Real-World Cases

Guideline 4.3 - Design - Spam. Your flashlight app does not provide sufficient differentiation from existing apps including the built-in flashlight.

Fix: Added professional features: SOS morse code signaling, color therapy modes, adjustable brightness with persistence, stroboscope with BPM control, and emergency beacon mode. Targeted at outdoor enthusi...

Guideline 4.3 - Design - Spam. Your app provides the same experience as other apps on the App Store.

Fix: Added AI-powered task prioritization, calendar integration with smart scheduling, team collaboration features, and custom workflow automation. Made the app clearly differentiated from basic to-do apps...

Guideline 4.3 - Design - Spam. Your calculator app does not provide meaningful differentiation from the built-in Calculator.

Fix: Escalated to App Review Board with detailed comparison document showing 15+ features our app has that the built-in calculator lacks. Board overturned the rejection. Initial reviewer hadnt fully explor...

Guideline 4.3 - Spam

Guideline 4.3 - Design - Spam. Your weather widget app duplicates functionality available in the built-in Weather app.

Fix: Added unique features: astronomical data (sunrise/sunset/moon phases), air quality index, pollen forecast, weather radar overlay, severe weather alerts, and clothing recommendations based on condition...

Guideline 4.3 - Design: We noticed your app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences.

Fix: Community suggested adding cloud login, photo upload, redesigning UI, or trying PWA. One commenter got approved after shuffling code to change binary hash. Apple was intentionally vague about specific...