“4.3”

Hello Developer Community and Apple Staff, Like many others I've seen posting here recently, I'm facing persistent Guideline 4.3 Spam rejections for my puzzle games. I'm hoping for guidance as I believe I've identified and corrected the initial technical cause, but I'm still facing rejection and need help understanding why. My Situation: I develop grid-based puzzle games in Unity, often using my own well-developed reusable codebase (for GridManager, Tile logic, etc.). My last successfully approved app (Seat Em All!) used my standard workflow: New empty Unity project + import my necessary code = No 4.3 issues. The 4.3 rejections started with my next game (Twisty Train). My mistake: Duplicated the entire Seat Em All! project folder, including all .meta files/GUIDs. I now understand this likely triggered spam flags due to identical technical IDs, despite adding new mechanics. My subsequent game (Egg Pack) unfortunately repeated this flawed copy process from Twisty Train and was also re

We have spoken to many developers in previous months who have run into issues with the new 4.3 Design Guidelines rules & had their apps rejected, seemingly by a bot, or in general, by a reviewer because of similarities to previous apps. They have been asked to combine their similar apps into one container app.We understand why Apple is finally cracking down and doing this. They are trying to clean up the Appstore of clones, useless junk & other spam apps.In the process however, this has seemingly hurt indie developers who are not using templates, and design their own games from scratch. We've spoken with several developers, many who pride themselves in creating unique content such as educational & games for children, receieve these notices with no method to appeal, and auto-responses making the same blanket statement, ending in frustration for the developer & wasted months in development time.They are asked to combine their apps or games into one single container app to reduce the clu

We recently received feedback under Guideline 4.3(b) suggesting our app duplicates functionality found in other apps in this category. However, our app is fundamentally not a dating app. It is a conversation facilitator designed to foster meaningful connections for friendships, networking, and shared interests. While romantic connections may occur naturally, they are not the primary focus. Thus, we are seeking insights on this key question: How do developers effectively demonstrate feature differentiation to reviewers? We want to clearly show how our app’s functionality uniquely addresses user needs and provides value beyond existing solutions. Our Core Features: Our app introduces distinct features that differentiate it from traditional apps in this space: Paths: Psychology-based prompts embedded in chats encourage users to explore meaningful topics like values and aspirations. These prompts are dynamically triggered to keep conversations engaging and productive. Aura: A rewards system that incentiv

Need Help with App Store Rejection - Violation of Guideline 4.3(a) After Uploading a New Version Hi everyone, I’m currently facing an issue while trying to bring our team’s app back to the App Store, and I would greatly appreciate any support or suggestions from everyone. Our team’s app is a language learning app specifically designed for a particular group of users. Previously, the app was uploaded by a team member who was responsible for registering and uploading the app to the store, but this person has since left the team. Before leaving, she did not hand over any information, we only requested that the app be removed from the store, and now we cannot get in touch with she to retrieve the account and proceed with the transfer. Recently, our team registered a new account and attempted to upload the app again. However, Apple rejected it for violating Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam. I suspect the rejection is due to residual data from the old account, even though our app is unique and hig

Dear App Review Team, My app has been under continuous development for 6 years since it first launched in 2019. It currently serves a loyal user base of over 200,000 users. I can confidently confirm that all the core functionality in the app is fully developed by me. While I do use a few third-party libraries, the overall app design, code, and feature set are entirely my own work. In my recent submission (Submission ID: c6ab3d17-4b1b-4c67-935e-c0f0c62973c6, reviewed on April 9, 2025, version 4.3.9), the app was rejected under guideline 4.3(a). I previously integrated AI features using DeepSeek, but after receiving a rejection, I completely removed all related AI components and metadata. However, the updated submission was still rejected with the same reason, and I was not given a clear explanation of what part of the app may be in violation. I deeply value this project, and so do my users who have accompanied me through this journey for years. I do not wish to give up on this app — it is meaningful t

Hi everyone, I recently received a rejection for my app submission on the App Store. The rejection reason was: 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. Submitting similar or repackaged apps is a form of spam that creates clutter and makes it difficult for users to discover new apps. (Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam) However, my game is quite different. It features a unique pixel art style and introduces fresh mechanics, such as cleaning tasks, accepting additional missions from NPCs, and even an idle clicker-style system where players can hire workers to gather in-game points. These elements differentiate it from other apps in the same category. My game's name is quite different as well: My Pixel Market Sim - AppID: 6742187384 Additionally, the code behind the game is completely my own, and I even sell a popular Unity Asset on the Unity Asset Store for this category. So, I can assure you

Hi everyone, and hopefully Apple Staff, I am looking for some advice or assistance regarding an unusually long App Review delay for our game. Here are the details of our submission: App Name: Era Online: Şeref Savaşı App ID: 6773240689 Bundle ID: com.ark.xhmzxqteq.ios Submission ID: d19cb33a-b179-4f82-85e7-4acc77f46968 Background: Our app was previously rejected under guidelines 2.1(a) - App Completeness and 4.3(a) - Spam. On June 23 (Tuesday), we submitted a comprehensive appeal and a new build (v1.0.5): For 2.1(a): We completely fixed the occasional iPad crash issue and thoroughly tested the new build. For 4.3(a): We provided extensive legal documentation proving we hold the exclusive publishing rights for this game in Turkey. We also demonstrated that our app is a highly customized, exclusive version for the Turkish market, featuring a 300,000-word localization, local voice acting, unique IAPs priced in Turkish Lira, dedicated servers in Ankara, and exclusive in-game classes. The Issue: I

Subject: Follow-up on Appeal – Submission ID: c6ab3d17-4b1b-4c67-935e-c0f0c62973c6 Dear App Review Team, I hope this message finds you well. We submitted an appeal for our app (Submission ID: c6ab3d17-4b1b-4c67-935e-c0f0c62973c6), which was rejected under Guideline 4.3(a). It has been over a week since our appeal was submitted, but we have not received any response or confirmation regarding its status. We respectfully request a follow-up on the progress of the appeal review. Our team has carefully reviewed the guideline and provided supporting materials to demonstrate the app’s unique purpose, target audience, and feature set. We are fully committed to complying with all App Store policies and are open to making necessary improvements based on your feedback. Please let us know if any further information or clarification is needed. Thank you very much for your time and assistance. Best regards