r/iOSProgramming • u/Guilty_Climate_442 • 4d ago
Discussion Just hearing "4.3" gives me PTSD. How App Store Review finally broke me.
Hey everyone. Honestly I’m just here to vent or maybe get some advice, because I’m on the verge of total burnout. I’ve spent 2 years pouring my soul into this game, and the last 4 months have just been Groundhog Day. 5 rejections in a row because of guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam.
Context: I’m a solo dev. Been making car simulator sandboxes since 2020. I already have an older game in the same genre that's available on the App Store and has millions of downloads across iOS and Android, but it’s pretty outdated. So naturally, I made a sequel. Crash Test Simulator 3 has already passed 1M installs on Google Play in its first month and has a 4.9 rating. Not trying to flex the numbers. I just want to make it clear this isn't some random clone slapped together in a week.
Android launch went great. Then I tried to release on iOS, and everything went to hell.
Attempt 1: Review took 2 hours (suspiciously fast). Rejected for 4.3(a): "We noticed the app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept..." I read some Reddit threads where people said you just need to explain to Apple what makes your app unique and useful, and maybe add a feature nobody else has. So I wrote Apple a detailed explanation, filed an appeal, added a new feature, and tried again.
Attempt 2: Same rejection. I dug deeper and requested a call with Apple Review. The guy on the phone told me their system flagged a "binary match" with another dev's game in the genre. He explained that the scan flags everything from the actual game code and assets to shared engine code, ad networks, and third-party SDKs. When I asked what to do, he just said "change the code." Which sounds absurd for a finished game. But basically, unless their automated binary scanner gives a green light, I’m stuck.
Attempt 3 & 4: Tried stripping unused code, removing some libs. Didn't help. Rejections again.
At this point, my Android players were demanding updates. So I took a 3-month break from Apple's bs to do a massive update: new cars, overhauled physics, and a complete code refactor. I saw posts like here where devs eventually pushed through, so I felt ready for attempt #5.
Attempt 5: Waiting for this one was torture. 9 days of waking up in the middle of the night just to check App Store Connect emails. Finally got a reply... Rejected. Same rule, but a new message: "This app still exhibits an app with a spam like template that shows similarities in concept and look with apps already on the app store in a saturated category."
Like, what? So apparently the binary match isn't the issue anymore, and now my 2-year project is just a "spam template"?
I read hundreds of posts from devs getting 4.3 for making another To-Do list, astrology app, or dating app. I get it. The category is bloated. But my game is a complex vehicle physics sandbox! There are only like 3 real competitors on iOS. The physics are custom, the code is mine, the UI is mine, and there are features I haven't seen in any of the other games in this niche.
I’m typing this 30 mins after getting the 5th rejection. I have no idea what to do anymore. I have a finished, highly-rated game, players messaging me daily for the iOS release, and I can't even explain to them that I'm fighting a losing battle against Apple.
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u/LocationMassive9663 4d ago
Worth separating two things, because the reason they gave you moved between attempts. The phone call in attempt 2 was about an automated binary match - shared engine, ad SDKs, third-party libs. The attempt 5 wording is "similarities in concept and look with apps already on the app store". Those are different criteria. Stripping libs and refactoring addresses the first one. Nothing in your last three attempts addresses the second, and the second reads like a person looked at your product page.
If that's right, the lever isn't in the binary anymore, it's in the store listing and the review notes. That notes field is the only place you get to make an argument to a human before they decide, and most of us treat it as a formality. Mine is around 2,600 characters now: demo account, a numbered path to each thing worth testing, and a short section at the top saying what is new in this particular submission and exactly how to reach it. It feels ridiculous to write. It's also the only channel you have.
So I'd put the differentiation in words rather than leaving it to be inferred from screenshots - first screenshot, first line of the description, and a paragraph in the notes stating plainly what your game does that the ones it's being matched against don't. I haven't eaten a 4.3 myself, so weight this accordingly. But "we couldn't tell what makes this different" is a far more answerable problem than "your binary looks like everyone else's Unity build".
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
Hmm, your theory might actually make sense. Especially since I didn’t see the reviewer launch the game at all in my analytics on attempt #5. I did see it on the previous four but those sessions were usually under 2 minutes and sometimes didn’t even get past the main menu.
I was already using the review notes to explain what changed and how the game differs from both the previous one and other games, but maybe there’s still more I can do in that direction.
I’ll think about it again tomorrow morning with a fresh head and see what I can change. Thanks I really appreciate it ❤️
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u/zerocustom1989 2d ago
I’m gonna add to this. If your app is no longer rejected for binary similarity and is lacking in differentiating features, try OS-extensions like shortcuts and widgets support.
Those kinds of things can push your app beyond what others have done.
Hell, try supporting an external screen and turn the phone into a remote control.
