I think the key is the thing you already noticed: the reviewer probably never saw what makes the app unique. On an iPad with no climbing video in Photos and no Apple Watch heart-rate data in HealthKit, the first screen is "New project" and "Live capture". That looks like a generic camera app, and 4.3(a) is judged largely on that first impression and the metadata. What I'd change before resubmitting, rather than waiting on the appeal: Add a built-in sample project: a short bundled climbing clip with sample heart-rate data, opened from something like "Try a sample climb" on the home screen. Then the overlay and zoom-and-follow work instantly, without Photos, HealthKit data or a Watch. Put it at the top of the review notes: "The core features need an Apple Watch heart-rate recording and a climbing video. To see them without either, tap Try a sample climb on the home screen." Check how heart rate is positioned in your name, subtitle, keywords and screenshots. "Heart rate" is one of the most crowded categories and a common 4.3 target. If the metadata leads with climbing video (overlay, follow-cam for lead climbing), the app lands in a very different category in the reviewer's eyes. Make the first screenshots show the finished result: a climber on the wall with the heart-rate graph, not the capture screen. Since iPhone-only apps are also reviewed on iPad, make sure the sample flow works there in compatibility mode. If it's rejected again, post the new message here.

When several submissions in a row stall in "In Review" — even after an expedite was granted — the hold is usually on the app or the account, not on a specific build. So resubmitting again is unlikely to help, and each cancellation puts you back at the end of the queue. I'd stop cancelling and check these instead: App Store Connect → Business: any agreement, tax or banking item waiting for the Account Holder. Also check the Account Holder's email, including spam — account-level questions don't always show up in the Resolution Center. Regulated-topic check. An occupational safety app can get extra scrutiny if it looks like official or legal guidance. Make sure the name, description and screenshots don't suggest affiliation with a ministry or official body, and that the app says clearly it doesn't replace a certified safety specialist. If the assistant sends user questions or data to an external AI provider, the app has to say so and get the user's permission before it happens (guideline 5.1.2). Missing that is a common reason for extended review of AI features. Contact Us → App Review → ask about the status of your review, and mention the earlier expedite confirmation. That goes to App Review directly, not to Developer Support. Look at Meet with Apple for App Review consultation slots. A 1:1 session is the most direct way to ask whether anything about the app needs attention.

11 days in "In Review" with no message usually means the submission was pulled into an extra review rather than lost in the queue. A few things worth checking while you wait: App Store Connect → Business: make sure there's no agreement, tax or banking form waiting for the Account Holder. Pending items there can block things without any message on the submission itself. Check the Account Holder's email (including spam). Account-level questions from Apple don't always appear in App Store Connect. Confirm your demo account and backend still work right now. If the reviewer finally opens the app and can't get past login, you'll get a 2.1 rejection and lose another round. Use Contact Us → App Review → "status of an app review". That opens a ticket with App Review directly, which is different from Developer Support. Last resort is "Remove from Review" and resubmitting. Some developers report it unsticks things, but you go back to the end of the queue, and it won't help if the hold is on the account level. I'd only try it after the steps above. Also, the weeks around a new iOS release are usually the busiest for App Review, so delays are longer across the board right now.