Guideline4.3illustrative

4.3 with only one app on the account

Illustrative scenario — not a claimed client win.

§ 01Problem

A solo developer with a single live app received 4.3 and was sure Apple had the wrong account.

§ 02Apple rejection message

§ 03App background

An indie utility. One bundle ID. No other apps, no deleted apps. The first commit was a well-known open-source template.

§ 04What we initially suspected

False positive, because “no duplicate apps” felt like a complete defense.

§ 05Diagnosis

The account was clean. The binary was not. Onboarding, tab bar, IAP helper, and several class names still matched the template’s public demo, which other developers had already submitted.

§ 06What was changed

• Replaced onboarding and the root tab structure
• Removed unused template modules
• Reshot screenshots so review would not see the demo theme
• The reply admitted the starter and listed what had been replaced

§ 07What was not changed

• The fact that only one app existed — that was already true and not sufficient
• The main bundle ID

§ 08Reply to Apple

This account has one app. The project began from a public starter. We followed 4.3 by replacing the shared shell (onboarding, tabs, purchase helper) and rebuilding store metadata from the current UI.

§ 09Result

Illustrative outcome: approved after the rewritten build, not after the first “we only have one app” reply.

§ 10Lessons learned

• One app is a useful fact, not a diagnosis.
• Honesty about a starter reads better than “100% original.”
• If the demo app is still recognizable, a reply cannot finish the job.