Apple 4.3 Spam Rejection. (Was) Fuming!

Games
#1

From Apple:

Guideline 4.3 - Design

Your app provides the same feature set as many of the other apps you’ve submitted to the App Store; it simply varies in content or language. Creating multiple Bundle IDs of the same app is not appropriate.

My response:

Dear App Review,

With respect, this rejection is a mistake.

You wrote:

“Your app provides the same feature set as many of the other apps you’ve submitted to the App Store; it simply varies in content or language. Creating multiple Bundle IDs of the same app is not appropriate.”

I have only one app on the store and that is a quiz. This app that you have rejected is a game that in no way resembles the one (quiz) app that I have on the store.

I suspect my account has been flagged. I have previously had quiz apps rejected under 4. 3 Design: Spam. However, I consolidated all my quizzes into a single container app over a year ago at your request.

Going forward, I need the ability to submit apps that do not resemble one another to not be simply routinely rejected under 4. 3 Design: Spam.

My account as it stands is unusable. If you are still going to reject this app under 4. 3 Design: Spam then clearly my account is not in good standing and I am, it appears, unable to submit distinct apps.

With the greatest respect, I would like to request a phone call to discuss the viability of my account if this app is to be rejected under 4.3 Spam.

Thank you and best wishes.

#2

Too many instances out there where the big guy is crushing the little guy. Apple are wicked. If I get no joy, clearly I will have to let my account lapse when renewal is due next month and attempt to start again. Sigh. :frowning:

Apple also 4.3 Spam rejected my quiz last month. At the time, it was the only app I had - and still is given the latest rejection. So yes, it seems my account is permanently flagged. :frowning:

Has anyone had 4.3 Spam and have you had ongoing trouble since? Thanks for your help or advice. :slight_smile:

#3

Well, common sense has prevailed. The app has been approved.

#4

I had similar issues too.

Once a reviewer rejected a game because he couldn’t figure out what to do in order to complete the first level and just decided that the game is bugged :slight_smile:

He didn’t even bother to use to check the built in help / tutorial system…

All we can do is reply and explain politely why they are wrong.

1 Like
#5

4.3 Spam is perhaps the worst rejection. Once you have had a 4.3 Spam rejection, I firmly believe your account is permanently tagged as such. Last month I had my quiz rejected for spam. It was the only app I had on the store! The app I have just had approved has been previously rejected for 4.3 Spam. It’s hopeless. Apple review is hopeless. I can point at many accounts now where developers’ apps are using the same code base to generate several near identical apps - especially when it comes to quizzes.

I will lapse my account when it expires next month and start again. Otherwise, keeping my existing account is going to generate too many erroneous 4.3 Spam rejections.

#6

I’ve had that kind of thing happen so many times, and they seem to be getting worse instead of better.

Recently we had IAP submission’s rejected because they “couldn’t find them in the game” - just as in your case it’s because they didn’t bother to finish the (extremely simple) tutorial sequence.

In the end I recorded a video showing them where to find them, and treated them like children throughout:
Step 1 - Make sure your eyes are open and you are awake.
Step 2 - Use one of your fingers to press anywhere on the screen here - make sure you are not wearing gloves…

It got approved that time, though I was treading a fine line between patronising them for being morons and annoying the reviewer into rejecting it again.

The thing I hate the most is that it’s so difficult to get them to actually spell out what the problem is, or provide a screenshot/video. They always just paste in one of the guidelines, without explaining where exactly they think you are breaching it. It wastes their time as much as ours.

1 Like
#8

It’s almost too tempting to have a go at them for the way they seem to reject apps very arbitrarily but some of the publishers we have worked with strongly advise against this. We then started being very patient, elaborate and polite with them and it sort of helped with expediting the reviews for our builds where there potentially could have been issues.

It further doesn’t help that they do not apply these standards to all developers uniformly. Angry Birds games is the biggest spam of all time and gets a free pass, as an example.

2 Likes
#9

Having discovered that some developers are having their first app rejected as 4.3 Spam, I have decided not to lapse my account. Better I keep it with the 4.3 Spam tag attached to it, as at least I can get my quiz app approved when updating, even if not on the first attempt. The fact that my quiz is over 8 years old will hopefully hold some sway. Submitting the same quiz for the first time under a new account without the 8 year history fills me with a little trepidation. Note to self - as you were! :slight_smile:

#10

I had a submission rejected for not having a “what’s new”. Specifically, I had “We hope you enjoy our new game” as the box cannot be empty. I politely pointed out that the game was new and therefore everything was new so there was nothing relevant for that box. They then approved the build. They are not very bright sometimes.

Another time I got rejected for not having UI on the screenshots. So I simply resubmitted and it went through just fine. Luck of the draw if you get a jobsworth or someone who actually understands things.

1 Like
#11

Alas, that’s just the case.

On the subject of the “What’s New in This Version” text box in App Store Connect, I’ve never really understood the widespread appeal of entering “bug fixes and stability improvements” or something similar. On my device, the “What’s New in This Version” appears near the top for each app on the store after clicking the initial description/screenshots. Consequently, I use that text box for marketing rather than waste it on “bug fixes and stability improvements” that the majority of users will surely barely register. Just my 2p.