulating App Store chart rankings, user reviews or search index may result in the loss of your developer program membership. Please address this issue promptly. Same day i response that do not did any actions from this list or similar to them, describing every point. Next day i received response Thank you for your reply. As noted in the original notification, manipulating App Store chart rankings, user reviews, or search index is a violation of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement (DPLA) and may result in the loss of your Developer program membership. We suggest you conduct internal investigations to ensure you and any third-parties you may work with are in compliance with the DPLA and App Store Review Guidelines. We also encourage you to closely monitor your app activities. If you notice any unusual activity in the future, please follow these steps: Sign in to App Store Connect > Contact Us > Report a Concern > Report a Fraud Concern. We are unable to provide additional information at this time. Thank you for your efforts to make the App Store a safe and enjoyable experience for users and a great opportunity for all developers to be successful. I made response, that i checked everything, only one problem was in backend functionality working badly, but already fixed it (it was not about Apple license rules, it is just one of app functionalities returns error instead of answer. And it was fixed) Also i asked if current problem is solved and write emails if something else needs to be fixed. But no any responses was, and in 20 days i received email "Notice of Termination" Pursuant to Section 3.2(f) of the ADP Agreement, you agreed that you would not “commit any act intended to interfere with any of the Apple Software or Services, the intent of this Agreement, or Apple’s business practices including, but not limited to, taking actions that may hinder the performance or intended use of the App Store, Custom App Distribution, TestFlight, Xcode Cloud, Ad Hoc distribution, or the Program…” Apple has good reason to believe that you violated this Section due to documented indications of fraudulent conduct associated with your account. ... "AppStoreConnect -> Contact Us" page not working, because i cannot log in for it. Please help to resolve this problem: How to contact with apple in a fast way to describe that i did not do any actions that are not in compliance and find a way to fix and restore account and app. App used Auto-renewable subscriptions, so we have maximum 1 week to restore app before subscriptions automatically canceling At least, how to get payments for subscriptions that was already collected by app. Apple wrote "If applicable, no further payments will be made to you pursuant to Section 7.1 of the Paid Applications agreement (Schedules 2 and 3 to the ADP Agreement)." But i ready to prove and discuss that I am not at fault, and if there is fault in the third-party companies promoting my app - the promotion will be stoped

Hello, My app was rejected because of App Review Guideline 4.3 – Design Spam. The response I received states: “We noticed your app shares similar features, interface design, and functionality with other apps available on the App Store. Apps that duplicate content or functionality from other apps without adding significant value or unique user experiences are considered spam and will not be approved for distribution.” I developed Plinking Platform Rise, a reaction and accuracy game where players control a platform to balance a ball while avoiding obstacles. The game becomes more challenging with each level, and a dark mode adds an exciting element by reducing visibility and requiring greater precision. I’ve tried multiple times to understand the exact reasons for this rejection and made several updates to address potential issues, but all my efforts have been ignored by App Review. None of the changes I implemented led to a resolution. This is the first app I’ve submitted to the App Store, and I developed it independently. I haven’t copied any design, functionality, or gameplay from existing apps. While my app uses Unity, which might result in some similarities, I’ve worked hard to create a unique experience with original gameplay, visuals, and mechanics. I can’t identify any apps that closely resemble mine, but the rejection suggests otherwise. I would appreciate any advice on how to resolve this issue and demonstrate the originality of my app. Kind regards, Ihor Koval

Hello, My app was rejected because of App Review Guideline 4.3 – Design Spam. I developed Dynasty of Sic Bo, an exciting game that combines elements of roulette and dice rolling. Players can bet on different dice combinations, testing their luck and strategy to win virtual riches. The game is designed to be simple and enjoyable for beginners while still engaging for experienced players. I’ve tried multiple times to understand the exact reasons for this rejection, but all my efforts have been ignored by App Review. None of the changes I implemented resolved the issue, and I still don’t know what specifically needs to be addressed. The app’s concept, gameplay, and design are entirely original, and I haven’t copied or reused content from other apps. While the game shares a general theme of dice-based gambling, I worked hard to create a unique experience with polished visuals, engaging mechanics, and a dynamic atmosphere. I don’t understand how to proceed or demonstrate the originality of my app, as I can’t identify any apps that are identical to mine. I would really appreciate any advice or insights on how to resolve this issue. Kind regards, Nick Bohdan Malashina

