May app was rejected because of lack of citations: Guideline 1.4.1 - Safety - Physical Harm

Question

Panantukan OP

Created Dec ’21

Replies 1

Boosts 0

Views 1.2k

Participants 2

May app is a health and wellness app giving tips on how to eat move and sleep better, fo weight loss and good health.

Apple say that for the app to be accepted that it needs to include citations. However this is a little vague.

For example a health app may include 100 different tips about working out; why strength training is better in some cases than cardio, why cardio can be good for mental health, how to sleep better, blue light blocking glasses, calorie deficit to lose weight etc. etc. etc.

If you need say two citations for each bit of advice, that would be 200 citations.

Looking at the other health apps out there, they don't include thorough citation or referencing.

Does anybody know what level of citation apple is looking for? Or how I could see an example. I've looked at other apps, but none of them seem to include any 'easy to find' citations.

Thanks in advance!

Boost

Answer 1

Claude31 OP

Dec ’21

Looking at the other health apps out there, they don't include thorough citation or referencing.

What other accepted apps do or don't do is never an argument (for reviewer). In addition, those apps may be from organisations with some health background ?

Citation is a verifiable "serious" reference that supports the advice you give and that reviewer may check. The purpose is to avoid health apps that give useless or even harmful advices.

For instance, advices as calorie deficit to lose weight must be supported by very serious, medical reference that explain what is safe to do and what is not with such diets.

So the point is :

if you say: doing this is good for heart
you need to provide a citation or 2 (tell the source) from where you build this advice.
There maybe common sense advice (like avoid too much salt, too much fat… that do not require citation.

0