“4.3”

Hey Apple Developer Community, We have been on the app store for 7 years now. Our latest app submission was rejected under Guideline 4.3(a) app shares similarities in binary, metadata, and concept with apps submitted by other developers, with only minor differences. Even after multiple reviews, the reason for rejection is the same. We still found that your app shares a similar binary, metadata, and concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences. Since we do not accept spam apps on the App Store, we encourage you to review your app concept and submit a unique app with distinct content and functionality. Our app has been developed in-house and we own the entire source code. And Apple won't tell us which app this is similar to. Do they expect us to discover that? We have already filed an appeal with the App Board. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What's the best way to resolve this? Any support here will be much appreciated.

Our app Mithaq (App ID 6779142005) has been live on the App Store since June 2026. Every version was reviewed and approved by App Review, the most recent being 1.3.2, approved on 22 July 2026. It is live today and serves 288 active accounts, 201 of them on iOS. Since early August, every update we have submitted has been rejected under Guideline 4.3(b), including one that contained only bug fixes, with no new features, no new business model, and no change to the app's purpose or design. We appealed. The App Review Board upheld the rejection, explaining that Apple does not accept new apps in saturated categories. Our difficulty is that Mithaq is not a new app. It is not asking to enter the category. It is already in it, with Apple's repeated approval. We replied in App Store Connect asking for clarification and have not yet had a response. The question we cannot answer is this: does Guideline 4.3(b) prevent an app that is already approved and live from shipping updates? If it does, our existin

Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice from developers who have successfully navigated Guideline 4.3(b) Spam concerns. I've been building a custom marketplace platform called Goddess Destiny Psychics. The app includes custom advisor onboarding, advisor applications, identity verification, Stripe Connect onboarding, recorded readings, live chat functionality, advisor review workflows, admin moderation tools, automated approval/rejection processes, and a custom advisor evaluation system. My first submission was rejected under 4.3(b). A later submission also included a functionality concern, which I addressed. On my most recent submission, the functionality concern was no longer present, but the app was again rejected under 4.3(b). I've submitted an appeal because I believe the app contains substantial custom functionality and differs significantly from a simple template-based app. Has anyone successfully appealed a 4.3(b) rejection for a marketplace or service-based app? If so,

Hello everyone, After eight months of development, we’ve reached a roadblock and are hoping someone here might have insights into resolving our issue. Our journey started when we decided to create a betting tips app. We initially purchased a template, customized it extensively, and after three months, the app was ready for iOS submission. However, upon review, we received a 4.3 Spam rejection, citing similarities to other apps on the App Store. We scheduled a call with an Apple representative, who informed us that the issue was code-related—the same code had been used in other apps. Taking this feedback seriously, we spent a month modifying the code, but repeated rejections led us to a more drastic decision: we started over from scratch, avoiding templates, AI-generated code, and GitHub repositories. Three months later, we had a brand-new app with a fully redesigned UI, freshly written code, and additional features we had not seen in any other betting tips app on iOS. We submitted the new app under a

Hello, I would like to make an appeal on behalf of small businesses around the world.My name is André, I'm a developer and an entrepreneur.When Apple was created its biggest mission was to bring technology to everyone. I'm in love with this ideology. Technology for all in an easy and usual way.Many development companies work hard to generate jobs, move their country's economy, realize dreams, and bring quality technology to users.Currently I received a call from Simone, from Apple's review team (case: 1769784) - she was very caring, polite and professional.Simone told me that my applications are outside of Apple's guidelines, my case is item 4.3 Design Spam. She suggested that I create a container application to solve the problem.As I accepted being an Apple developer I should suit the guidelines. However, it is a guideline that goes against information democracy. Brands do not want to share spaces with competitors. Example is Apple itself. Apple has concept stores around the world that only sell App

Hi everyone, I'm looking for advice from developers who have dealt with Guideline 4.3 in a situation involving a previously terminated Apple Developer account. We have a legitimate travel booking application that was previously submitted to the App Store under our original Apple Developer account. Unfortunately, that developer account was terminated, and despite multiple appeals/support requests, we were unable to have the account restored. We subsequently created a new Apple Developer account and attempted to submit the same legitimate travel application under the new account. The current application has a significantly redesigned UI and UX, but the mobile application is still based on the original React Native codebase. The backend, APIs, travel integrations, booking system, etc. are our existing platform and are not copied from another application. The submission is now being rejected under Guideline 4.3 with wording indicating that the app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concep

