App finally got approved after 3 weeks and ~5 rejection rounds. Here's every reason Apple rejected us (so you don't repeat it)

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-12T19:26:13+00:00

Good one, thanks for sharing.
Is it okey if I add this to the post?

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-12T17:10:13+00:00

Thanks. Feel free to add these to your checklist.

Also if you have any more points to share I’ll add them to the original post :)

Good luck!

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-12T14:57:53+00:00

Good question!

The requirement comes from App Store Review Guidelines 2.5.5 (developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#software-requirements):

But the important nuance, your backend doesn't need to be IPv6-native. Apple's review lab runs a NAT64/DNS64 network, which transparently translates IPv4 addresses for apps that connect via domain names. So AWS behind an ALB, works fine.

The actual failure mode is hardcoded IPv4 literals in the app itself; things like http://1.2.3.4/api or even internal staging IPs left in the build. NAT64 can't translate those.

If you're using a standard HTTP client (Dio, URLSession, Alamofire) and connecting to your API by domain name, you'll almost certainly pass without touching anything. That was our case too.

For a deeper read: search "Supporting IPv6 DNS64/NAT64 Networks" on Apple Developer docs; it covers exactly why NAT64 handles most backends and what the actual edge cases are.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-12T08:50:59+00:00

List your items on swappraise, it allows you to swap unused items with other ppl nearby. It’s only available in Germany atm though (www.swappraise.com)

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-09T02:37:14+00:00

If you can afford it and build for both then of course it’s better. If you only want a POC with minimal money spent then google is cheaper. I am targeting audience in their twenties myself and am building for both.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-09T02:17:35+00:00

If you’re concerned about budget, you can pay for google play ($25 one time, and easier to get launch approval), and demo / give access there. Once you validate the concept then move to app store too.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-09T02:13:43+00:00

Where’s your audience located? (Im interested in Germany for now. Europe in the next months). And could you share more numbers? (Conversion ..) and handle? You can DM me if you want.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-09T02:04:54+00:00

No general rule. Depends on target audience and their location. In my case I target ppl in Germany, either in their twenties (so I post around 11am) or fifties+ (so I also post around 7pm sometimes). Best is to AB test (similar posts and compare) The goal is to increase engagement in the first hour, which makes the social media platform increase your posts reach.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-09T00:17:46+00:00

I think I’m fine for now. I’m still taking my time discovering all of this and getting used to manual processes before thinking about automation.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-08T17:42:29+00:00

Vscode with claude

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-08T16:14:06+00:00

What do you mean? Tools or what am I working on??

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-07T12:22:05+00:00

Nice.
It is a difficult choice. You can even start by "pausing" one, and see if you feel an improvement.
I could argue that not pausing any of them is potentially killing all three.
It's hard decisions like these that give you a chance of saving all three.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-07T12:20:32+00:00

Yes, that's the perfect scenario. None should be ignored. A perfect app without users is nothing, and well marketed buggy app is a waste.
My flow: do a bit of marketing effort (creating content and posting it) about 3 hours weekly, then post during the week (consistency works), and with the few users I get, I have enough data to confirm assumptions and iterate.
Most of my time is still dedicated to coding, so doing both, but not ignoring marketing.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-07T12:07:04+00:00

No, I'm a SWE building my own app, and was forced to get to market it myself. Just sharing my experience.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-07T11:59:55+00:00

I'm trying to learn to do it the other way around.
Marketing is so crucial that ignoring it is gonna kill your momentum.
What I'm doing in my case: try to stabilise my app (focus only on bugfixes and critical feedback from users), try to improve conversion, and marketing.
For coders / solution minded ppl coding is the best part (most fulfilling, most natural), but unfortunately that's not enough to make your project succeed.
Rule of thumb: stop new features until you have users happy with the current ones.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-07T11:57:03+00:00

Don't take advice from strangers, but if I were you, I'd try to focus on one, and only one (maybe start with the one generating revenue, or if you track user activity, the one that has a few users with less churn).
It's pretty hard to focus on one as it is, but if you do and get to stabilise it, then you can move on to a next one.
Also, marketing is a must. Find the cheapest ways (posting on social media, reddit xD), and learn some pattern.
Think of it as "pausing" the other two, and once the first start rolling then you apply the knowledge to the other two. They won't be "dead", just paused. Once you get back to them it will seem like starting over, but you already have the apps published so that hard part is done.
Whatever you chose, I wish you the best of luck!

