Bogus 4.3.0 Rejections - Need Help!

Since April 1, 2022, the App Review Team and App Review Board have been consistently rejecting my app, the reason being,

"Guideline 4.3 - Design

We continue to find that your app provides the same feature set as other apps submitted to the App Store; it simply varies in content or language, which is considered a form of spam."

This is 100% false because my app has unique features not found on other apps on the App Store.

The strange part is the supposedly similar apps don't even offer the features that my app offers yet those apps are able to get their app submissions approved. I should also mention those apps were published after mine.

I have provided screenshots, video demos, source code, spoken to App Review team and they are still rejecting the app because of 4.3.0.

It appears they are overlooking the information I've been providing and responding with generic responses.

Should I file a complaint with the BBB? It's evident that selective bias and unfair treatment is happening with the App Review Team and App Review Board.

I've exhausted all options and I need advice on what to do next.

I've spent too much money and effort to have the app stuck in this endless cycle of rejections.

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Shadepit
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Questions only, no advice yet.

.

Since April 1, 2022, the App Review Team and App Review Board have been consistently rejecting my app,

Was it an update (that's what you other post seems to show) or the first release ?

my app has unique features not found on other apps on the App Store.

Are you sure you have looked at all the other "similar" apps ?

What category of app is it ?

Posted by
Claude31
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  • It was a simple bug fix update. I had literally submitted an update on March 31 and before which were always approved without any rejections.

    Everything changed on April 1, 2022. Since then, I've redesigned the entire app and carefully explained the unique features by providing source code, screenshots, and video demos, held phone conversations without success.

    The current app looks completely different from the the previous version.

    Now, I have to provide the updated version via TestFlight

    The category is under Graphics and Design. I have investigated all the "similar" apps and none of them have the unique features my app has. I have even provided them with the list of the "similar apps".

    —
    Shadepit

  • You can take a look at the app for yourself and make a decision, thanks!

    https://testflight.apple.com/join/XqQJrjOK

    —
    Shadepit
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Screenshots attached:

Posted by
Shadepit
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Did you get it approved? I think thousands of pixalation apps are there. That's why they are rejecting it. May be they are promoting their own app. May be a developer is having the same app developed and now he wants to have all the earnings. Could be internal politics. Anything can happen.

Posted by
Paradigm777
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  • No, no success since April 1, 2022. They just rejected my 5th appeal just now.

    The pixel feature shouldn’t be a problem because they just approved another app that just added this feature last week.

    Plus my app is more than just a pixel maker.

    I believe they are promoting their own app or there is internal politics going on.

    —
    Shadepit

  • Time to lawyer up.

    —
    MobileTen

  • Definitely, I just did a complete redesign and they rejected again! The app is unrecognizable from the previous version too.

    —
    Shadepit
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I did a complete redesign again; the app looks completely different from previous builds and they rejected again!

At this point, as I have exhausted all options, I have filed a complaint with the BBB and I'm now pursuing a lawyer for assistance.

As always, feedback from forum members are appreciated :)

Posted by
Shadepit
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Another complete redesign with a new feature added and still rejected. Appeal was denied as well.

Posted by
Shadepit
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Hello. Did you manage to fix it?

Posted by
appkeeper
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I got told that my app "Sudoku" was spam even though it was one of the very first Sudoku apps, not just on iPhone but anywhere in the World. It pre-dated the Apple App Store by several years. My version invented things like picture Sudoku etc that are nowadays in every Sudoku app. There's definitely something strange going on these days with the review process. After lots of complaining and sending proofs that it pre-dated the store it was finally let through.

Posted by
JeremyWaldorf
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Did you able to fix this?

Posted by
njovy
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