[iOS] Discussion: App Store Rules

[gbougakov]

Added by contributors of the repo

IMPORTANT NOTICE ABOUT iOS APPS

Apple will reject or remove your sticker app from the App Store if it uses the UI sample that WhatsApp provides. When creating an iOS sticker app, please make sure to develop a unique user interface with your own styling to comply with Apple's App Store guidelines. Do not use our sample app's UI as is, please significantly modify the UI before submitting. You should also consider adding additional functionality to your app (sharing stickers to other apps, to iMessage, etc) or any other features that you deem suitable. This will assist you in passing Apple's App Store review.

https://github.com/WhatsApp/stickers/tree/master/iOS#important-notice-about-ios-apps

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Please read before replying

Right now there is no proper strategy to avoid rejection. Period. I am not a WhatsApp employee nor am I affiliated with WhatsApp in any way

If your app was rejected, please upvote this issue. Do not reply

UPDATE: WhatsApp team is discussing the situation with Apple. Do not appeal your rejection too many times or they might close your developer account. UPDATE 2: My app was approved

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Today, I received a message from Apple App Review Team that said that my app was rejected because it "repeated the functionality of other apps and just changed content" and was spam. Had anyone experienced the same? What can I do to work around this?

[ptkdev]

@kzka90 your idea is very good

[btpluez28301]

Hi folks, We have updated the project's main README, as well as the iOS README with new information. Apple will reject or remove your sticker app from the App Store if it uses the UI template that WhatsApp provides in the sample app.

When creating an iOS sticker app, please make sure to develop a unique user interface with your own styling to comply with Apple's App Store guidelines. Do not use our sample app's UI as is, please significantly modify the UI before submitting.

There is a new section in the iOS readme that addresses this, and we encourage you to reference it, modify your apps accordingly, and resubmit.

Thank you, Randall on behalf of WhatsApp

[c4b4d4]

Hi folks, We have updated the project's main README, as well as the iOS README with new information. Apple will reject or remove your sticker app from the App Store if it uses the UI template that WhatsApp provides in the sample app.

When creating an iOS sticker app, please make sure to develop a unique user interface with your own styling to comply with Apple's App Store guidelines. Do not use our sample app's UI as is, please significantly modify the UI before submitting.

There is a new section in the iOS readme that addresses this, and we encourage you to reference it, modify your apps accordingly, and resubmit.

Thank you, Randall on behalf of WhatsApp

Not really. I did an entire mini-game with the following UI and still got rejected:

Is there a way to add Stickers through the browser? Like my previous post.

[sf-lee]

I'm trying to do a JavaScript code in order to send Sticker Packs from the browser, but I haven't made it work. Anyone want to help? This is what I'm doing:

<script>
document.addEventListener("copy", function(e) {
  e.clipboardData.setData("net.whatsapp.third-party.sticker-pack", JSON); //JSON is the string with all the sticker info exactly as the iPhone app saves it in the clipboard, images are in compressed
  e.preventDefault();
});

function sendToWhatsApp() {
  var sel = document.getSelection();
  var range = document.createRange();
  range.selectNodeContents(document.body);
  sel.removeAllRanges();
  sel.addRange(range);
  document.execCommand("copy");
  window.getSelection().removeAllRanges();

  location.href = "whatsapp://stickerPack";
}
</script>
<button onclick='sendToWhatsApp()'>Send</button>

But I keep getting:

There's a problem with this sticker pack and it can't be added to WhatsApp.

Whenever it launches WhatsApp. Has anyone here tried something similar?

WhatsApp on iOS does not read the JSON in plaintext. It reads the JSON in form of a data object after serialization. No "user land" app can create such "low-level" object so that's why you will need an app to wrap it.

[ranrinc]

@kzka90 yeah yours look totally different.. if that get rejected then everyone else will never go pass through... WA team any solutions?

[sf-lee]

Hi folks, We have updated the project's main README, as well as the iOS README with new information. Apple will reject or remove your sticker app from the App Store if it uses the UI template that WhatsApp provides in the sample app.

When creating an iOS sticker app, please make sure to develop a unique user interface with your own styling to comply with Apple's App Store guidelines. Do not use our sample app's UI as is, please significantly modify the UI before submitting.

There is a new section in the iOS readme that addresses this, and we encourage you to reference it, modify your apps accordingly, and resubmit.

Thank you, Randall on behalf of WhatsApp

What about changing how WhatsApp imports the sticker packs? Asking people to develop an app for importing stickers is just ridiculous.

To make it more available to artists/illutrators, not just geeks/developers, WhatsApp can read plaintext JSON rather than a serialized one. Apply checking mechanisms to make sure the JSON string does not overflow. The JSON strings can be gernerated via webapps, which there is already a bunch on the WWW.