Hello everyone, I’m reaching out for some guidance regarding App Store Guideline 3.1.3(c) and an issue we’re facing during the app review process. Here’s the situation: Our app is designed exclusively for organizations (e.g., businesses, schools, etc.) and is not intended for individual users, consumers, or families. Organizations purchase access to our services directly through our website, and we manually onboard them into the app. Individual users cannot register themselves or gain access to the app unless they are part of a pre-approved organization. However, during the app review process, we received the following feedback: We noticed in our review that your app offers enterprise services that are sold directly to organizations or groups of employees or students. However, these same services are also available to be sold to single users, consumers, or for family use without using in-app purchase. We believe this is a misunderstanding because: Our app does not allow individual users or families to register or access the app. All purchases are made outside the App Store via our website, and only organizations can complete these transactions. We manually onboard organizations and their users – there is no way for individuals to sign up or pay for access within the app. We’ve already explained this to the App Review team in App Store Connect, but we’re still facing issues. Has anyone else experienced something similar? If so, how did you resolve it? Here’s what we’ve done so far: Clearly stated in the app description that the app is for organizations only. Ensured that individual users cannot register or pay for access within the app. We’d appreciate any advice or insights from the community on how to better communicate this to the App Review team or if there’s something we might be missing. Thank you in advance for your help! Best regards, Bashar

I haven't received any response from App Review Team for the appeal filed on 13th January for pending account termination notice. I believe my appeal is genuine and it will be accepted if Apple reviews but no response received in first 16 days. I contacted customer support and they asked me to wait for the app review board decision. It is very disheartening to see that people usually don't get a response in these 30 days and accounts get terminated. Can anyone help me please, my appeal is really genuine as I never resubmitted an app ever with issues evade review process. Screenshots attached. App rejected on 8 Nov, removed that version instantly and no resubmissions made after that. Notice received on 12th Jan Appeal Filed on 13th Jan No response till 28th Jan

I submitted my app, Limelight, to be reviewed for publication. Quick summary of app and functionality: Upload a photo and AI will scan image and tell you what you're watching and which actors are in the scene Browse and get details about movies/tv shows For movies/shows the user can see ratings from 4 different rating sources (Rotten Tomatoes, IMDB, Matacritic, TMDB) Find where to stream the movie/tv show I am using TMDB API to get the movie/tv show data. My app was rejected because: Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam: We noticed your app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences. I can absolutely see why an app that is just a movie/tv show browser would be rejected, but two major features (AI photo identifier and ratings from multiple sources) are included with this app to make it an overall better app as a whole. Does anyone have any insight on why my app would be rejected if my app has two major differentiating features? Not to mention a unique design. Here's the app screenshots so you can see what the app looks like

Hello, my app submitted the 1.5.0 version review for iOS and MacOS on 2025-01-10 and has been stuck on "in review." App ID: 6737306962 I requested an expedited review, but there is still no progress. Can someone tell me what I should do?

Is there anyone here who can provide an answer, or is it related to someone who belongs to the App Review department at Apple? We uploaded an app to the App Store and discovered a bug that disables activity. We uploaded an update with the bug fix and now we are waiting for Apple to review the latest version and approve uploading it to the store. Thousands of users are waiting and leaving us. Losses of a lot of money and more importantly - a bad user experience. If there is anyone here who can help us, or knows someone who can speed up the process, we are more than happy!!! It is critical and urgent. And yes, we signed up for Apple's fast track program... It didn't help. Thanks!

Hello everyone! I am trying to get my app into App Store. I submitted a couple of versions, because App Review Team requested some changes, which I promptly did. Currently there is one issue left and I decided to write an appeal. I wrote the appeal on December 16th, 2024 and did not receive a response. I wrote another one last last week - Monday or Tuesday - as I thought that maybe it got lost somewhere over the holiday period. Now, again, more than a week later same story. I have no idea if the appeal was rejected or not, processed or not, since I have not received any email or phone call or anything. Is there anyone who can help with this?

After I set manual release, The app get approved and changed to Pending for Developer release status. I release the app but stuck in "Processing for distribution" now for 11 days. Please anything I can do to solve this, I edited the promotional text, changed price starting date and more. But nothing. I contact Apple support but still get an answer.

