https://www.applevis.com/forum/accessibility-advocacy/apples-app-review-team-accessible-hangman Skip to main content Home Main menu * Apps * Forum * Blog * Podcast * Bug Tracker * Guides * Hardware & Accessory Reviews User account menu * Log in [ ] [Search] 1. Home 2. Forums 3. Accessibility Advocacy Apple's app review team (Accessible Hangman) Submitted by Oriol Gomez on Sunday, September 26, 2021. Forum Accessibility Advocacy Hi all. As some of you may know, I am a totally blind iOS game developer. Among other games I have made accessible Hangman, Choose your Face, etc. Well, about 3 days ago I found out a bug which prevented iOS 15 users from running my game accessible hangman. I submitted an update to the app store fixing this problem. To my surprise, I got an email saying that my app is similar to other apps on the app store and that it is considered spam. Literally. I went ahead and submitted an appeal saying that I am making games for the blind and that 1, while yes, there are other accessible hangman games on the app store, my app is made for the blind and and that all the other hangman games I have seen on the app store are half playable and 2, this is a bugfix update and already existing users who have paid for the app are unable to play using iOS 15. To my horror, they replied saying that yes, "we understand that your app has voiceover", hello? My app has voiceover? But unfortunately the rejection is still in place. So I am stuck not knowing what to do. I have written an email template here for you to please support me and send to accessibility@apple.com My suggestion is the following: Dear Apple, I am writing as a user of the game accessible Hangman for iOS developed by Oriol Gomez https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1528856181 The developer is unable to submit a new update to the app because the app review team claims that this app is not compliant with the design guidelines 4.3 of the app store, however as a blind user of the app I would like to say that this hangman game is different than other games I have played. I have paid money for this app and I want to play it on iOS 15 too,s o please allow an update to be submitted. ---------- Thank you guys, I'm not so good at explaining these things in a formal way right now especially because I am a bit overwelmed, my users have paid for an app which they can't use. Thanks please share this and if you want to get in touch with me my email is ogomez.s92@gmail.com Options * Log in or register to post comments Comments Please even if you haven't... Submitted by Oriol Gomez on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Please even if you haven't played the game, try to support or spread the word or email Apple because I believe this is important. I'm not trying to be like blindfold games where I make a tempalte of all apps and just change the game with the same visual design or anything, I am genuinely getting logos, sounds, music, from people, coding every single app from scratch, pls help me out. * Log in or register to post comments I just wrote to Apple Submitted by David Standen on Sunday, September 26, 2021 I just wrote to Apple. The only other accessible Hangman game I have played is the one within Game World, and that is completely different. In my opinion, I think yours is the better game because it becomes more challenging as you level up. * Log in or register to post comments Me to Submitted by Christel john on Sunday, September 26, 2021 I contacted apple to. I hope we can update the app * Log in or register to post comments What's exactly the issue? Submitted by HEXAGON on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Hi, As I heard about this game for the first time, I'm just curious about what the issue exactly is. Is the game currently not playable at all? Many thanks! * Log in or register to post comments Done. Hopefully they'll... Submitted by Jo Billard on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Done. Hopefully they'll listen to us. Right now, for me, it isn't about the game. I really, really hate injustice! * Log in or register to post comments Game Submitted by Holger Fiallo on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Did flexy keyboard had similar issue? Suggest beside asking us, share your issue with apple insider, 9to5 and tweet this also send an email to Jonathan Mosen to support you. * Log in or register to post comments I've emailed Apple Accessibility Submitted by Clare Page on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Hi! I've just emailed Apple Accessibility to ask for Accessible Hangman to be updated. In answer to a previous poster, the game is currently not playable on iPhones running IOS 15: when I try to open the app on mine, it won't open at all, even though it shows up in the app switcher. I have never had problems with this game using any other IOS version, and I even tried reinstalling the app in the last few days to see if it would work, but I still had the same problem as when I tried opening the app just after installing IOS 15. * Log in or register to post comments +1 Submitted by John Hope on Sunday, September 26, 2021 I've just emailed Apple. Good luck! * Log in or register to post comments AltStore Submitted by Devin Prater on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Perhaps