[chbaluch]

I submited my app to app store still in review process. I hope it approve

[ranrinc]

@sf-lee agree... why do we have to developed something for stickers?

[luiscraik]

Please share your approved apps, I still think Apple will block most of Sticker apps :/

[sanestani]

Any news? Does anyone discover the fire allready? haha, I want to know how, please. (My app was rejected 2 days ago)

[chbaluch]

any solutions? my app also rejected

[gbougakov]

@sanestani @chbaluch please see the top of the issue.

[sanestani]

Yes, @gbougakov I allready read it all, just asking if there is any news or if somebody finally can upload one app of stickers to apple store, and how we should do

[gbougakov]

UPDATE: My stickerpack was approved after an appeal!!

[MarsVard]

@gbougakov what did you write in your appeal? what was the case?

[al3bsi]

UPDATE: My stickerpack was approved after an appeal!!

How did you do that? What message did you send them?

[gbougakov]

I explained, that it was no different from iMessage sticker apps

[MarsVard]

do you have a link to your app?

[gbougakov]

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wordmojis/id1441432317?mt=8 It is processing now

[MarsVard]

How many times did you appeal this before you got through?

[gbougakov]

Once

[gbougakov]

Maybe my arguments were convincing 🙃

[al3bsi]

Maybe my arguments were convincing 🙃

Please can you explain what you told them exactly? Have you added any iMassege stickers ?

[gbougakov]

Yes, I did. I’ll explain everything later cuz I’m in class right now :)

[al3bsi]

Yes, I did. I’ll explain everything later cuz I’m in class right now :)

I Waiting for you to explain to me what I said to them? :)

[gbougakov]

Sorry, wrong link https://itunes.apple.com/ru/app/wordmojis/id1442071035?l=en&mt=8

[luiscraik]

@gbougakov Congrats! I guess one key thing is adding an iMessage pack. Then I am thinking if they will only allow a few more apps since I guess you were one of the few people who submitted your app when everything was still new. Thanks for letting us know!

Has anyone else got an approval?

[gbougakov]

Here you go:

[al3bsi]

What ? Is this just what convinced them?

[gbougakov]

What ? Is this just what convinced them?

Well, they approved it, so yeah :)

[foma24]

@gbougakov Could you provide reject message too ?

[gbougakov]

@gbougakov Could you provide reject message too ?

Please see the top of the issue :)

[mo7amedr]

@gbougakov UPDATE 2: My app was approved

HOW ??

[MarsVard]

I think you just got lucky @gbougakov my app was approved as well at first for about 3 weeks, had over 600k downloads, then got removed ...

Wish you luck!

[gbougakov]

@marsvard Mine was rejected but then approved. I really hope that they won’t delete it.

@mo7amedr please read the whole thread

[sanestani]

@gbougakov how do you modify the template or the UI? Only adding send to imessage? Or something else? And is there posible to see a the lines of code somewere, for adding to imessage? A guide or something, I dont know. Im not a developer, only designer, I wasnt able to create others stickers packs in the same app for iOs. But doesnt had any problem developing it in Android. Sorry for my bad English, im from Argentina. Thanks

[gbougakov]

Guide: https://github.com/WhatsApp/stickers/issues/230#issuecomment-439058052

[gbougakov]

I did not modify the UI at all

[sanestani]

Ok the guide, but is this explaining how to add for both? (Whatsapp and imessage?)

[gbougakov]

Yes it is. You just do the steps inside your WhatsApp xcode project

[rishabhdugar]

i just submitted with same UI, had to because i paid 99$ 2 days back thinking all i needed to do was create stickers, can any ios developer help to change UI for this (Istickers + tinder swipe view)? in return i can do equivalent type of work for you in native android

[sanestani]

Now I can send this to iMessage, but I cant send it to whatsapp, and this is the error I get

[gbougakov]

Now I can send this to iMessage, but I cant send it to whatsapp, and this is the error I get

Can you upload it to a GitHub repository or take a full screenshot of the window?

[sanestani]

[gbougakov]

Can you upload the log in the bottom right to gist.github.com and send a link here?

[gbougakov]

Yes, but fully. It looks like it's not full

[gbougakov]

Guys, can anyone help? @sanestani I'd suggest opening a new issue

[sanestani]

ok

[sanestani]

https://github.com/WhatsApp/stickers/issues/292

[luiscraik]

@gbougakov how did you avoid to install the Whatsapp Sticker App on iPads? I got the iMessage and WhatsApp together, I just tried on iPad (to see the iMessage stickers work) and the little Whatsapp app was installed on it.