@AppStorePolice

Calling out apps that break the App Store Review Guidelines and use dark patterns. Receipts + guideline numbers. Tips → DMs open. Not affiliated with Apple.

Joined February 2024
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Glam AI just got pulled from the US App Store. Look at the dark patterns on its paywall: 1. Yearly plan sold as "$1.15 per week". The $59.99 you're actually billed is the smaller number (3.1.2). 2. "Limited Offer" countdown, no discount anywhere. It's only there to rush you into paying (5.6). Apple hasn't said why it was removed, but it rejects both of these. Copy this paywall and yours could be next. xitter.cf/Siron93/status/2112590…
Siro
@Siron93Oct 20
Glam AI is no longer available on the US App Store!! launched in Feb 2021. est. $550K revenue in Sep 2026. I went back through its recorded onboarding: - AI photo and video previews. - gender and creative-goal questions - a “Preparing…” checklist - paywall with a 10-min countdown I don’t know what happened here, no confirmed reason, but it’s a reminder that years on the store don’t guarantee the next one.
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Replying to @MaxHirsch13
@MaxHirsch13
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Replying to @AppStore
@AppStore Reporting 3AK Sprinting: 1. The paywall sells the yearly plan as "$0.95/wk". The $49.99/yr you're actually billed is grey fine print at the bottom (3.1.2). 2. Close it: "One Time Offer, 95% OFF, only $0.67/week". Still no yearly price up top. The 95% is against their $12.99 weekly plan. Against the $49.99/yr you just saw, it's 30% off, first year only (3.1.2, 5.6). 3. "One time", with a countdown. Close it, come back, and it's there again. Fake urgency (5.6). 4. Say no to all of it and it nags you to pay from your lock screen with a Live Activity (4.5.3).
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Replying to @AppStore
@AppStore “WA Business” charges $2.99/week for WhatsApp Web, which is free. WhatsApp’s terms ban charging for it without permission, and the app admits it’s “UNOFFICIAL.” Its icon is Telegram’s logo. See Guidelines 5.2.2 and 4.1(c). apps.apple.com/us/app/wa-bus…
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Close the paywall and you get a "One Time Offer!": a giant "14 Day Free Trial" gift box. The $49.99/yr is one line of small text under the button. Same 3.1.2 problem again, plus a second offer after you said no. Apple cited that when it pulled Cal AI: xitter.cf/adamlyttleapps/status/…
Adam Lyttle
@adamlyttleappsApr 22
This was Cal AI's policy breaking "second offer"
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It also asks you to rate it mid-onboarding, before you've used the app. Apple's 5.6.3 rejection text: apps "should only ask for a rating after the user has sufficiently engaged with the app."
ReciMe's onboarding, progress bar nearly full, with Apple's rating prompt on top: "Enjoying ReciMe? Tap a star to rate it on the App Store." Guideline 5.6.3.

ALT ReciMe's onboarding, progress bar nearly full, with Apple's rating prompt on top: "Enjoying ReciMe? Tap a star to rate it on the App Store." Guideline 5.6.3.

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Apple rejects apps for exactly this. From its own rejection text: "promotes the free trial, introductory pricing, or introductory period for the subscription more clearly and conspicuously than the billed amount."
ReciMe's paywall. The two options say FREE and $2.99 and the button says "Redeem 7 days for $0.00". The only mention of the $49.99/yr billed price is grey fine print: "7 days free, then $49.99/yr ($4.16/mo)".

ALT ReciMe's paywall. The two options say FREE and $2.99 and the button says "Redeem 7 days for $0.00". The only mention of the $49.99/yr billed price is grey fine print: "7 days free, then $49.99/yr ($4.16/mo)".

The paywall next to Apple's purchase sheet, which shows the real price: $49.99 per year starting Oct 18, 2026.

ALT The paywall next to Apple's purchase sheet, which shows the real price: $49.99 per year starting Oct 18, 2026.

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This isn't a small indie app. Sensor Tower estimates 600K downloads and $2M in revenue on iOS, and it has 310K ratings on the App Store.
Sensor Tower listing for ReciMe: Recipes & Meal Planner by ReciMe Pty Ltd. iOS: 600K downloads, $2M revenue. Android: 300K downloads, $400K revenue.

ALT Sensor Tower listing for ReciMe: Recipes & Meal Planner by ReciMe Pty Ltd. iOS: 600K downloads, $2M revenue. Android: 300K downloads, $400K revenue.

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Replying to @AppStore
@AppStore how did this pass review? Every price you can tap on ReciMe's paywall says FREE, $2.99 or $0.00. What you're actually billed: $49.99/yr, in grey fine print. Same rules you cited when you pulled Cal AI in April (3.1.2, 5.6).
Four ReciMe screens, left to right. 1: Apple's rating prompt shown mid-onboarding, Guideline 5.6.3. 2: the paywall's options say "FREE 7 Day Trial" and "$2.99 30 Day Trial" and the button says "Redeem 7 days for $0.00"; the $49.99/yr price is small grey text under the button, Guideline 3.1.2. 3: Apple's purchase sheet shows $49.99 per year. 4: after closing the paywall, a "One Time Offer!" for a 14-day free trial at the same $49.99/yr, Guideline 5.6.

ALT Four ReciMe screens, left to right. 1: Apple's rating prompt shown mid-onboarding, Guideline 5.6.3. 2: the paywall's options say "FREE 7 Day Trial" and "$2.99 30 Day Trial" and the button says "Redeem 7 days for $0.00"; the $49.99/yr price is small grey text under the button, Guideline 3.1.2. 3: Apple's purchase sheet shows $49.99 per year. 4: after closing the paywall, a "One Time Offer!" for a 14-day free trial at the same $49.99/yr, Guideline 5.6.

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Whenever you see an app that gains large amount of ratings quickly, it's almost always manipulating ratings some way or another
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