Having Multiple Similar Apps

App Store Distribution & Marketing App Review App Review

tomkincaid OP

Created May ’16

Replies 55

Boosts 1

Views 41k

Participants 35

Like many developers of travel apps, I have different guides for different cities.

The main reason for this is search, an app can only be optimized for so many keywords and if multiple cities were combined into a single app, it would not show up in search for people looking for a guide for most of those cities even though the app has guides for them.

Another reason it to not require a separate download. For travelers with poor internet connections, having a container app that requires multiple in-app downloads is less desirable than just downloading the whole app up-front.

I notice many developers are allowed to have dozens of apps like this. All the same app with just different content for numerous cities. Here are some examples:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/ulmon-gmbh/id306906820

https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/travel-guide-offline-maps/id1086721423

https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/etips-ltd/id330954824

I just had my apps rejected with this note. Can someone explain how other developers are allowed to do this and not me and what I could do to be allowed to do the same as they are?

"2.20 - Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar Apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program

We noticed that your app provides the same feature set as other apps you've submitted to the App Store; it simply varies in content or language.

Specifically, all of your travel guide apps have identical icons when installed on the device.

Apps that use the same - or very similar - icons make it difficult for users to find apps and are considered a form of spam.

Please combine apps with a common features set into a single "container" app that uses the In-App Purchase API to deliver different content."

Boost

pilenos OP

Nov ’17

Guys, if you have enough resources there's still another way: you could create separate account for each of your apps (would work fine for white label and similar business models).

I've tried that way and also got 4.3 rejection, so our aim now is to figure out how apple's review algorithms find identical or similar apps and how we could pass through it. We should find a way to confuse/obfuscate code and app's structure, so the bot can't identify copies.

If there's no fair review, we should find our own way to make it fair. I understand that this method would help those who just spam on AppStore, but at least that'll attract apple's attention to our problem and problem in its algorithm

moad.dev OP

Feb ’18

4. 3 Design: Spam

Guideline 4.3 - Design

Your app provides the same feature set as many of the other apps you've submitted to the App Store; it simply varies in content or language. Creating multiple Bundle IDs of the same app is not appropriate.

Next Steps

To resolve this issue, please combine apps with similar feature sets into a single "container" app. You should differentiate varied content within your app by categorizing elements into groups, using the in-app purchase API, and location services to deliver content to users.

Once you have done so, please reply to this message via Resolution Center indicating the app name and Apple ID of any "container" apps submitted under your Apple Developer Program account.

hotpaw2 OP

Feb ’18

Note that you may be able have the client contract to you, the developer, the work of setting up the client's own Apple developer account. This can potentially be a source of billable hours. Make sure to get a proper legal agreement to (temporarily?) use their corporate documents, trademarks, contact info, credit card account, and an email address in their domain, for enrollment and app submission purposes. Then Apple will see the app as being submitted by (an agent or employee of) the client, not the container dev.

CartoonSmart.com OP

May ’18

What did you figure out? Can you describe how this affected your business? Your end-users? Also can you describe what if anything Apple Review did to pressure you to resolve this in that way?

hassanGurutrax OP

Jun ’18

Did you find any solution to this problem ?