My app keeps getting rejected by app review

Question

Created Oct ’22

Replies 3

Boosts 1

Participants 3

Hello fellow developers! I have been working on an app that controla Tesla vehicles, similar to other apps on the App Store (Like "Tessie" or "Nikola for Tesla"). However, unlike those apps, mine keeps getting rejected by the App Review board, the only reason being this:

Guideline 5.2.1 - Legal - Intellectual Property

Your app includes content or features from Tesla, or is marketed to control external hardware from Tesla, without the necessary authorization. The inclusion of third-party content within your app, whether retrieved from the internet by the app or embedded in the app, is subject to the terms of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement.

Your app and its contents should not infringe upon the rights of another party. In the event your app infringes another party’s rights, you are responsible for any liability to Apple because of a claim.

After an email appeal to the App Store Review board containing a long explanation as to why my app should not be rejected, the reason turned to this:

Guideline 5.2.1 - Legal - Intellectual Property

Your app is marketed to control or unlock vehicles from Tesla, but you have not demonstrated you have the necessary authorization to distribute an app with this functionality.

Apps on the App Store should not infringe upon the rights of another party. In the event your app infringes another party’s rights, you are responsible for any liability to Apple because of a claim.

Apple is asking me that in order to solve this problem, I should attach documentary evidence from Tesla that I am allowed to control their vehicles (which they don't offer), or remove the Tesla control capabilities from my app (which would make it completely useless).

Tesla doesn't provide an official API, but they have never tried to prevent the creation of unofficial APIs or app related to their vehicles.

Something similar happened to the unofficial "Watch app for Tesla" some time ago, and Apple let it pass after there was an article made about the situation: https://9to5mac.com/2020/08/27/apple-rejects-watch-for-tesla-app-as-it-starts-requiring-written-consent-for-third-party-api-use/amp/

At this point, I am desperate, so if anyone has an idea as to what I could do, it would mean the world to me.

Thank you for your patience!

Boost

Answer 1

robnotyou OP

Oct ’22

It sounds like, as long as you have got full permission/agreement from Tesla, then you are good to go.
Simply provide evidence of that agreement, to Apple.

If you don't yet have that agreement, then you need to talk to Tesla.

1

Answer 2

Ptit-Xav OP

Oct ’22

As you do not use available Tesla API thus may be considered as reverse engineering. You have to demonstrate that you use Tesla publicly available information.

0

Answer 3

BlazingProg123 OP

Oct ’22

Well, all the information the API can access is available in the official Tesla app. In fact, the unofficial API was made using the requests from the Tesla app. If this is a good enough reason for Apple to allow me to publish the app, how could I go about proving that I am in the right with your argument?

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