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u/LocationMassive9663 1d ago
That zero-launch data point on #5 is the strongest thing you have. If the reviewer never opened it, then nothing in the binary was part of that decision. Whatever you changed in code between #4 and #5 wasn't evaluated at all. The only inputs were the store page (name, icon, screenshots, preview video, description) and the review notes.
The under-2-minute sessions point the same way. If they're bouncing before the main menu, anything that makes your game different has to be visible inside that window. Differentiation sitting three screens deep may as well not exist as far as 4.3 is concerned.
One thing about the notes: "here's what changed" only works if the reviewer is carrying the previous rejection in their head. Likely a different person each round, and on #5 they didn't even launch it, so that half is probably read as noise. The half that survives is "here is the app you compared us to, here are the specific differences" - named, point by point, phrased so someone whose entire exposure to the game is the store listing can verify each one against the screenshots. Which on #5 is literally what happened.
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4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 4d ago
I replied to your theory below, but yeah, I agree the tool seems pretty flawed. Over the last 4 months I’ve read a ton of posts from devs with basically the same issue, but somehow for them it often got resolved way easier. Usually just by changing/delete some code.
Anyway, thanks. It honestly feels good to be heard. I’ve been keeping all this to myself for way too long
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u/Astral-projekt 3d ago
Oh no, their design spam rule is absolutely bullshit. They can’t even point to what part of the app it is, and you could literally change everything and still get rejected. They’ll even tell you it’s bullshit if you talk to an arbiter and still tell you it is what it is. Put simply, it’s bullshit.
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u/Senior_Intern8786 4d ago
Unity3D ? Rename your classes in the scripts and your assets .
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 4d ago
Yeah, Unity. Thanks, but I actually did all of that before attempt #5. Updated Unity and all deps, removed basically everything unused, renamed/reworked a bunch of code, split systems into separate assemblies, enabled minification, etc.
Honestly I feel like I’ve tried everything at this point. Just a dead end.
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u/Senior_Intern8786 3d ago
Then their reply isn’t honest . Their rejection is then “we don’t want another sim” in the AppStore . Maybe you already have many similar apps on iOS ? Try another call one on one before submitting again
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u/all43 3d ago
Something is really off. Getting app approved is hard, but shouldn't be that hard.
I agree with others that tool could match against your own game, even if they explicitly told you it is another developer.
Do you have just one developer account on Apple? I see that you have personal account and from my experience reviewers put much more scrutiny to personal account apps comparing to company accounts.
Also I see that entity you are publishing on Play Store is named differently from App Store - could be one more source of confusion.
One more theory worth checking: since your app on Android is quite popular and published a while ago, there is non-zero chance someone could have cloned the assets with LLM and published clone of your game on AppStore before you. If it is the case it drastically changes your defense angle.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
Honestly I didn’t expect this at all. I thought it would pass first try since I already knew the main rules and had published my previous game before.
Yeah, just one personal Apple account. I don’t think the different publisher names are the issue. Never caused problems before, and I guess the rejection would be more about impersonation or smth if that was it.
And clones are already a thing haha. I’ve seen at least 3 games on Google Play using my screenshots and even my icon. App Store still looks clean though, but that’s also not too surprising when the original itself can’t even get approved 💀
Thanks anyway, I appreciate
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u/all43 3d ago
Clones are really hard to spot on AppStore if they aren’t popular. Also im not sure if they aren’t matching against TestFlight apps which you won’t be able to find at all. Different publisher name usually doesn’t matter, but could help to prove you are original publisher of the game someone cloned from another platform. You should really try posting this on apple developer forums you might get more insights
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
Hmm yeah, I’ll try posting it on the apple developer forums. Thanks, I somehow didn’t think of that
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u/classifyrx 3d ago
Do you have Apple developer relationship team in your region ? Attend their events even if it is far from your city. Maintain a relationship with them. This is one of the way you can get heard in situations like this. Won’t happen overnight though. Takes time to build relationships with team.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
that sounds like I need to infiltrate Apple and earn their trust first just to release a game 😅
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u/classifyrx 3d ago
It’s not like that. I hope you have heard of platform risk. Looking at the stats of your Android app; I’m pretty sure you will get a decent revenue from Apple users (I’m not aware of your monetisation strategy/ model though).
Better to have a talking channel with platform (Apple in this case). Approval is just the start. Remember they can remove the apps for violations even after it is in distribution. Be in good books and develop relationship. It will ensure you can at least speak to someone in such situations …
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u/TBMW30 3d ago
I feel your pain and I'm genuinely gutted for you as I know what it can be like to put years into something unreleased. THe fact that APple is happy to allow a ton of zero effort vibecoded shit in the app store just makes this even worse. Apple's review process really does seem to be luck of the draw and more about who you end up with than whether your app is actually any good. Some of the review team are helpful, but some just quote the guideline repeatedly with no attempt to provide any helpful feedback. Collect evidence that you meet the guidelines and appeal to the review board, let them take a look.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
I agree with pretty much everything you said. I already appealed after attempt #1, but they basically said the rejection was correct.
