Application update rejected due to violent content
Hi iPhone Devs,
after waiting 4 weeks for the approval of an application update I received an email that my update has been rejected for the following reason:
Quote:
We've reviewed Virtual Voodoo 1.2.0 and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains inappropriate violent content and is in violation of Section 3.3.14 from the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement which states:
"Applications may be rejected if they contain content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, sounds, etc.) that in Apple's reasonable judgement may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory."
The new version has just added a new feature to the application the main application is still the same as it is in the AppStore for a while now. I also rated the application 9+ due to mild cartoon violence but maybe this wasn't enough for them (though I think sticking pins in a doll is not really violent).
I replied to the mail and asked if I had to change the rating and reupload again and what the appropriate rating would be. They replied within 1 day which is really good but they didn't answer my questions they just replied the stuff from the first mail :-(
That's why I'm asking here now. Has anyone experience with this kind of rejection? And if yes what would be the correct way to deal with it?
I hope I can fix it by changing the ratings because changing the application is not possible because that would mean to remove the application from the AppStore.
My guess is that once you can tack a photo onto the doll, it's no longer "cartoon" violence. I'd try bumping up the rating. It's always just a guess, though.
Good point! I haven't thought of that yet. I also checked the ratings of similar applications and they all have a 9+ rating but they also have higher ratings in other categories.
I will upload a new binary today and adjust the ratings for my application. I hope they will review it a little bit faster and hopefully approve it this time.
Today I got an email that the application update is rejected again :-( Just changing the ratings and resubmitting the binary didn't help to get approved. They just replied with the exact same letter as the last time. If they had read and answered my mail they could have saved me and them some time. That's really not a good form of communication Apple is providing.
It seems that the ratings are not the problem, they want me to change the application itself (sounds and violent graphic). The point is that I can't see how sticking pins in a doll is that violent and there is now way to remove this from my application. Please have a look at my video and judge yourself.
I will maybe change the sounds (the sounds are just some comic style ouch and uuhhhs) to some not scream related sounds and hope it goes through this time.
It probably is just the rating. I've had an app rejected for similar reasons (one just depicting simple cartoon violence). I just upped all the relevant ratings to the upper extreme, resubmitted, and was approved. I'm fairly sure having a high rating doesn't really loose you that many sales, so I wasn't too upset about doing this, although it did/does seem over the top on Apple's part.
I Just talked to someone at Apple and I now know what the problem is. I just have to change the sounds. When you stick a pin into the doll or you shake your iPhone I play some human like suffering sounds and Apple doesn't allow such content in the App Store. Personally I think that the sounds aren't to violent, but what the heck.
So I will change the sounds to some more general comic like sound effects and resubmit again. I hope they don't find another reason to reject me because I have to get the Halloween keyword into my App before Halloween is over ;-) And I thought 2 months should be enough time......
Whohoooooo! After 2 1/2 months the update made it to the store. The replaced sounds did the thing.
a couple of days ago I got the review delayed mail and was pretty concerned that I got rejected again. Yesterday Apple tried to call me but a couple of hours later the approval mail got into my inbox.
It was close but the update is just in time for Halloween :-)
Application update rejected due to violent content
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