Originality Check

Decide, with evidence, whether an app is distinct enough to exist — before you build it or submit it.

At portfolio scale, shipping many similar small apps risks Guideline 4.3 (spam / duplicate) — this is the go/no-go distinctness gate that keeps that from happening.

Where it fits (read the seams)

• Not rejection-handler. That works a rejection you already have. This is upstream — it prevents the 4.3 by catching sameness before you ship.
• Not competitive-analysis / market-research. Those size demand and position you in the market. This judges distinctness (function + content + metadata) vs your own portfolio and vs near-identical competitors — a spam risk, not a demand question.
• Two moments to run it: at validate / new-app (don't build a dup) and before submit (don't trip 4.3). Also periodically across the portfolio (internal cannibalization / template-sameness).

Prerequisites