Hello,
My app has just been rejected for submission to the app store, because of non-compliance with Guideline 1.1 - Safety - Objectionable Content (https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#objectionable-content).
The app is an educational runner game in which a young person with asthma needs to reach their destination as fast as possible, avoiding typical triggers such as cats, pollen, cigarette smokers, pollution etc along the way. If the player hits a trigger they are slowed down and are prompted to take the blue inhaler to enable them to run faster again.
The player can't die in the game and there are no depictions of them suffering - they just slow down with a coughing sound effect. Also in no part of the game are we trying to defame or make fun of people with asthma - on the contrary, we want to raise more awareness and understanding of the illness.
The app was developed as part of a science study for my client, a leading University and supported by the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.
I never even considered that this came could possibly not comply with Guideline 1.1.
However, the App Store review rejected the app with the following explanation:
"Your app includes content that many users would find objectionable and offensive. Specifically, the gameplay is about a young person with asthma."
I had a different app rejected in the past, which was also for the same University client and about bowel health. I can vaguely understand why some people may have problems with that - in a way Apple confirmed the taboos around the subject that we wanted to break. At the time our appeal for that app was rejected, even though it was signed by internationally renowned scientists and highlighted all the educational objectives of the app. It was rejected with the explanation "While we understand that your app may have an education purpose, it is still out of compliance with the 16.2 guideline." (I think Guideline 16.2 is now 1.1)
As for the rejected asthma app - we obviously can't make a learning game about asthma not to be about people with asthma - so the only option is to appeal. But I feel that if we just list all the educational objectives and credentials again in our appeal, it will simply get rejected again with the same explanation as with the bowel health app.
Has anyone got any experience of successfully appealing against a rejection on grounds of objectable content?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!