Hello everyone, I'm stuck here, i have developed an app, and i keep getting from Apple Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam - We continue to notice that your app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences. As i was looking around this seems to be so much an issue now for many people and i don't understand why. My app which is approved in Android already it have an unique design built my own, and the most important the content (in this case futures crypto signals) are created by my own strategy, so it can be no where else found. I literally have no idea what to do next, i don't want to do major changes because i don't believe the app looks similar to any other app and for the reason that its already in Google Play Store i don't want to do major UI design. We would greatly appreciate any valuable advice from fellow developers in the community to help us navigate this challenge and successfully pass the review

My iOS app is getting repeatedly rejected under Guideline 4.3(b) Spam. Apple says the app is astrology / horoscope category, but the app is actually a B2B partner dashboard for verified consultants and contains no horoscope content. We already: Removed astrology keywords Renamed the app Changed metadata Restricted login Removed China region Explained multiple times to App Review Still getting same rejection again and again. Has anyone successfully resolved 4.3(b) spam rejection for astrology / consultation / marketplace apps? What exact change finally worked? Should we appeal? Request call? Change bundle? New app? Different category? Need expert advice urgently.

I have submitted my app. It is a unique app. But it was rejected due to this ; We are writing to let you know that we have completed our evaluation of your app and account. Upon further review, we found that your app does not comply with the following guidelines: 4.3 Spam Don’t create multiple Bundle IDs of the same app. If your app has different versions for specific locations, sports teams, universities, etc., consider submitting a single app and provide the variations using in-app purchase. Also avoid piling on to a category that is already saturated; the App Store has enough fart, burp, flashlight, fortune telling, dating, drinking games, and Kama Sutra apps, etc. already. We will reject these apps unless they provide a unique, high-quality experience. Spamming the store may lead to your removal from the Apple Developer Program. I have submitted same app before with different bundle ID and different app ID. It was rejected because of a coding problem. But I have deleted that submission already. I

I built a relationship and dating app called Kolly — something that genuinely didn't exist in this form on the App Store. It includes date ideas, compatibility quizzes, games, an AI companion, and a personal Love CV. Astrology is part of it because astrology is a natural part of modern dating culture — but this is a relationship app, not an astrology app. After my first rejection under 4.3(b), I attended a Meet with Apple appointment. I was explicitly told: astrology being present is not the problem — being an astrology app is the problem. I was advised to reposition as a relationship app and add more relationship features. I did exactly that. I resubmitted. Same copy-pasted rejection email. No new feedback. My replies go unanswered. I am forced to keep resubmitting blindly because I have no other option. I followed every instruction I was given and I still have no clear path to approval. I am a small independent developer. I have investors waiting. I have spent months and significant money on this.

Hello, I’m contacting you for assistance regarding an App Review issue that our company is currently facing. Background Several months ago, a former employee submitted an early prototype of our app using his personal Apple Developer account. That submission was never approved, and after the employee left the company, he removed the app from his account. It is no longer available on the App Store and no longer listed under that account. Recently, we rebuilt the product completely — new UI, new codebase, and a fully updated design — and submitted it under our company’s official Apple Developer account. Issue Our recent submission was rejected with 4.3 – Spam, indicating that our app is considered a duplicate of another existing app. However, the only similar app is the old prototype submitted several months ago by the former employee, which was removed and never published. It seems likely that our submission is being linked to that previous prototype, even though it no longer exists and was submitted u

Hello everyone, I’m looking for advice from developers who have been through a Guideline 4.3(a) (Design – Spam) rejection. Our game was rejected under Guideline 4.3(a). We genuinely believe it is an original Unity project that we developed from scratch. Instead of immediately submitting a new build, we replied through the Resolution Center with extensive supporting documentation, including: Figma design history Unity project structure Development timeline Original UI/UX workflow Comparisons explaining how our game differs from similar titles We also submitted a formal appeal to the App Review Board and later sent a polite follow-up message. It has now been 12 days since our last message, and we still haven’t received any response from Apple. I’m not asking whether our rejection was correct or incorrect. I’m simply trying to understand the review process. For developers who have experienced this: Is waiting 10–14+ days after submitting evidence normal? Did Apple eventually respond? Did they c

My app has been rejected twice (on March 5 and March 11) . 1. Response to Initial Rejection (March 5) After the first rejection on March 5, I thoroughly reviewed the feedback and provided the following evidence to demonstrate the originality of my app: Design Documentation: I shared multiple iterations of the app’s design process, including early sketches and final mockups. Code Provenance: I provided Git version control logs to show the development history and prove that the code was written entirely by me. Explanation of Uniqueness: I explained how my app differs from existing productivity and wellness apps, particularly in its combination of focus and relaxation features. Despite this, my feedback was rejected. I took the feedback seriously and made significant improvements to the app before resubmitting. 2. Changes Made After First Rejection To address potential concerns and enhance the app’s value, I implemented the following changes: Added New Features: Introduced a breathing guide with visual animation