Why Apple rejects apps, and how to get approved next time

Almost every app gets rejected at least once. That is not a sign the app is bad: App Review checks hundreds of rules, written for millions of apps, and the message you get back is short and formal. The trick is reading it correctly, fixing the real cause, and replying in a way that makes the reviewer's job easy.

If you have a rejection in front of you right now, paste it into our free App Store rejection explainer. It recognises the guideline numbers and common phrases and tells you what they mean in plain language. This article covers the patterns behind the most frequent ones.

How a rejection works

When you submit a build, a reviewer installs it, tries the main flows and checks your store listing. If something breaks a rule, the submission comes back with:

• the guideline number (for example Guideline 2.1 - Performance - App Completeness),
• a short description of what they found,
• sometimes a screenshot or a list of steps,
• and the next steps they expect.

You fix the issue and resubmit, or you reply in App Store Connect if you believe the reviewer misunderstood. Replies are read by people. Polite, specific answers with a screenshot or a short video go a long way.

The rejections we see most

2.1 App Completeness: crashes, bugs and "we could not log in"

The most common one by far. The reviewer hit a crash, a blank screen, a broken button, or simply could not get past the login screen. Typical causes:

• The app needs an account and no demo account was provided in the review notes, or the demo account expired.
• A feature depends on a server that was down, rate limited or pointing at a test environment.
• The app was only tested on the newest iPhone, and breaks on an iPad or an older iOS version that Apple also reviews on.

Fix: give a working demo account with sample data, explain any hardware or location requirements in the review notes, and test on an iPad even if you do not target iPads (iPhone apps run on iPads too).

2.3 Accurate Metadata: the listing does not match the app

Screenshots that show features the app does not have, a description that mentions other platforms, placeholder text, or keywords stuffed into the app name. Apple wants the listing to be an honest preview.

Fix: screenshots must show the app in use, the name should be short and real, and the description should describe what is in this version.

4.2 Minimum Functionality: "your app is a website"

If an app is mostly a wrapped website, a simple list of links, or does too little, Apple asks what makes it an app. Reviewers look for something that feels native and useful on a phone.

Fix: lean on what phones do well: notifications, offline use, the camera, location, widgets, smooth navigation. Often the honest answer is that a few app-only features are needed before it belongs in the store.

4.3 Spam: too similar to other apps

Raised when an app looks like many others, often template apps or several near-identical apps from one developer. It is one of the harder ones to resolve, because the fix is product differentiation, not a code change.

5.1.1 Data Collection and Storage: privacy

A large family of rejections: no privacy policy link, asking for permissions without a clear reason, requiring sign-up for features that do not need an account, or (very common since 2022) no way to delete the account from inside the app.

Fix: add an in-app account deletion option if users can create accounts, write permission messages that explain the benefit to the user, and make sure the privacy details you declared in App Store Connect match what the app does.

3.1.1 In-App Purchase: paying outside the App Store

Digital content and features unlocked inside the app must generally be sold through Apple's in-app purchase. Physical goods and real-world services (a haircut, a taxi ride) are the exception and can use your own payments.

Fix: check which side of that line each thing you sell falls on. If it is digital, use in-app purchase; if it is a real-world service, explain that in the review notes.

4.8 Login Services

If the app offers sign-in with a third-party social account, Apple expects an equivalent privacy-friendly option as well, such as Sign in with Apple.

How to reply so you get approved faster

1. Fix the actual cause, not just the example the reviewer gave. If one screen crashed, others with the same pattern probably do too.
2. Say what changed in the review notes of the new build, in two or three sentences.
3. Show it. A screenshot or a 30-second screen recording of the fixed flow removes doubt.
4. Disagree politely when you are right. If the reviewer misunderstood (for example, a service that happens in the real world), explain it once, clearly, and ask them to reconsider.
5. Ask for a call if you are going round in circles. App Review offers phone calls through App Store Connect.

Prevent it next time

Most rejections are avoidable with a pre-submission pass: a demo account, an iPad check, a truthful listing, a privacy policy, account deletion and permission texts. We keep all of that in our app launch checklist.

And if your app is stuck in a loop of rejections, we can take it from there: launch and store support.