I'm writing with great concern about my developer account situation. On January 3rd, 2025, I received a Pending Termination Notice claiming I "provided fraudulent/false account information or falsely represented myself." However, I believe this might be a misunderstanding due to my expired ID card. The issue appears to stem from my expired ID card and an address change due to administrative redistricting - purely documentation timing matters rather than any intentional misconduct. I have since updated all potentially outdated developer account information promptly, including my new ID card, current address, and active contact details, to ensure full compliance with Apple's verification requirements. I promptly submitted a comprehensive appeal on January 9th with all necessary legal documentation to verify my identity. However, after 14 days, I find myself in an increasingly desperate situation: I have received no response whatsoever - not even a confirmation that my appeal was received My account remains in pending termination status I am unable to update my apps or access earnings Most concerning, I have no way to verify if my appeal is being reviewed The impact of this situation has been devastating. As each day passes without a response, my financial losses continue to mount. My small studio is now on the brink of bankruptcy, and my team's livelihoods are at stake. The most frustrating part is that besides anxiously waiting, there seems to be no viable way to resolve this situation. I'm confident this is a misunderstanding that could be resolved once my appeal is reviewed, as I've always maintained full compliance with Apple's guidelines. The issue appears to stem from identity documentation timing rather than any intentional misconduct. Has anyone faced a similar situation? I would greatly appreciate any advice on: Typical response times for such appeals Additional steps I could take Alternative ways to contact the review team How to handle this stressful waiting period I'm ready to provide any additional documentation needed to prove my identity and resolve this issue. This account represents my career and livelihood, and I'm desperate for any guidance. Thank you all in advance.

Hi all, I have an app that is already released in the App Store, and I recently submitted a new version for bug fixes only. Normally, updates are accepted within 24 hours. However, this time, my submission was unexpectedly rejected for the following reason: The app preview includes content that does not sufficiently show the app in use. Specifically, the app preview: - Shows footage other than the app in use, such as images of the home screen. This feedback is surprising because the app preview video has been approved in previous versions, and I made no changes to it in this submission. Importantly, the reason for including the iPhone's Home Screen is to showcase a critical function of the app—interacting with it via Siri when the phone is locked. I am unsure how to demonstrate this key feature without showing the phone's Lock Screen. I have attempted to explain this in my responses and even uploaded a YouTube video to clarify the app's functionality, but I continue to receive generic, templated feedback. I also raised an appeal, but it has been over 7 days without a response. Has anyone else experienced similar issues? How did you manage to navigate this situation? Thank you for your help!

https://apps.apple.com/in/app/health-compass-vital110/id6476536381 We submitted our app for review on 23-December. The review team asked two questions and we replied those promptly. Due to holidays, we didn't hear anything back for 10 days. on 6-Jan we got the message that "Thank you for your reply. Your submission’s review will require additional time as we take this new information into account. We do not require any further information at this time. Once we have thoroughly reviewed your submission, we will either contact you in App Store Connect to communicate any issues found, or your submission will be approved." It has been over 2 weeks and no response yet. We have requested for expedite review and sent email to the review team but no response. What should we do?

We currently have an app that contains a monthly subscription to unlock the main functionality. We would like to have a way for our employees to be able to use the app without having to go through this mechanic. For instance, our sales associates and our support staff. I had previously made a promo code field which would check the value with an API to determine whether to validate the subscription or not, but the app was denied since it didn't use the IAP system, which I understand. I'm aware that I could somewhat achieve this behaviour through the use of promo codes, but that would require us to create a new batch of codes periodically, not to mention that every employee would need to have a payment method setup in their device, which we would like to avoid. We could also periodically issue TestFlight builds to bypass this, but once again it's not an ideal solution since it necessitates some periodic and perpetual management. Is there any way I can achieve this while following the App Review Guidelines?

I’ve thoroughly checked all configurations, flags, and settings, and I am 100% certain of using the latest stable version of Xcode (16.2, build 16C5032a) with the corresponding SDKs. Despite verifying everything and even trying to deploy using older stable Xcode versions in a VM, I've had no success. Besides trying other xcode versions, update build numbers, creating new projects, new apps, checking all configs available in xcode, validating certificates and profiles, I've ran out of even what to check, test and try. Any ideas? I've contacted Apple already, awaiting response for now.

Hi, I can't find clearly the information in the guidelines so I ask it there, is it allowed to have a section in my games where people can use coupon code to redeem gifts ? For example a new hero is added, bam I distribute on my social networks a coupon code to use in-game to get 300 diamonds and 20,000 gold This is something I saw on multiple games on the app store and I want to be sure i'm allowed to do it without being shutdown. The guidelines mentions unlocking content or features or packs ( so that's not those 3 things ). Best Regards, Hugo

Hello Apple Developer Forum, I am currently facing an issue with the review process for my iOS app, Add-ons for GMod. It has been stuck in review for the past 3 to 4 days, and I have yet to receive any updates regarding its status. Given that the typical review time for apps is usually much shorter, I am concerned about the delay and would appreciate any insight or assistance in resolving this matter. Could you kindly provide an update on the current status of my submission or advise if there are any additional actions I need to take to move the process forward? Thank you in advance for your attention to this issue. I look forward to your prompt response.