Own app flagged as 4.1(a) Copycat + "Extended Review" — previous version approved with identical metadata

App Store Distribution & Marketing App Review
ErendorOnline OP
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My game "Erendor Online" (iOS) has been stuck since October 14. Version 1.1.24 was approved on October 13 with the same name, icon and metadata. Version 1.1.27 was then rejected twice under Guideline 4.1(a) Copycats ("third-party Erendor Online content"), but Erendor Online is my own game; the Android version on Google Play is published by me as well. There is no other developer involved.

The second rejection added an "Extended Review" flag, so each resubmission now waits 4-6 days in the queue.

So far I have replied in App Store Connect with Google Play Console ownership proof and resubmitted (still "Waiting for Review"), appealed to the App Review Board, requested an expedited review (accepted), and opened a Developer Support case. Meanwhile my iOS players cannot get the update and are leaving the game.

Has anyone had a 4.1 Copycat finding removed when the "copied" app is their own Android version? Any advice on getting the Extended Review flag lifted would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

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jetrise OP

A 4.1(a) finding on your own brand usually means the reviewer can't connect the App Store account to the "Erendor Online" name. Play Console screenshots don't prove that to Apple, because Google accounts aren't something they can verify. What tends to work:

  1. Proof Apple can check: a trademark registration or filing in the account holder's name, and/or an official website on a domain you control. The site should name the developer exactly as it appears on the App Store and link to both store listings.
  2. Upload that proof as an attachment in your App Store Connect reply (and in the App Review Board appeal), not only as text. Keep the message short: who you are, the proof, and one line confirming no other developer is involved.
  3. Since the metadata didn't change, look at what's new inside 1.1.27 compared with 1.1.24: new art or logos, a link to a fan wiki or Discord, server or community names. One of those is often what the reviewer matched against "third-party content".

On the Extended Review flag: there's no way to request its removal directly. It usually drops off after a clean approval, so it's worth getting the ownership proof right before the next resubmission rather than resubmitting repeatedly.