Our app just got rejected. Our application is a marketplace where users can get advice from life coaches. We are charging by the minute.
The user can talk or chat with a coach, once they start a session, the session is real time as people communicate in the moment and the clock is ticking and funds are removed from the user account and paid to the coach.
- User can talk to a coach, in the app we have a Call button that then triggers a telephony call outside of the app. Apple is ok with this as they state that the service is real time and rendered outside of the app.
- User can chat with a coach, in the app we have a chat button that triggers a request to the coach and open a chat session in the app when both parties have accepted to chat. We have a timer, and user is asked to add more funds if such funds are depleted during the chat session. We are using a real time messaging backend for enabling chat.
Apple is stating that we cannot use any form of payment other than IAP to fulfill the chat service because Apple says it is not real time and rendered in the app.
Any thoughts on the issue?
