It appears that Apple Review has recently deployed a new spam operation, sending the following message. Guideline 2.1 - Information Needed - New App Submission We need additional information to better understand the app and complete the review. Note: Before submitting, run the submitted build through your own testing and quality assurance process on supported physical devices. App Review is intended for apps and metadata that are complete and ready for App Store customers. If the app is ready for review, follow the directions below. Next Steps Add all of the following information to the Notes field of the App Review Information section in App Store Connect and resubmit your app for Review: A screen recording captured on a physical device, running the latest operating system, demonstrating the app's functionality. The recording must begin with launching the app and show the typical user flow. If the app has any of the following, include them in the recording: Account registration, login, and account deletion flows. Account deletion is required in apps that support account creation. Any user-generated content, including the required content reporting and blocking mechanisms. Accessing paid content or features within the app. A description of the app's purpose and target audience, including the problem it solves and the value it provides Instructions for setting up and accessing the app's main features, including any required login credentials or sample files A list of the external services, tools, or platforms the app uses to deliver its core functionality (for example, data providers, authentication services, payment processors, or AI services) Describe any regional differences in the app’s features or content, or confirm that the app functions consistently across all regions If the app operates in a highly regulated industry or includes protected third-party material, provide any relevant documentation or credentials to demonstrate you are authorized to provide these services or protected material Even when you have something like the following under App Review Information, they send it to harass you. Their ultimate goal is obviously to kill your will and to talk you out of sending a new submission for Review. It works. I have little interest in developing macOS applications and iOS apps. What they do disgusts me. I can't image who is involved in this harassment operation.

I hate what they are doing now. They use a spam bot to send messages daily. One message says We are unable to proceed with our review as this app’s status is currently "Prepare for Submission." You will need to submit a new build for review. More information about submitting builds can be found in App Store Connect Help. We look forward to reviewing your resubmitted app. Best regards, App Review If I look at the History section, there is no pending submission. If I tell the spam bot to stop, I get the following response. We understand your concerns. Our communication is part of the App Review process to clarify issues related to your app’s compliance with the App Review Guidelines. Our intention is to provide guidance and help you understand the requirements for approval. Please review the feedback provided and let us know if you have any questions regarding the specific guideline concerns. Best regards, App Review So they use a spam bot to keep harassing you. They refuse to review your software submissions. What you get for $99 is nothing but harassment.

So if you submit several apps each month for review, their bot will reject all of them including ones that are in a waiting queue all at once. The worst part is that they will send you a message like the following. Hello, Thank you for your response. After further review, we found that this app's feature set and user interface is similar to other apps submitted to the App Store. Although the apps might not be identical, they do not differ enough in features or functionality to be considered unique. It would be appropriate to incorporate additional features, functionality, and user interface elements into your app that would better differentiate it from other apps. Once you have made the appropriate changes to your app, we can continue with our review. We look forward to reviewing your revised and resubmitted app. Best regards, App Review If you have several apps rejected, you will receive one for each rejected app. So who is spamming? Us or Apple Review? I find it quite annoying if I receive this type of messages 4 or 5 times.

I find a topic at reddit.com instigating a review exchange almost everyday like the following, trying to manipulate app ratings. Even when they are told that their accounts can be terminated, many of them are quite defiant. This is the type of developer account holders that I would like Apple, Inc. to go after for termination.

No, it's not me. I've run into a seemingly inapproapriate topic at Redit where a guy or whomever it is suggests that they want to buy an unused developer account because he or she is not able to open one. ( https://www.reddit.com/r/appledevelopers/comments/1xfjodz/buying_a_developer_account/ ) Desperate people do desperate things, but it seems that this person is about cross a red line.

After I had my desktop application rejected for spam, I filed an appeal telling that there were no similar software titles at Mac App Store. I then received the following message from the appeal board several hours ago. While processing your request, we noticed that you have since resubmitted the app for review. To ensure the new submission is processed as quickly as possible, we will close your appeal at this time and expedite the app's review. The case is dismissed after I waited for nearly 3 weeks. There has been only one submission, though, as you see in the screenshot. That's why the appeal board can never be trusted. People at Apple, Inc often point to things that don't exist.

