Guideline 1.4.3 rejection for a cigar journal app — multiple apps with identical functionality are live on the App Store Hi all, My first submission (a cigar humidor/tasting journal app) was just rejected under Guideline 1.4.3 (Safety – Physical Harm) for "content or features related to the use of tobacco... products." The rejection states the app's concept is "not appropriate because it is focused on these products or activities." The issue: my app doesn't sell tobacco, doesn't facilitate purchasing it, and doesn't encourage consumption any more than a whiskey-tasting log encourages drinking. It's a personal tracking/journal tool — users log cigars they already own, rate them, track humidor inventory, etc. There is no e-commerce, no social sharing of consumption, no promotional content. There are currently multiple apps live on the App Store with functionally identical (in some cases nearly indistinguishable) feature sets:
My Humidor – Cigar Journal — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/my-humidor-cigar-journal/id6639582700 Humidor Journal Pro — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/humidor-journal-pro/id6751737114 Ember: AI Cigar Companion — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ember-ai-cigar-companion/id6761503587 Whiskey and Cigar Pairing — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/whiskey-and-cigar-pairing/id6762530184 Cigarbase: AI Cigar & Humidor — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cigarbase-ai-cigar-humidor/id6761301449 Leaf Enthusiasts — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/-/id6757314729 Cigar Journal & Tracker: Puro — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/cigar-journal-tracker-puro/id6760948482 ASHD – Cigar Social — https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/ashd-cigar-social/id6759581213
All of these are humidor/cigar journaling or social apps built around cataloging and tracking tobacco products — the exact category my app was rejected for. Several even use AI companion/recommendation features, which is a superset of what my app does. Full rejection text for reference:
Guideline 1.4.3 - Safety - Physical Harm Issue Description: The app includes content or features related to the use of tobacco, nicotine-related, or vaping products, including but not limited to cigarettes, pipes, hookahs, or e-cigarettes. Apps with content or features related to consuming tobacco are considered to encourage the consumption of tobacco. Since these products pose a risk of physical harm to users, it is not appropriate to encourage their use. Next Steps: Your app's current concept is not appropriate because it is focused on these products or activities. It would be appropriate to revise the app or submit a new app that is not focused on these products or activities.
My questions for the community:
Has anyone successfully appealed a 1.4.3 rejection for a tobacco tracking/journal app (as opposed to a marketplace or vaping-hardware app) by citing comparable live apps? Is there a meaningful distinction reviewers are drawing between "journal/inventory" apps and something else, and if so, what specific wording or framing helped get it approved? Is the right move to reply in App Store Connect citing these examples, or file a separate appeal with the App Review Board?
Any input from developers who've navigated this — especially in adjacent categories like whiskey, wine, or other regulated-but-legal-consumable tracking apps — would be hugely appreciated. This is my first submission, so I want to handle the response the right way rather than burning an appeal on the wrong approach. Thanks in advance.