App Store rejection
Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam
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The message you got
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Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam
We noticed the app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by you or other developers, with only minor differences.
Submitting similar or repackaged apps is a form of spam that creates clutter and makes it difficult for users to discover new apps.
Next Steps
Since we do not accept spam apps on the App Store, we encourage you to review the app concept and submit a unique app with distinct content and functionality.
Resources
Some factors that contribute to a spam rejection may include:
- Submitting an app with the same source code or assets as other apps already submitted to the App Store
- Creating and submitting multiple similar apps using a repackaged app template
- Purchasing an app template with problematic code from a third party
- Submitting several similar apps across multiple accounts
Learn more about our requirements to prevent spam in guideline 4.3.
More and more of these rejections now end with one more paragraph:
Extended Review: This app was found to include one or more issues that present significant safety, security, or quality concerns to users. Repeated submissions of apps with these issues will result in extended review times. Accounts that repeatedly submit apps that do not follow the App Review Guidelines and the Apple Developer Program License Agreement face removal from the Apple Developer Program.
What the Extended Review warning means →
Read guideline 4.3 on Apple's site →
What Apple's message says
The lines that matter, word for word, and what each one means in practice.
We noticed the app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by you or other developers, with only minor differences.
Apple matched your app to apps it already has: on the code, on the listing or on the idea, and it doesn't say which. "By you" means it may be comparing your own apps with each other.
Submitting similar or repackaged apps is a form of spam that creates clutter and makes it difficult for users to discover new apps.
This is the standard reason Apple gives, not a verdict on your app's quality. What gets it approved is showing what's distinct about your app, not arguing that it's good.
We still 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.
"Still" means the last change didn't touch the part Apple matched. Another new design or name usually brings the same message back, so we find that part before the next submission.
What it actually means
4.3(a) doesn't say your app is bad. It says Apple sees it as too close to something that already exists. The message names three things it can match on:
- Binary: shared source code, a template, a starter kit or an asset pack other apps use too.
- Metadata: a name, icon, screenshots or description that look like other listings.
- Concept: the same core idea or game loop with a new theme on top.
Watch the words "by you or other developers". If you shipped several apps from one starter project, or put the same app on the store as separate records, Apple may be comparing your apps to each other. The guideline itself says not to create multiple Bundle IDs of the same app.
And check the letter. 4.3(b) is a different rule about crowded categories, and it needs a different answer.
Why guessing is expensive
- New art, a new name or a few extra features usually bring the same message back, because the part Apple matched didn't change.
- Every round costs days. With the Extended Review paragraph, repeated submissions mean even longer reviews.
- The account is at stake, not only this app. Your live apps sit on the same account.
- A few moves make it worse: pointing at similar apps that got approved, moving the app to a second developer account (Apple lists multiple accounts as a spam factor), or sending the same build again.
What we do
- Read your rejection and your app, and find what Apple most likely matched.
- Tell you what has to change and what doesn't, so you don't rebuild an app that only needs a different angle.
- Write your reply to App Review and the review notes for the next submission.
- Stay on it through every round, and the App Review Board appeal if it comes to that.
You keep your code and your account. We never ask for your Apple ID password. If we need access, it goes through an App Store Connect user with the App Manager role.
Fixed price
Reviewer Reply
$99
Regular price: $190Diagnosis, your reply to App Review and the review notes, followed until Apple decides. No code changes.
Rejection Fix
$249
Regular price: from $490Everything in Reviewer Reply, plus the code or metadata changes, the resubmission and every round for the same issue.
Several apps rejected at once? Send them all, we'll quote per app.
50% to start, 50% after Apple approves the submission. If Apple does not approve the submission for the guidelines we fixed, we keep working on those guidelines at no extra cost for up to 3 resubmissions within 60 days. If it still is not approved, you do not pay the second half. If your app is built on a template that other apps already ship, we'll tell you upfront that the guarantee doesn't cover it.
Proof
4.3(a) Design Spam · App concept review
So I was facing this issue where one of my app got design spam twice. And seeing other on X also getting it more frequently now I got real demotivated and there was this fear in me that my next app will probably get design spam too because already there are other similar apps. In my case I was not having an issue with binary or metadata as I create things from ground up the main issue was app concept.
After talking to team I got to know that we can do consultation call with apple review team even before submitting build. The team also emphasized that first screenshot should highlights your unique features that no one have.
Going forward I will now try consultation calls with the apple team and also will highlight my unique features instead of the most popular and famous one.
An app we worked on went through 7 rejections and was approved on round 8.
Questions
What does "shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept" mean?
Apple matched your app to apps already submitted, yours or other developers', on the code (binary), the listing (metadata) or the idea (concept), and saw only minor differences. The message doesn't say which one matched. Finding that is the first thing we do.
Can't I just resubmit with a new design?
If the part Apple matched is the code or the core concept, a new design usually brings the same rejection back, and with Extended Review each try takes longer. Find out what was matched first.
Should I appeal?
An appeal to the App Review Board makes sense when the reviewer got it wrong and you can show what makes your app different. If the match is real, an appeal just costs time. We'll tell you which one fits your case.
What's the difference between 4.3(a) and 4.3(b)?
4.3(a) is about your app being too close to specific apps, yours or other developers'. 4.3(b) is about crowded categories, where Apple wants a unique, high quality experience. Different rule, different reply.
How fast do you answer?
Free triage within 12 business hours.
Do you guarantee approval?
Nobody can guarantee what Apple decides. Half the price is paid only after approval, and if Apple rejects again for the guidelines we fixed, resubmissions are free.
Do you need my Apple ID password?
No, never. Access goes through an App Store Connect user with the App Manager role.
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Written by Ivan Bilousov, founder of Verdict Studio · Updated