Hello Apple Developer Community and App Review Team,
I received a Pending Termination Notice regarding Section 4.3 (Spam) for my games (Scream Bird and Hopscotch).
I submitted a formal appeal 7 days ago detailing the technical context, but I have not yet received an automated confirmation email or a case tracking number.
Full Context of My Situation:
I had previously published a game called "Scream Bird" on this account, and that was the first time I received a 4.3 Spam error. It was the first time I'd encountered this error, as all my games and applications are designed by me, from the buttons to the characters and gameplay.
When I received that error, I tried to understand and modify my game a bit, thinking it might have overlapped with an existing game.
But that build continued to receive the 4.3 Spam error. This time, I really didn't know what to do. I intended to keep the gameplay but redesign everything.
Strangely, while I was trying to redesign and change my game, I received an email saying that Apple was reviewing my app (the one that had just been rejected), and just minutes later, my game was approved and ready for distribution. This was the first time I'd encountered something like this. I thought the review team had re-evaluated my game and changed their minds.
And since the game was approved, I didn't know what else to do and just continued working on other projects. Shortly after, Google AdMob approved it (because the game was already live on the store), so ads started appearing on the game (I think this was the issue, causing the system to automatically think my game had been flagged for content changes, but the content was already there; it was just that I had set a production ID for the ads at the time, so they weren't showing – that was partly my fault).
But the problems didn't end there. Recently, I published a new game called "Hopscotch" and encountered the 4.3 Spam issue again. It was then that I really looked back at the binary files I built for my games and was shocked to realize that this might be the reason the automated system incorrectly flagged my games as spam.
Technical Explanation (Godot Framework & Shared Native Libraries):
I build all my games myself using Godot (3.x and 4.x). Regardless of the version, I write supporting libraries (mainly to call simple native features). Therefore, all my games will have files like: notch.a, share.a, haptics.a, local-notification.a, inappstore.a...
You can check it out on my GitHub page; most of it is public.
https://github.com/kyoz/godot-notch https://github.com/kyoz/godot-share https://github.com/kyoz/godot-local-notification https://github.com/kyoz/godot-haptics https://github.com/kyoz/godot-leaderboard https://github.com/kyoz/godot-native-rating https://github.com/kyoz/godot-flashlight
etc...
However, the entire game, from images, models, scenes... almost everything I designed myself, was packed into a single [game].pck file by Godot. This makes my Godot-built games look very similar in terms of binary, but in terms of content and gameplay, they are completely unrelated.
My Commitment:
I've been on my Apple journey for over five years now, and I've published 20 apps/games. The journey so far hasn't been easy. But I promise I've always complied with Apple's policies. I have never engaged in subscription scams, fake reviews, bait-and-switch tactics, or any of the fraudulent conduct described in the termination notice.
I am respectfully requesting:
-
Confirmation if my appeal submitted 7 days ago is actively under review by the App Review Board.
-
A status update or Case Reference Number for tracking.
I am fully cooperative and ready to provide full source code, Godot project files, or any documentation needed.
Thank you so much for your time and assistance!
Best regards,
Phan Minh Cuong
