Hello Everyone!
I recently got a termination notice. I've already sent an appeal 20 days back, I did get the response saying "they'll not change the decision" which is really a big problem!
I've been developing apps and have been supporting my family for quite some time. But because of a small-mistake, I lost my entire account (Although I've made changes and re-submitted, but the app which got the removal isn't going for review)
Anyone can you please help? I never got any kind of warning from Apple and I understood that since I'm using a commercial API, I could use it in my title, but it triggered removal of my entire account. Here's the notice I got:
Upon further review of the activity associated with your Apple Developer Program membership, it's been determined that your membership has been used for dishonest or fraudulent activity, in violation of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement and the Developer Code of Conduct (App Review Guideline 5.6). Given the severity of the identified issues, your account has been flagged for removal.
Because your account has been flagged for removal, any earnings payments are paused and app transfers are disabled. Creating new accounts after receiving this message may result in the termination of the new or associated accounts.
Evidence of Dishonest or Fraudulent Activity
You provided fraudulent and/or false account information, documentation, or otherwise falsely represented yourself or your submitted app to Apple either during the account enrollment process or after the account was created.
Guidelines or Terms Violated
The dishonest or fraudulent activity described above directly violates section 3.2(f) of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, which states:
"You will not, directly or indirectly, commit any act intended to interfere with any of the Apple Software or Services, the intent of this Agreement, or Apple's business practices including, but not limited to, taking actions that may hinder the performance or intended use of the App Store, Custom App Distribution, TestFlight, Xcode Cloud, Ad Hoc distribution, or the Program (e.g., submitting fraudulent reviews of Your own Application or any third-party application, choosing a name for Your Application that is substantially similar to the name of a third-party application in order to create consumer confusion, or squatting on application names to prevent legitimate third-party use). Further, You will not engage, or encourage others to engage, in any unlawful, unfair, misleading, fraudulent, improper, or dishonest acts or business practices relating to Your Covered Products or Corresponding Products (e.g., engaging in bait-and-switch pricing, consumer misrepresentation, deceptive business practices, or unfair competition against other developers).”
The dishonest or fraudulent activity described above also directly violates the Developer Code of Conduct, specifically App Review Guideline 5.6.2 - Developer Identity, which states:
"Providing verifiable information to Apple and customers is critical to customer trust. Your representation of yourself, your business, and your offerings on the App Store or alternative app marketplaces must be accurate. The information you provide must be truthful, relevant, and up-to-date so that Apple and customers understand who they are engaging with and can contact you regarding any issues."
Appeal
If you would like to appeal this termination decision to the App Review Board, you must do so within 30 calendar days. When submitting your appeal, be sure to select "I would like to appeal an app rejection or app removal" from the drop-down menu on the Contact the App Review Team page and provide a written statement that includes the following:
- A thorough explanation of the issues we identified
- New information clarifying these issues, if you disagree with our findings
Otherwise, your Apple Developer Program membership will be terminated. If you have questions, contact us.