Hello Apple Developer Community,
I am seeking advice on how to pass the App Store review process for my app, HabitBet. Our app is designed to encourage users to develop healthy habits through real-world challenges, such as exercising, cooking, or learning new skills. Users are required to participate in these activities and provide proof of completion (such as photos or activity logs).
In addition to the real-world challenges, HabitBet allows users to set a financial commitment by entering a chosen amount of money when joining a challenge. If the user fails to complete the challenge, the set amount is charged. We believe this mechanism leverages behavioral economics to motivate users to achieve their goals and does not constitute paid digital content, as it involves actual physical actions and verifiable participation.
Recently, our app was rejected by Apple due to concerns about using paid digital content to drive user engagement. However, we think our app's challenges differ from digital content because they involve real-life actions and a unique form of user-driven commitment.
Additionally, we found similar apps like StepBet (https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/stepbet-walk-get-active-win/id1056175729), which utilize financial stakes to encourage real-world activities, that have been approved for the App Store. We would like to understand what differentiates our app's model from these examples and how we can align more closely with Apple's guidelines.
Could anyone provide guidance on how we can clearly demonstrate that our app’s challenges are not digital content and meet the App Store guidelines? Has anyone faced similar issues and found a solution?
Thank you in advance for your help.
Best regards,