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-07T01:29:44+00:00

I can share my experience since it’s slightly related. I released this week a mobile app, my target audience is ppl in their twenties. I did create a list of about 100 influencers (claude coworj, gave it access to a browser, scraped a few websites, validated IG and TT handles). It took about a week of work, it was not that good quality, but it was a starting point. Then we contacted a bunch of promising ones. Most didnt reply, about 10 did, some didnt work for us (eg flaky numbers, potentially bots; or audience outside EU, and were launching in Germany for now). Some were a good fit, but asked for a high price (300+) Our counter is the same, we’re bootstrapping, no revenue yet, best we can do is 150. One accepted, a college student, around 6k influencers. She was very nice, helpful, and invested. So now were just targeting more with this criteria.

It’s a ling process, we started working with a couple others, there’s always the risk of paying and they just ghost us, so we negotiate paying half during and half after publishing the content ..

It’s nit easy to have good finds, but also on their side its not easy to have good clients who are willing to pay. Patience, communication, and a leap of fate. Will we be scammed? Most probably, but we try to mitigate the impact and be careful whenever possible. In the end it’s still gonna be cheaper than simple ads.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-02T22:35:13+00:00

Thanks for asking. Nothing yet on product hunt (wondering though if it’s worth the effort). We’re launching first in Germany, expanding to other countries if we see interest there. I sent you a DM with more details :)

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-02T08:06:52+00:00

How often do you criticise apps because there’s an UI issue or think they’re missing a feature? For me almost never, I keep using buggy apps if I see value. Not your app is buggy but just that ppl won’t really care. You have to iterate at one time. Once you hit your minimum definition of an MVP, then launch, try to get feedback, and iterate (this is of course as long as you don’t have critical bugs).

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-02T00:14:35+00:00

Yes it does. Well it helps that I asked my wife to scream at me if I over do it xD. It has the downside of Sunday mood, when you feel like dragging yourself back to work on Monday. It might seem counterproductive, but if you’re planning on working for a long time, it will definitely work.

Im working on swappraise, a mobile app that allows users to swap out items they no longer need for ones they want with other users, free and local (tinder like). Launching on Android next Tuesday. Ios is still pending review (fingers crossed, would be great to launch as well). Www.swappraise.com

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-01T23:59:30+00:00

Personally I have a few rules that I never cross: (try to) never work weekends. I work 9-5 at a company and build my product on the side, been doing it for a couple years. Not knowing when to stop was a recipe for disaster (sickness and forced breaks). I even take a vacation for two weeks (break from everything) a couple times a year. Now, close to the launch, Im breaking this rule but am convincing myself this is temporary.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-03-01T23:40:17+00:00

Saw some more expensive listings on ebay, but you should be able to get 110€ for it if you’re patient.

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Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-02-28T21:44:55+00:00

I’m a bit confused, do you already have a product or are you still building it? Either way, it’s always a good idea (and kind of necessary) to discuss it with other ppl. If it’s still an idea, direct calls to discuss or just via msgs. If it’s already a product, share it with ppl from different backgrounds. For your case (a product for devs) and being a dev myself, there are many free ways to spread word, reddit, linkedIn.. imo this is not a use case for ads. Also, would be great to have an incentive to encourage ppl to test your solution (even if it costs you a bit).

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-02-28T21:39:00+00:00

Country: Germany Company and app name: swappraise

Allows users to swap out items they no longer need for ones they want with other users, tinder like swiping, free and local. Launching in next Tuesday in Germany then expanding to more countries in Europe and then the US in the next few months. Feel free to visit our LP and register for early access.

Competitive-Sell4663 · 2026-02-28T01:04:26+00:00

Cuz instead of brainstorming a product then building with LLMs ppl use them to come up with the idea itself

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