App rejected under 4.3(a) Spam: original app, single-app account, appeal filed, no response

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Hello,

My app 岩片 (YanPian, Apple ID 6800534375, bundle ID com.ajin.heartrate) was rejected on September 19, 2026 under Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam. Submission ID: 69a97b70-0219-42fe-861f-ce737bc19b38, version 1.0 (202609061946).

The app is original. I wrote it myself, it is the only app on my account, I have not submitted similar apps on any other account, and I have never used or bought an app template.

It is a tool for lead climbers who film their climbs from a tripod far below the wall:

Heart-rate overlay: pick a climbing video from Photos. Heart-rate samples recorded by Apple Watch are read from HealthKit (read-only), matched to the video by capture time, and drawn on the video with a heart-rate graph.
Zoom and follow: the climber is tiny in a wide shot, so the app crops in and follows them with editable keyframes (on-device person detection).
Live capture, with an optional Zhiyun CQ5 gimbal that moves only when the climber is about to leave the frame, and an optional Apple Watch companion.

Everything runs on device. No account, no backend.

What I have done so far:

September 20: replied in App Store Connect with the explanation above. No response yet.
September 29: submitted an appeal to the App Review Board. An earlier appeal got no confirmation, and I cannot find any record of it.

The review was done on an iPad Air. The app is iPhone-only. Without a climbing video in Photos, the home screen only shows "New project" and "Live capture", so I understand it may look like a generic camera app. A screen recording of the full flow is attached to the submission in App Store Connect.

If a specific app looks similar, I would be glad to know which part so I can change it. Could someone from App Review take a look?

Thank you.

Answer 1

GetResubmit OP

18h

One detail may be worth addressing in your appeal: the reviewer tested on an iPad, and without a climbing video in Photos the app opens to a screen that can look like a generic camera tool. That may make the app’s specific purpose harder to recognize, though it does not establish why Apple applied 4.3(a).

I’d make the review path unmistakable: include a sample climbing video in the review instructions, list the exact steps to import it, show the HealthKit overlay and climber-tracking workflow, and explain what the optional gimbal and Watch companion add. Also confirm that the submitted iPhone build was tested in the iPad environment used for review.

Ask App Review to clarify whether the concern is 4.3(a), meaning multiple Bundle IDs for the same app, or 4.3(b), meaning the app is indistinguishable from existing apps. Those are different issues and need different evidence. Since you’ve already filed an appeal, I’d wait for that review and avoid another speculative submission.

Answer 2

Bilousov OP

9h

I think the key is the thing you already noticed: the reviewer probably never saw what makes the app unique. On an iPad with no climbing video in Photos and no Apple Watch heart-rate data in HealthKit, the first screen is "New project" and "Live capture". That looks like a generic camera app, and 4.3(a) is judged largely on that first impression and the metadata.

What I'd change before resubmitting, rather than waiting on the appeal:

Add a built-in sample project: a short bundled climbing clip with sample heart-rate data, opened from something like "Try a sample climb" on the home screen. Then the overlay and zoom-and-follow work instantly, without Photos, HealthKit data or a Watch.
Put it at the top of the review notes: "The core features need an Apple Watch heart-rate recording and a climbing video. To see them without either, tap Try a sample climb on the home screen."
Check how heart rate is positioned in your name, subtitle, keywords and screenshots. "Heart rate" is one of the most crowded categories and a common 4.3 target. If the metadata leads with climbing video (overlay, follow-cam for lead climbing), the app lands in a very different category in the reviewer's eyes.
Make the first screenshots show the finished result: a climber on the wall with the heart-rate graph, not the capture screen.

Since iPhone-only apps are also reviewed on iPad, make sure the sample flow works there in compatibility mode.

If it's rejected again, post the new message here.