I think the "spirit of the law" is that the app you submit must "be an iOS app." If you implement the whole thing in Swift, then it's definitely an iOS app. But if your app is a "repackaged website" (which the rules explicitly forbid), then your app is not a "real" iOS app.
Furthermore, I think the motivating assumption behind the rule is that "repackaged websites" are different than (and worse than) "real" iOS apps. Thus, if your iOS app is a repackaged website, then it's not good enough for the App Store.
But I just don't share that belief. It turns out that websites can be pretty good nowadays! A "repackaged website" can just as good as an iOS app implemented in Swift.
Still, good luck convincing an App Store reviewer of any of that! As long as your app is, literally, a repackaged website, I really can't imagine how you'd argue your way out of a rejection.
In the long run, you're guaranteed to be rejected at some point if you're repackaging a website, and at that point, you're basically screwed.
> I think the motivating assumption behind the rule is that "repackaged websites" are different than (and worse than) "real" iOS apps.
The rule reads
> If your app is not particularly useful, unique, or “app-like,” it doesn’t belong on the App Store.
It's not necessarily that a website is worse than an app, but it's the fact that a website is not an app (even if you give it a name like PWA). Not an app --> doesn't belong on the app store.
Furthermore, I think the motivating assumption behind the rule is that "repackaged websites" are different than (and worse than) "real" iOS apps. Thus, if your iOS app is a repackaged website, then it's not good enough for the App Store.
But I just don't share that belief. It turns out that websites can be pretty good nowadays! A "repackaged website" can just as good as an iOS app implemented in Swift.
Still, good luck convincing an App Store reviewer of any of that! As long as your app is, literally, a repackaged website, I really can't imagine how you'd argue your way out of a rejection.
In the long run, you're guaranteed to be rejected at some point if you're repackaging a website, and at that point, you're basically screwed.