Consulting / App Store Review Strategy

App Store Review & Rejection Recovery Consulting

Apps launched across consumer, medical, and intimate wellness categories. My guideline readings track what App Review enforces in practice, which often diverges from the written document. Rejection recovery, pre-submission audits, and grey-zone categories.

  • grey-zone categories: intimate wellness, regulated health, reputationally sensitive content
  • rejection recovery within the 14-day response window
  • reviewer notes that turn a 3-round rejection loop into a first-pass approval
Recognition
App Store Best New Apps 2026 Product Hunt Product of the Day 2025 CES Best of Innovation 2021 CES Innovation Award 2021 Webby Honoree 2021 Google Material Design 2020
Credentials
Member of British Computer Society 2024 BEng (Hons) 2017 Apple WWDC Scholarship 2015

Tell me what you're working on, or grab a free 30-min scoping call. I reply within 48 hours.



"Vadim was instrumental to the success Epsy enjoyed on iOS, taking it from an idea on a Miro board to the highest rated and most downloaded app of its kind on the store."

James C. · Mobile Engineering Lead, Epsy

"We had a strict deadline, and Vadim managed to complete the job in time. He gave us meaningful feedback and suggested better approaches, not trying to blindly stick to our specification."

Founder · Pre-seed streaming service

"I can say with confidence that it will be difficult to find a better developer. Vadim is achievement-oriented, highly organized, with very good communication skills."

Alex Z. · Co-Founder, eda.so



2.1 (Accuracy)the one that eats small teams alive. The real issue is usually what the reviewer couldn't get to in the 2 minutes they had: demo accounts, feature parity, screenshot currency.
4.3 (Spam)the vaguest, most feared category. Spins up when a reviewer smells 'another one of these'. Counter-strategy: distinct visual identity, distinct feature list, distinct value prop in metadata.
5.1 (Privacy)the trap is the interaction between iOS privacy prompts and the explanation strings. Too vague → rejection. Too specific → user refuses. The right pitch is category-specific.
1.1.6 / 5.1.1 (Metadata accuracy)feature in screenshots or description that isn't in the current build. Watch-outs: late-cut features still in screenshots, marketing copy written before the sprint cut.
Section 5 grey zonesintimate wellness, regulated health, crypto, adult-adjacent, content moderation. Different reviewer, different calibration, same app can pass one week and fail the next.

Advisory
£110
per hour

Architecture reviews, hiring help, second opinions on that thing that's been bugging you.

Available now
Retainer
£4,000
per month

Priority support: review agency code, join architecture calls, catch problems before they ship.

Apr '26 May '26 Jun '26

Will you help me submit an app that violates the guidelines?

No. If the app is in breach, the fix is changing the app. Working around the guideline stops being an option once a reviewer has flagged it. I'll tell you which category your build falls into and what needs to change before submission.

Can you guarantee approval?

No. Nobody can. What I can guarantee is that you'll go into the submission with the objections pre-answered, the reviewer notes written, and a recovery plan if the first round doesn't pass.

What if we've been rejected multiple times already?

That's the most common entry point. Send me the rejection history and the current metadata. A one-day review usually surfaces the pattern. It's almost always the same underlying issue rephrased as different guideline citations.

How do I get a quote?

Two paths. If you need speed, send me a detailed brief and I'll quote from it (usually within 48 hours). If you'd rather talk first, book a free 30-minute scoping call and I'll quote after. Most clients who pick the brief path land on the call anyway once we get into the specifics, but the door is open either way.

How quickly can you start?

Advisory calls can happen within days. For project work, I typically need 1-2 weeks notice to clear the calendar, though I keep some buffer for urgent firefighting. Check the availability badges above for current openings.

Do you work with early-stage startups?

Yes, from pre-seed to Series C and beyond. For very early teams, the advisory tier often makes more sense than project work: you get architecture guidance without committing to a large engagement before you've validated the product.

What's included in the day rate?

Everything: code, architecture decisions, code review, documentation, async Slack availability during working hours. No surprise add-ons. I bill for time spent working on your project, not for "thinking about it in the shower."

How do you handle timezone differences?

Currently in Vancouver (PST) with full overlap for North American teams. For UK and Europe, I'm online by their afternoon. For Gulf or APAC, we'd agree on overlap hours and handle the rest async. I've worked with teams from San Francisco to Dubai.


Where I've worked CV · LinkedIn

Drobinin Limited Founder · 2025–present 12+ apps from idea to App Store. Featured by Apple in EMEA & Americas.
LivaNova (NASDAQ: LIVN) Senior iOS · 2020–2025 Epsy, an epilepsy management app. Shipped inside an FDA-regulated medical-device company. HIPAA, CES Innovation Award.
Sphere (acquired by Twitter/X) Senior iOS · 2017–2020 Early Employee. $30M funding to acquisition.
VK.com iOS Consultant · 2016–2017 Authored & delivered an onsite course on iOS development.
ToBox Lead iOS · 2015–2016 Built team, MVVM architecture, full Swift rewrite.

Stuck in App Review?

Describe what you're working on, or book a free 30-min scoping call. I reply within 48 hours.

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