App rejected, no substantive replies and no response to my appeal — what should I do?

App Store Distribution & Marketing App Review
jerry8870 OP
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Hi everyone,

After my app was rejected, repeated contact attempts and an appeal have not led to any meaningful guidance. What should I do next?

Apple ID: 6807882674

Review timeline (all dates are in 2026):

  • September 7: First submitted the app for App Store review.
  • September 16: The app was rejected. I then sent three messages through Contact Us and received no reply to any of them. I subsequently submitted an appeal, which also received no response.
  • During this period: I continued developing the app, updating the review information and resubmitting. Multiple TestFlight external beta builds were also rejected. When I contacted Apple about those rejections, the replies were generic process information with no specific advice on what to change.
  • October 20 (UTC): Resubmitted the app for App Store review. As of October 27, it is still Waiting for Review, with no further update.

It has been 50 days since my first submission, including rejection, an appeal and resubmissions.

I understand that reviews take time. However, the replies I have received feel mechanical and unhelpful: they repeat general process information without addressing my specific questions or explaining what needs to change. I still do not know how to move forward.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? How can I obtain case-specific guidance? If an Apple staff member sees this, could you help check my case or advise on the next step? I can provide the relevant case numbers through the support channel.

Thank you for your help. I will update this thread daily until there is substantive progress with the review.

Replies  8
Boosts 0
Views  430
Participants  3
jerry8870 OP

Update — October 29, 2026: I have not received any reply from Apple or any update on my app’s review today.
Tomato OP

They never tell you what to do. That's how they have been at least since I got on board in Feb. 2011. Use a search engine.
jerry8870 OP

Update — October 29, 2026: I still have not received any response from Apple today, and my app remains in “Waiting for Review.” There has been no change in its review status.
jerry8870 OP

Update — October 31, 2026: I still have not received any response from Apple today, and my app remains in “Waiting for Review.” There has been no change in its review status.
jerry8870 OP

Update — November 2, 2026: I still have not received any response from Apple today, and my app remains in “Waiting for Review.” There has been no change in its review status.
jerry8870 OP

Update — November 4, 2026

I received a response from App Review today. My app was rejected under Guideline 4.3(a) — Design — Spam. Apple stated that it shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept with apps submitted by other developers, with only minor differences.

Apple has also arranged for a representative to call me within the next 3–5 business days to discuss the review.

I am waiting for that call and hope to understand the specific similarities they identified and what substantive changes or evidence are needed. The review issue remains unresolved.
jerry8870 OP

Update — November 5, 2026

I have just spoken with Apple by phone about my app’s review. During the call, Apple explained that my app has similarities to apps previously submitted to the App Store, specifically in the app icon and code.
bam_my_knee OP

@jerry8870 I am going through something similar, rejected 4.3(a) -- how did you manage to get the phonecall? and did they advise anything to do to get through this? mind sharing what are your next actions and plan of escalation / resolution... thanks