you could be the first blind publisher of an app on Alt Store , in protest of this. Apple is coming for us now, and we should be ready to subvert them if needed. #WePayToo * Log in or register to post comments Yeah it needs to be fixed to... Submitted by Oriol Gomez on Sunday, September 26, 2021 In reply to What's exactly the issue? by HEXAGON Yeah it needs to be fixed to work on iOS 15, so all my paying users are stuck. Needless to say I will deefnd my p paying users even if my developer account is somehow removed. * Log in or register to post comments I have never tried the alt... Submitted by Oriol Gomez on Sunday, September 26, 2021 In reply to AltStore by Devin Prater I have never tried the alt store, but it does not seem to be well known at all is it? That is beside the point anyway, most blind users who will play my games go directly to the app store, I don't know how the alt store works. [?] * Log in or register to post comments Hi Oriol Submitted by Joe on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Club AppleVis Member I really enjoy your games I wrote to Apple. Thanks for all the hard work. Have you ever thought of doing something on Android? I know the user base over there is growing. Apple continues to treat devs as dog crap if you except the app once why now is it a problem? * Log in or register to post comments Thanks guys. I dunno about... Submitted by Oriol Gomez on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Thanks guys. I dunno about Android, it's an idea. But for me it's about justice, and the fact that I've always loved apple for what they are doing. If I just give this up my paying users will just think I'm grabbing their money and not caring about updates, so people who are on Android will not buy my games either. This sucks. They could have told me they didn't like accessible hangman before I had posted the first version, right? * Log in or register to post comments Good news, sort of Submitted by Oriol Gomez on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Good news... sort of. Apparently my app does not comply with appstore guidelines, but they did let the update through. I need to have a call with them to see what's wrong, apparently, but at least paying users will be able to play https://apps.apple.com/es/app/ ahorcado-accesible/id1528856181 * Log in or register to post comments Keep appealing to the App Store Review Team Submitted by tcwalther on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Update: just saw your new reply which you posted while I was writing this. I guess that makes most of my reply obsolete. But I'll keep it here for future reference, and maybe you'll find a few useful bits in there, too. Don't stress out about the phone call ;-). --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Oriol, I just signed up here as I read about your case on Hacker News. I encourage you to keep appealing to the review team. Just keep on replying, reiterating your case. If you end up in a deadlock, ask for an explanation behind their decision. Keep on emphasising the accessibility angle. Eventually, if it cannot be resolved in text form, they will tell you that they will call you to talk to you directly. At that point, you can make your case on the phone. The person will not decide your case instantly but instead say something generic like "I will talk to the team and get back to you", but your chances are extremely high that at that point, your app will be approved. When you actually talk to an App Store Review Team member directly, they - in my experience - are very polite and open-minded. Even before that, just being firm (but polite!) on your points is super helpful. Most of all, don't despair. Maybe you have to write back and forth a few times, and yes, it's annoying, in particular because their text answers are clearly the result of ticking a few check boxes on their end, but I'm very optimistic you will get your update through in the end. Best, Thomas * Log in or register to post comments Hi, thanks so much for your... Submitted by Oriol Gomez on Sunday, September 26, 2021 Hi, thanks so much for your replies, and your help with the appeal process. Yeah, I'll get a call from then soon and we'll see how it goes. I'm a blind developer and it has been my dream for a while to make iOS games, hangman is not my only game but it was still one of the games I really enjoyed making and, of course, I don't want to leave my users behind. Thanks and let's hope everyone can play it fine now as soon as the update is rolled out * Log in or register to post comments More Like This Hangman (iOS & iPadOS App Directory) Seeking accessible word games (Forum Topic) Accessible WordSearch games? (Forum Topic) Spam? (Forum Topic) Accessible Hangman (iOS & iPadOS App Directory) Game optimized for VoiceOver: Hangman+ for FREE (Forum Topic) Apple Responds to Mobile Me Web Inaccessibility and Technical Support Training Concerns (Forum Topic) Blindfold Word Games (iOS & iPadOS App Directory) Secondary menu * About * RSS Feeds * Newsletter * Developer Resources * Club AppleVis * FAQ * Contact Unless stated otherwise, all content is copyright AppleVis. All rights reserved. (c) 2021 | Accessibility | Terms | Privacy Apple, iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.