Insights · 6 min read
Why Apple rejects apps: the guidelines small app owners run into most
By Austin Hunter ·
We've had our own apps rejected, including for missing in-app purchases and for being too similar to other apps, so this list comes from experience as much as from Apple's App Review Guidelines. The rejection message always names a guideline. Here's what the common ones usually mean.
2.1 App Completeness
Apple found something unfinished or broken: a crash, a placeholder screen, a login reviewers can't get past, or in-app purchases that weren't submitted for review with the build. Give reviewers a working demo account in the review notes, and make sure every purchase product is attached to the version you submit.
2.3 Accurate Metadata
The listing doesn't match the app: screenshots of features that aren't there, a description that promises too much, or mentions of other platforms in the iOS listing. Keep the listing literal.
3.1.1 In-App Purchase
Digital goods and subscriptions used inside the app generally have to be sold through Apple's in-app purchase. Linking out to a web checkout for digital content is the classic trigger. Physical goods and real-world services are different.
4.2 Minimum Functionality
The app is too thin: essentially a website in a wrapper, or a single feature that doesn't need to be an app. Add native value such as offline use, notifications or device features, or reconsider whether a website is the better product.
4.3 Spam
The app looks too similar to others, including apps from the same developer, or to a saturated category. It's hard to argue your way out of. Real differentiation helps more than appeals do, and repeated rejections here can put a developer account at risk, so pace resubmissions carefully.
5.1.1 Data Collection and Storage
Privacy problems: asking for permissions without a clear reason, requiring an account for features that don't need one, no way to delete an account, or a privacy policy that doesn't match what the app collects.
How to respond
- Read the full message in App Store Connect, including any attached screenshots.
- Fix the actual issue, then explain the change briefly in the reply or review notes.
- Use the reply thread to ask for clarification if the reason is unclear. Polite, specific questions get answers.
- Don't resubmit the same build hoping for a different reviewer.
We can help
If an update keeps getting rejected, we can review the app and the rejection history and get it through properly. Our Care Plus plan includes store submissions.