My App Rejected 4.3 Design: Spam

We have been developing a new app for scanning documents and photos for six months. This app has many unique features that other apps don't have.

The app automatically detects holes on the documents that have been punched with a hole punch and removes them from the document.

The corners of the detected document are automatically moved inwards to get clean edges, the user can set how many pixels to indented.

This app recognises the text very accurately and inserts it into the PDF document behind the image at the exact position and text size as the text on the image. The PDF generated by the app can be searched for text and the text can be marked and copied.

Another important feature that no other app in the App Store offers is the function that all four corners of the document are shown enlarged in four circles and are visible at the same time. The user can see immediately if the corners have been recognized satisfactorily or if they should be corrected. The user can move the corners either on the document or directly in the circles. This feature is very suitable for users with visual impairment and makes it easier to use for disabled people.

We also put a lot of work into the very small file size of the generated PDF.

The quality improvement of the documents is very good. We filter away almost all noise, disturbances and dirt spots and improve the appearance of the text enormously.

In addition, we translated the app, the app description and the keywords into 33 languages.

We created and uploaded 1320 screenshots with a lot of effort. (33 languages x 10 screenshots x 4 devices)

Our two daughters (10 and 12 years old) worked on the app for the first time in their lives. They helped us with the design, tested the app, took some screenshots, contributed ideas for the description for the store.

Happy to finally finish the app after long months, we submitted it for review.

The next day the rejection: Guideline 4.3 - Design

We were shocked. We have 19 apps in the App Store for many years. One of these apps has a similar design to the new app in some views. But the functionality of the two apps is completely different. These apps are impossible to combine into one. And why should we reinvent the design of every app from scratch when it works very well and looks good?

The requests for the exact reason for the rejection in the app review page are not answered. The same rejection text is written back every time. We have submitted an appeal but have not received a response yet.

We are now worried and uncertain. We had other new app projects planned, but it's too dangerous to invest money and hard work for months and then find out that the app is being rejected. A large part of our income comes from revenue from the App Store. Our apps have millions of active users. Now we are really thinking about whether we should urgently focus on a business in a completely different area. After all, we have two children counting on us.

The exact text of the rejection:

Guideline 4.3 - Design

We noticed that your app provides the same feature set as other apps submitted to the App Store; it simply varies in content or language, which is considered a form of spam.

The next submission of this app may require a longer review time.

Next Steps

• Review the Design section of the App Store Review Guidelines.
• Ensure your app is compliant with all sections of the App Store Review Guidelines and the Terms & Conditions of the Apple Developer Program.
• Once your app is fully compliant, resubmit your app for review.

When creating multiple apps where content is the only varying element, you should offer a single app to deliver differing content to customers. If you would like to offer this content for purchase, it would be appropriate to use the in-app purchase API.

Alternatively, you may consider creating a web app, which looks and behaves similar to a native app when the customer adds it to their Home screen. Refer to the Configuring Web Applications section of the Safari Web Content Guide for more information.

Submitting apps designed to mislead or harm customers or evade the review process may result in the termination of your Apple Developer Program account. Review the Terms & Conditions of the Apple Developer Program to learn more about our policies regarding termination.

I finally got rid of this problem. In my application, lastly, I was making a city search using Mapkit. I was showing the location of the word the user was searching for on the screen as a map. They agreed to delete the map.

I created 3 of 10 reminder apps that are meant as part of a suite. Two of them are in the store, while the 3rd was just rejected. Apparently suites are considered spam because, of course they're all going to have the same theme .. it's a "suite". But it would seem they're recommending squishing 10 apps into one? No thanks. Not worth it. Why force users to have to have apps they don't want in an overcrowded app because Apple doesn't allow themed suites?

Looks like the Play Store will be the only available outlet for these. A bit disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising.

Since its inception in 2008, our dating brand has been at the forefront of the online dating industry, introducing features that predate popular platforms such as Tinder and Bumble. We have consistently leveraged technology to enhance user experience, evidenced by our long-standing Android application. Recently, we invested a significant sum in the development of an iOS application to complement our Android offering. Despite this, our submission to the Apple App Store was met with a suggestion to pivot towards a web application.

This response from Apple poses a considerable challenge to our operations and strategic direction, especially given our substantial employee base of over 150 professionals. The implication of Apple's stance not only impacts our ability to compete effectively in the marketplace but also calls into question the equitable treatment of developers within the App Store ecosystem. It is noteworthy that several of our competitors, some of whom entered the market well after us and even modeled their platforms on our pioneering efforts, have successfully launched iOS applications.

We are currently at a crossroads, contemplating a significant shift away from Apple products and services. This decision does not come lightly, given our commitment to providing the best possible experience for our users across all platforms. The situation raises critical concerns regarding the level of investment and compliance required to gain acceptance into the Apple App Store, highlighting a need for clearer guidelines and a more transparent review process.

Regards, Matchmakers Inc

Hi,

has anyone been able to fix this issue, if so how did you do it? I have seen that getting on a call with the App Store team may help understand the issue better. I just requested a call and still waiting for it. Anyone knows how long this takes?

l recently got my app rejected as spam. it’s a dating app that uses wearable technology and there’s a patent in it so definitely not a spam or copy. please help i would really appreciate any insight on how to overcome this objection. thanks

Also facing the same issue, App got a 4.3spam, it's an update to an existing live App. I hope we as Indi developers can have better support and concrete solution regarding this dreaded 4.3 app killer. I have read in some threads that even a container app gets rejected. hours/days/months/dollar spent all down the drain with this 4.3.

Hi

Add me to the list of 4.3 victims.

I have a very niche client/server app that has been on the store for nearly 12 (TWELVE) years! (the software consists of 2 apps, the client and the server), so this is just an update, not a new app.

There is NOTHING even remotely similar to it as it is a very niche market with a limited userbase.

We did an update 2 weeks ago (client) and everything went fine.

Of course after updating we noticed a couple minor changes that needed to be made, nothing operational, all cosmetic like a spelling error and limiting the number of ad's shown. Literally changed 5 characters in the source.

Submit a new build and now we are in 4.3 spam hell.

Of course we keep getting the same canned response from the review team that tells us absolutely nothing.

Appealed the rejection last week, and so far, not a peep out of Apple. No calls, no emails no nothing.

We also updated the server app, and no problems whatsoever.

The 2 apps are totally different, but all i can suspect is possibly the review team is seeing them as the same/similar app?

Both apps are obviously dependent on each other so you cant have one without the other.

Fortunately the one we sent 2 weeks ago is ok, so we aren't dead in the water, but i'd really like to be able to update my apps!

Has anyone found any kind of solution?