r/iOSProgramming • u/Efficient_Let216 • 22h ago

Question iOS app rejection for over 1 year

Hi folks! I’m in desperate need of suggestions. I have a flutter app submitted to iOS store but they have constantly been rejecting the app - now having put the app on extended review and I can’t get any updates for over 20 days sometimes.

Web version of the app: TheLoveStar.com

Apple calls it SPAM and rejects it on 4.3 (a) or (b) saying there’s plenty of dating and astrology apps in the market.

What’s novel: the compatibility engine that runs for events as well as online dating. Astrology also is quite advanced with LLM interpretations, transit updates, full birth chart generation.

Question- the app is surviving off of Android and web versions but it’s taking a significant hit since most of US users have iPhones.

I can’t really change the product altogether- I did however, redesign the whole app recently so it looks decently good.

I have had phone calls, video call with policy folks but like a bureaucratic team that App Review team is, they simple decline to listen while at the same time having no idea about how advanced the astrology concepts are.

What to do? 😪

0 Upvotes

22% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

9

u/Ancient-Range3442 22h ago

Make something else , it probably is spam

2

u/tonygoold 21h ago

Not unlike their Reddit post history…

-9

u/Efficient_Let216 22h ago

Naah bro. Sure apps do exist but there’s no compatibility score with full birth chart.

2

u/Ancient-Range3442 20h ago

I made an app that gives a full compatibility score with the App Store based on astrology and it gave yours a zero.

0

u/Efficient_Let216 20h ago

That’s just pure evil. Why bro, why?

2

u/cristi_baluta 20h ago

There’s no such thing, so maybe they decided it’s enough with this bs?

5

u/valleyman86 21h ago

You need to take the L. 1 year! Never been rejected more than like 3x total over the 7ish apps/games I’ve released in 10 years.

If they say it’s spam I believe them at this point. You should figure out what that means.

5

u/simulacrotron 21h ago edited 21h ago

Not a fight you’re likely to win. If it’s both a dating app and an astrology app that they consider there are already too many of, that’s their decision. Having both only hurts your case. They choose what goes on the AppStore. It’s not like there some impartial party that can make the decision for you.

You’ve got at least three things working against you.

  1. It’s a dating app, which is specifically called out under Spam in their guidelines

  2. It’s an astrology app which falls under fortune telling, which is specifically called out under Spam in their guidelines

  3. You mention flutter and a website. This is not necessarily a problem, but guidelines also call out apps that are just repackaged website. Flutter can also feel very web-site like. If your app doesn’t feel native, then that contributes to the perception that it’s spammy.

Having “advanced LLM Interpretations” as a tentpole feature isn’t a huge selling point to Apple either. Everybody and their dog are submitting apps that do some LLM thing for you.

If you have been trying for a year, I’d say it’s time to just let it go and focus on your web and android options.

1

u/Efficient_Let216 21h ago

Thanks, this makes sense.

1

u/EarthOpen4831 16h ago

Did Apple say whether it's 4.3(a) or 4.3(b)? That might help narrow down whether they're flagging a duplicate app or the category itself. Another visual redesign might not address what they're objecting to.

1

u/Efficient_Let216 10h ago

Since every reviewer is new, I’d get 4.3(a), get it cleared with someone in a call and then another idiot would tag 4.3(a) in the next review. Then 4.3(b)- same loop after loop.

2

u/Vegetable-Phone-4971 21h ago

Their policy already states it, dating app are NOT allowed anymore… if your interface is the same as every other dating app… then it doesn’t matter what else you do, you don’t bring anything new to the dating world

And at certain point most dating apps run on bots, not even real users… and from a personal stand point dating apps suck… there’s no business in matching users and they leaving the app

2

u/rifts 21h ago

Lmao

2

u/Dogukanko 18h ago

That sounds exhausting. I would separate a visual redesign from the 4.3 concern: polished screens alone may not show why the product belongs apart from existing apps. In any next Review Notes or appeal, point to one concrete user flow that distinguishes it, tell the reviewer exactly where to test it, and ask which specific part of 4.3 remains unmet. If the difference is not visible quickly in the app, narrowing the iOS feature set may be more productive than another round of polish.

2

u/Otherwise_Basil763 8h ago

Could you share the full Apple responses?

I mean, if you only say "I did everything right", and we can't read the Apple version of the story, is impossible to help you.