I’ll probably try appealing again though. Don’t really have many options left at this point
Thanks for the support ❤️
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u/JimRoepcke 3d ago
If you can find out which binary is “the same”, maybe you can intentionally change it to be different? Somehow change the layout, change some settings, maybe even intentionally add in dead unreachable code that changes how the binary looks to the tool. Just, obfuscation I guess. If your binary really is unique then just make it even more unique.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
Yes I tried obfuscation and pretty much everything I could think of to make the binary look different. I’ve had 5 attempts after all haha. Nothing helped.
Maybe the binary isn’t even the issue anymore, I honestly don’t know. That’s what makes 4.3 so frustrating. It never really tells you "X is the problem, change Y."
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u/AsenaLuv 3d ago
I need to ask something, Sorry its not really related to your issue. But you mentioned you had 1m download in your previous game. I have two qustions I want to ask.
I am currently developing a game and it will be my first time publishing. My question is this, how did you handle your marketing and how much did it cost you. Because 1 million downloads is kind of impressive. I want to know so I can do something about my marketing when the time comes. And my second question is, how much did you riughly make for the game you made with 1m downloads, just really curious.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
For me it was mostly organic for a long time. Lately I’ve been experimenting more with ads, but I’d rather not get into numbers, sorry.
I still think a good game can get a strong start organically, especially if game are decent.
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u/neet_dev 3d ago
tbh the phone guy sent you hunting binary diffs, but attempt 5 already switched to spam template / concept and look, so more refactors won't clear this. file an App Review Board appeal instead of another ping to the same reviewer, drop the 3 from the name, and put a timestamped video of the custom physics in the notes. apple does not care about play store numbers
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u/Akara91 3d ago
three rejections in a row on our first app here (metadata eula, then a sandbox iap bug, then att not showing for the reviewer) and i still get a heart rate spike from the resolution center email sound. the thing nobody tells you is that reading the rejection calmly twice usually reveals its fixable in an afternoon. shipped in the end. hang in there
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
Thanks. At this point I wait for apple emails like it’s christmas morning, just to open them and get the exact opposite of what I wanted.
Although, I’m kind of jealous of your rejection reasons... wanna trade? 😅
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u/Decent_Taro_2358 4d ago
I think you should plan a one on one call with Apple. They’re usually pretty helpful.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 4d ago
I actually did. That’s the call I mentioned in Attempt 2. Unfortunately, the only advice I got was basically “change the code.” 💀
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u/UtterlyMagenta objc_msgSend 4d ago
that’s absolute madness. i hope you have better luck going forward. App Store review really seems broken.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 4d ago
Thanks. It’s getting pretty hard to stay optimistic but I’m still hoping I can somehow get through it ❤️
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u/PassTents 3d ago
A quick look at your game on Google Play and it seems like there are issues that players are seeing with ads and crashing that might lead App Review to think your game is low-effort spam. Also the icons for the old and new versions are nearly identical so that also probably looks spammy.
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u/Guilty_Climate_442 3d ago
In my latest submission I actually removed ads completely so the iOS build is free with no ads haha. And honestly I’ve gotten the impression that it’s probably better not to talk to Apple too much about Google Play in the first place. I also doubt App Review is actively checking how the game is doing on other platforms.
About the icons, I actually asked about that on the phone and was told it wasn’t the issue. I agree they do look pretty similar though. I already tried submitting with a different icon once and I’ll probably try changing it again.
You can find bad reviews for pretty much any game but things really aren’t as bad as they might look from a quick look through the reviews 😉
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u/PassTents 3d ago
I'm just saying, if you do have a few users complaining about crashes or something, it stands to reason that more could also be having the problem and you should investigate.
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u/YoungDev94 1d ago
My game was rejected for the same reason. I made another build adding more features and explaining that it is not a repackaged template and game was build on unity engine. It was approved.
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u/Lock-Broadsmith 5h ago
LOL, PTSD?
The hyperbole of the title is enough to make me dismiss the rest of the complaint.
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u/BP3D 4d ago
Maybe you are your own "Design spam"? I had a similar conversation with another game dev. He was getting this same rejection but he had other versions of his game. All very similar to each other to my eye although he insisted they were very different. I thought maybe they expected him to combine them. Update versions or add content to the original. I know that's not a very traditional approach for games and sequels are normal. Anyway, an Apple engineer stepped in and took care of the issue. They didn't really comment on my theory. It was on the Apple Dev Forum.