Hello everyone,
I would really appreciate some advice regarding an App Review rejection under Guideline 1.2 because I’m unsure what the best next step is.
The review notes included the following statement:
“Since this app’s primary functionality is not permitted on the App Store, it would be appropriate to submit a new app with functionality that follows the App Review Guidelines.
Resubmitting the app will result in the same or additional App Review Guideline violations.”
This wording makes me unsure whether I should submit a new build with the changes I have made or continue discussing the issue through the Resolution Center.
The app was rejected because App Review considered its primary purpose to be random or anonymous chat. However, I believe there may have been a misunderstanding about how the application actually works.
The application is not a private messaging app, nor is it designed to let people freely chat with strangers. The concept is closer to a discussion that takes place on a user’s profile, similar to two people having a conversation in the comments section of a social media platform. Other authorized users can read those conversations and react to individual messages, so the conversation itself becomes the content rather than functioning as a traditional direct message.
Users are never anonymous. Every account has a persistent identity, including a username, profile picture, verified email address, and profile information. The application also includes reporting, blocking, restricting, and moderation features.
Communication is intentionally very limited. Users cannot simply message another user whenever they want. Even after all other requirements are met, a user can send only one initial message. The recipient then has 24 hours to decide whether to reply. If the recipient chooses not to reply, the conversation never begins, the thread is automatically moved to the archive after 24 hours, and the sender cannot continue contacting that user. They cannot send another initial message or repeatedly attempt to start a conversation. A conversation can only continue if the recipient voluntarily chooses to reply.
Originally, every account was private by default, although users could choose to make their profile public. During App Review, I temporarily made the review accounts public because I wanted the reviewer to be able to explore the application more easily without needing multiple test accounts. Looking back, I now believe this may have unintentionally made the application appear much closer to a stranger chat experience than it was actually designed to be.
Another detail that may not have been visible during review is that the reviewer reached the message composition screen but did not actually submit a message. (I saw it on screenshots they attached) If they had submitted it, they would have seen that the initial message does not immediately become an active conversation. Instead, it first enters a pending state where the recipient decides whether to accept it by replying. Without the recipient’s voluntary participation, no conversation is created.
After receiving the rejection, I decided to redesign this part of the application to make the communication model even more restrictive.
I completely removed the ability for users to have public profiles. Every account is now permanently private. Before any interaction is possible, a user must first send a follow request, and the recipient must explicitly accept that request. Without an accepted follow request, it is impossible to send the initial message.
I also removed the discovery feature that could resemble random user discovery and replaced it with standard user recommendation cards similar to those used by many social networking applications. In addition, I implemented follow request rate limiting so users cannot rapidly send large numbers of follow requests.
As a result, users can now interact only after mutual consent has already been established through an accepted follow request, and even then, communication is still limited to a single initial message that requires the recipient’s voluntary reply before any conversation can exist.
My question is this:
Given these changes, would you recommend submitting a new build for review despite the statement that “Resubmitting the app will result in the same or additional App Review Guideline violations,” or would it be better to continue discussing the issue through the Resolution Center first? (Some why they don't reply me at all)
If anyone has dealt with a similar Guideline 1.2 situation, I would sincerely appreciate your advice on how you would proceed.
Thank you very much for your time