Looking for experience from developers whose "4.3(a) Design - Spam" rejection was eventually explained or overturned.
My situation:
Our developer account has no other apps. This app is our own code, design and data. Nobody on the team is on any other developer account.
The app is the iOS client of a web service that has been live since 2025 with an active community of a few thousand registered users. The same app got recently published on Google Play.
The app allows logged-out browsing, though many features require a free account. Sign in with Apple, OAuth and email/password are all supported.
Since this is largely a community app, we built proper moderation and privacy features: automated Amazon Rekognition screening and human moderation of all user-submitted media before it is published, plus block and report for users and content.
The app is in the collecting / tracking hobby and covers niche material that mainstream apps do not carry. For several of the franchises we carry we are not aware of any App Store app at all.
First version: rejected 4.3(a). We rewrote the subtitle, keywords and description. Second review: the same boilerplate 4.3(a) text, no explanation. Appealed to the App Review Board: upheld, no app named, same generic response.
Second version (about a month later) a genuinely different release with new released: focus shifted to community features, messaging, full iPad support with proper design, new screenshots. We also attached a video walkthrough of the features no other app covers and gave the reviewer detailed instructions on where to find them and why they matter to users. Result: the same 4.3(a) text after about 15 days in review, again no app named.
Our server records show the demo account we provided in App Review Information was never signed into during the second review (no auth event, no SDK session). Everything the review notes point to is behind sign-in.
The codebase is Expo. The only stock pieces are the RevenueCat paywall and the social login buttons. Everything else is ours, including a large backend and data pipeline.
What I would love to know from others who faced this: when your 4.3(a) was finally resolved, what was the actual cause? What did the journey look like? Anything concrete would help me know where to look.
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