iOS app name taken

Question

I've finished app and ready to submit it to ap store. Before choosing name I've searched in US, Singapore and Irish app stores and haven't find any app with same or similar name. So I've ordered logo, splashscreen, created website, made screencast, registered FB and twitter accounts. Of course everywhere I've used my app name. So imagine how I was surprised whe iTunes Connect told me that name is taken! I've searched internet and found that few years ago someone released game with same name! Game already left app store, but name is still unavailable. I've tried to find contacts of the developer and found her Facebook and Twitter. But looks like accounts already not in use. I haven't found her mail though...

Do you have any suggestions what I can do with that? I think may be AppName for iPad instead of AppName will save situation. But then I'll need to change splashscreen, website, FB and twitter etc.

Thanks!

Answer 1

AppName for iPad is an option, but it might be better to add a little suffix describing what your app does. A lot of big name apps ("Elements - Dropbox And Markdown Powered Text Editor", "Convert ~ the unit calculator", "Faces - photo fun!") do exactly that.

This way your product name is the same, you can keep your existing marketing assets and you also get to sell the benefits of your app to potential customers.