Hi everyone,
I’m an independent developer trying to publish the first App Store release of Word Chess: Battle of Words, and I’m struggling to understand the feedback I’ve received under Guideline 4.3(a) – Design – Spam.
Apple’s message says:
“We noticed the app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences.”
I received this rejection on September 22. I replied explaining how the game was developed and asked whether the concern related to the binary, third-party libraries, assets, store description, or gameplay. On October 8, I received essentially the same rejection without clarification about which part of the app was considered problematic.
I have just replied again asking for specific details. In the meantime, I’m hoping fellow developers can help me understand what this feedback means in practice and how to identify something I can actually fix.
For context, the game works like this:
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Two players take turns placing one chosen letter on a shared board.
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A scoring word must include the letter placed on that turn.
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Words can run horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, in either direction.
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Letters stay on the board and can be reused by either player.
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Once a word scores, its word family is locked for both players for the rest of the match—for example, claiming CAT also prevents CATS from scoring.
I developed the game independently, without purchasing or repackaging a game template. The app uses React and Capacitor, with game-specific rules and server logic alongside third-party libraries and dictionary resources.
I understand that developing something independently does not automatically mean its experience is sufficiently different from existing apps. I’m open to criticism and to making meaningful changes. What I’m finding difficult is that “binary, metadata, and/or concept” covers very different potential problems, and the response doesn’t tell me which one applies.
Receiving the same broad rejection twice after a prolonged review has been disheartening. The delay also meant I missed an opportunity to submit the application to a hackathon. I’m sharing that as context for my frustration, but my main aim here is practical: I want to understand the problem and fix it.
I’d appreciate concrete feedback or firsthand experiences, including honest criticism of the game’s presentation. Thank you.