My app was using SMS permissions for certain features in the app. We submitted multiple appeals to the Google Team, but our app kept getting rejected for the past couple of months. In order to meet the 09th March 2019 deadline set by Google Play team, we removed all SMS related permissions from Android Manifest as well as removed all SMS related code from the app and submitted an apk to Google Play. Now this apk is also rejected. Is anyone facing this issue and how to solve this?
Rejection reason sighted by Google: We reviewed your app and found that it does not qualify for use of the requested permissions for the following reasons:
The declared functionality Device Automation, Physical safety / emergency alerts to send SMS is determined to be unnecessary or not aligned with the core functionality of your app.
P.S. While submitting the update, we had selected the following options in the permissions declaration form:
Compliance status: Yes, this release meets the SMS and Call Log permissions policy
Core functionality: Device Automation, Physical safety / emergency alert apps (e.g., senior safety)