I'm able to set metadata screenshots under the primary language. But all screenshots are locked under a non-primary language. Why are they locking them before I submit a build for review? How disappointing...

When I was preparing to submit a new application to App Store Connect, I received a rejection message that says the following. The Support URL provided in App Store Connect, https://www.xxx.net/?p=8034, does not direct to a website with information users can use to ask questions and request support. I immediately accessed the website at the said URL. And I saw a comment box after scrolling further down. Shockingly, this is the 2nd time in a year for me to receive this same rejection. Just jump to a conclusion without scrolling further down, huh!? What a group of professional reviewers... I don't think this is a mistake. It must be part of a series of sabotage campaigns that started in March or April of this year.

They reject my desktop application submission by requesting information. Okay. So what do they want to know? It looks like they are asking me about its in-app purchases with an odd, English sentence. This application doesn't have in-app purchases. It doesn't even use StoreKit. No, the Xcode project doesn't have the in-app purchase capability, either. They often see things that don't exist. They did it in 2011. They still do it. I don't know why they keep wasting my time with this silly reason. I don't know how they sleep at night, not knowing that they have casually clicked on the Reject button. Some people spend weeks, months, if not years, developing software. And they reject it without cause. It's so unscientific of one of the world's largest software companies to punish little people like me.

I've been trying to submit a new software update. But App Store Connect doesn't show the last Build I uploaded with Xcode's Organizer. It's been 30+ minutes. Yet, System Status doesn't indicate an outage. What's the point of their having this site? Or is it just I who is having trouble?

Apple, Inc. writes the following at this URL. On average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. It was true till the end of the last year. But the days of their glory are long gone. I would like Apple, Inc. to stop overstating the review wait time. It's nowhere near what it used to be. In fact, it's close to what it used to be 15 years ago. For iOS apps, the average wait time is two weeks, if not longer. For macOS applications, it's a week or less. I don't have a problem waiting for two weeks. But I do have a problem reading complaints due to the overpromised review timeline that Apple, Inc. can no longer maintain.

I'm finally able to get my Preview Videos accepted. But I often end up waiting for at least one hour. Sometimes, it takes several hours. I don't know why it takes so long. I hope Apple, Inc. will do a better job so that I can go to bed. This is silly.

You get your software title approved and then receive an email message that says it's Ready for Distribution." Don't trust them. You go there and then find out if it's actually being distributed. Sadly, this is the 5th time of the year where they remove the software title in question. I don't think it's a mistake. I am certain that someone is doing it on purpose. I have never received a followup answer.

We get a message that says that our software submission has been approved. Some 10 minutes later, I go there and then find out that it has been deliberately removed by somebody at Apple, Inc again. Right, again... I don't know who is doing it. This is the 4th sabotage incident this year. I have sent a message by clicking on Contact Us. Every time I make an inquiry, a lady replies and says that she will have somebody contact us. But we never receive a followup. I don't know who is doing it. We definitely don't appreciate this type of harassment or sabotage by Apple, Inc. because we have to go there every time they approve our submission. This is a total waste of time. And it's nothing but stupid. They do it whether it's a new software submission or an update. They do it whether the development platform is iOS or macOS. No, we never use manual release.

I submitted a new app in the morning of December 30th, last year. A reviewer picked it up 2 days ago and then rejected it by saying that the Send button remains disabled. Of course, it remains disabled because the user is supposed to select a message out of 300 of them. The app comes with a how-to-use guide, which states that you need to select a message by tapping the Select button. Now, the reviewer is MIA. I don't necessarily blame the reviewer for not having read the user guide thoroughly. But I wonder why they don't just ask instead of jumping to a conclusion? They often reject the app for simple reasons these days. And they are often wrong. I understand that everybody makes a mistake. But they are wrong 4 out of 5 times. Last year, a reviewer rejected the app by saying that the user is not able to ask a question at the support site when in fact it was just the matter of scrolling down further. This is the type of reasons I strongly suggest they ask instead of jumping to a conclusion and then rejecting the app. It's quite difficult for me to make plans while dealing with reviewers if they are this sloppy.