As of today, the app has been reviewed and approved. It took approximately 20 days from the initial submission to review and final approval. For context, the initial submission was rejected under Guideline 1.1. I then submitted an appeal to the App Review Board, which required additional time for the board to review the rejection and confirm the app rejection was invalid. This appears to have been the main reason for the extended review timeline.

Yes, thank you for sharing your thoughts on this matter @Etresoft . I’ll definitely take note of your feedback and bring it back to the team so we can review the situation and make improvements to prevent similar issues from happening again. And yes, I completely understand that Apple isn’t working against our launch deadline. From our side, we’re simply trying to plan and submit the update early enough to meet our business timeline. That’s why we submitted the update on August 25. The unusual review delay has only started happening over the past two weeks. Before that, our app updates were consistently reviewed and went live within 24 hours, so this situation is quite unexpected for us. At this point, it seems there isn’t much else we can do besides wait for the app to move into review. Thank you again for sharing your perspective and taking the time to explain it.

Thank you for answering my questions, @Etresoft Yes, I’m still waiting for the current update to be reviewed by the App Review team. I completely understand your point about Apple potentially using AI as part of the review process. However, I want to clarify that my app is not a dating or spam app. It is a football/soccer game booking platform that has been established and operating long before the current AI era. Even when I ask an AI to explain what the app is about, it can accurately identify it as a football/soccer booking platform. I also double-checked the rejection reason and reviewed both the app name and description with AI. Nothing in the description was identified as objectionable or related to dating or spam services. This makes me believe that the description itself is clear and consistent with Guideline 1.1. If Apple’s review process is indeed using AI, I’m concerned that the system may be interpreting the word “Stranger” in our app name as a signal for dating or other objectionable content. However, “Stranger” is part of our established brand name, Stranger Soccer, and changing or removing it is not really an option. If this were a normal maintenance update or a new feature release, I would be completely fine with waiting for the review process. However, this particular submission is tied to an actual business operation launch in a new country. The launch is scheduled for September 1, so getting the update reviewed and approved on time is extremely important. A significant delay could directly affect our planned business operations and user experience. That’s why I’m hoping there may be another way to escalate or expedite the review of the current submission, especially since the previous rejection appears to have been a misunderstanding rather than an actual violation of the guideline. I’ll continue waiting for the current submission for now, but I’m concerned that simply waiting may not be enough given the business launch timeline.

As of today, 30 August, the app is still stuck and hasn’t received any review. This is very frustrating, especially with the launch date getting so close.

For the context, here is the detail of the app: Name: Stranger Soccer Description: Playing the world’s most popular sport: Now as easy as going for a jog. Born in Singapore, Stranger Soccer is now open in 10+ cities around the world, with over 100,000 games run. We continue to grow and are accepting applications from license partners who want to bring Stranger Soccer to their city. Check out the full list of open locations and learn more at www(dot)strangersoccer(dot)com. Football is the world's most popular sport, followed by 3.5 billion people in over 200 countries across the world. But why don't more people PLAY it? It can be a real hassle: finding enough players, committing to a fixed schedule, and so forth. The acclaimed Stranger Soccer App makes it as easy as going to the gym or for a jog. Browse. Hundreds of games are available at multiple timings and locations. Book a slot. Pay in seconds. Show up and play. Now wasn't that easy? There are many other great features! Follow people you enjoy playing with. Join games they'll be playing in, and invite one another to play. With a Stranger Soccer Membership, enjoy guaranteed savings every month. Get your first game FREE with promo code WELCOME.