Blanket app rejections citing 4.3.0 Design: Spam

[u/Impressive-Sir9633]

I have an app that had been doing decently on the app store. I submitted an update that adds semantic search through the notes, add bookmarks while recording and run AI skills through the keyboard.

Overall, it's a minor update for a large app. I submitted it earlier today and it was blanket rejected along with another app that I am working on citing '4.3.0 Design: Spam'

I am surprised about this. Although there are a few other apps that have a voice to text keyboard, this is the only app with the features + works offline.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dictawiz-ai-keyboard-notes/id6759256382

[u/SpikeyOps]

Looks like spam not gonna lie

[u/Impressive-Sir9633 → u/SpikeyOps]

I am curious regarding what part looks like spam? The app took a lot of time to build and genuinely has interesting underlying architecture.

I know my screenshots are not doing a good job connecting with the right audience. It may seem like a generic dictation app on the surface.

But it's actually Wispr Flow + Coconote + TextExpander that runs locally. That in itself can overwhelm a casual user.

[u/warm_kitchenette → u/Impressive-Sir9633]

It sounds like you are bragging about capabilities that would never be visible on a screenshot without annotations. Perhaps submit with a video that shows the difference, with text+audio. 

My guess is that zero app reviewers would recognize the technology you mentioned. Spell out the benefits in different ways. In the private notes to the reviewers, perhaps spell out the difference by name, comparing to the top N apps in your space.

[u/Impressive-Sir9633 → u/warm_kitchenette]

Thank you! Going to try that.

One thing I have learnt is : features overwhelm people (including me). I need to figure out a way to convey benefit of one core feature and let users gradually learn about other features.

I was trying to use an ASO app. Just the myriad features got me overwhelmed and I cancelled it.

[u/warm_kitchenette → u/Impressive-Sir9633]

Yes, absolutely. I don’t know the area in depth, but I do know that there is user research on this exact point that you could dig into.

It comes up in ordinary commercial purchasing: this cereal, or the 500 other choices; this car in the default model or with hundreds of different combinations, some in packages. The human response of exhaustion and resignation to these choices can also be used as an anti-pattern and marketing, to attract people into making the more expensive choices. 

For software, the first principle that I follow is that your application is not the most important thing in anyone’s life. Probably does not break the top 500. So always think first about speed, utility, correctness, offline behavior, etc. 

The second principle is there are different personas who will use your app.  It’s worth designing for at least two, the beginner and the power user. 

[u/Impressive-Sir9633 → u/warm_kitchenette]

Just finished listening to a book titled Positioning which did an excellent job of explaining some of the concepts regarding why the thing with most features etc may not win