Reasons why the App Store might reject your app: checklist
The App Store is the toughest app distribution platform to get onto. Their reviews take longer and are stricter than at Google Play and the Huawei App Gallery. In 2020, the App Store rejected a million new apps and a million updates.
On the one hand, such a strict policy is a good thing: it’s easier for users to pick an app and rest assured that it’s safe. For developers, however, it’s a real pain in the neck.
For example, your app can be rejected if it has content secured by copyright — even if it’s on screenshots from the Apple store. And if your app has to do with healthcare, you’ll have to provide a description of your algorithms and show how accurate the readings your app takes are.
Hi! My name is Wladyslaw, and I’m a QA-specialist at Surf. My team and I have put together a checklist of reasons why the AppStore rejects apps. Some of them are obvious, while some are not so much. Read on to learn about them in detail.
Want to stay on top of app development trends and know how to create apps millions of people love?
Breach of confidentiality and user data policy
❌Your app has no link to the user agreement. The link must be both within the app and on its page in the store. If the link leads to a corporate website, the agreement must be present there and the link must function.
❌Data is transferred to third parties. Apps that control other mobile devices must not sell or transfer data from the devices under their control to any third parties. The same goes for apps that collect data as part of medical studies or collect data on the health of their users. These must not transfer such data to third parties or use it in analytics or to configure context ads.
Failure to comply with functional specifications
❌Bugs. Your app can be rejected if it has low performance, a janky interface, if it takes a long time to load content, crashes when you open it or use it for a small amount of time, or has obvious technical issues.
❌Placeholders instead of actual functions and content. You must finish the app before you submit it for review. It’s crucial that you implement all the intended features before you publish the app. You can’t leave libraries or code that aren’t used anywhere in the app — Apple won’t give your app the green light.
We once had a situation at Surf where our app was rejected because it had an Apple Pay library integrated but not used anywhere.
❌The UI doesn’t comply with Human Interface Guidelines. An app that is difficult to use or irrational in the way it behaves and positions the elements will be rejected.
❌Groundless requests to grant access to files and capabilities of a device. It must only request access to the things that your app will need to function. What’s more, you’ll have to justify in detail why your app needs the access — simply saying “Grant access to geolocation” won’t cut it.
Users have to understand why you need access and decide whether to grant it or not all by themselves. If a user decides to deny access to capabilities or data, your app must be able to keep working. However, you must explain to the user that in this case, the functionality might be limited.
❌Unauthorized access to user data. In 2021, amendments to Apple’s advertising policy came into effect. Now, in order to gather data for ad campaigns, you must ask users for permission to trace their activity.
❌Altered behavior of system features, buttons, and gestures. The behavior of volume buttons or swipe gestures on the control panel must not be altered.
❌Third party technologies are used for FaceID. User identification with FaceID can only be carried out via the LocalAuthentication library.
Login with AppleID is unavailable while the app offers to log in using other social media. This is a must in iOS 13 and onwards.
Inaccuracies in formalities and visual aspects
❌Other platforms are mentioned in the app description. The store page or the app itself must not have any references to other manufacturers, third party icons, or devices. Screenshots for an app page at the store should be made in a way that makes it clear that they’re made on an Apple device.
❌The app description is incomplete and misleading. An app must not contain any information users might find misleading: e.g., a description of features it doesn’t have or an attempt to mimic a popular app. Screenshots displayed in the store must not show features that the app doesn’t have.
❌The name of the app has “Beta,” “Demo”, or “Debug” in it. Such apps are prohibited from the App Store. You can publish beta versions at TestFlight.
❌An updated app doesn’t have a description of a new feature. If an app has a new feature, it must be described in the App Store Connect field. Without a clear description, the app won’t pass the review.
❌App screenshots, the icon and the other content on the page don’t suit the 4+ audience. It doesn’t even matter that the app might be targeted at another age group: the audience of the App Store is children over 4 years old.
❌The content doesn’t match the rating. When you publish an app, you need to take a poll to set the rating for your app. If the content doesn’t match that, the app or its update will be rejected.
You shouldn’t state in the description or the screenshots that the product has something to do with Apple or that its quality is guaranteed by the company if it’s not true. If an app makes it to the App Store Awards, Apple automatically assigns a corresponding icon to it.
❌An .ipa file exceeds 50 Mb at the time of publication.
❌The app requires authorization but has no demo user for review.
❌The app has lotteries, roulette, or a casino but doesn’t specify the terms of participation and winning. You must clearly state that Apple has nothing to do with the contests and lotteries.
❌Ads don’t comply with the age rating. You must also make sure that it isn’t misleading or distracting users.
❌The app is published under the name of its developer. Apps providing banking, healthcare, and booking services must be published under the name of the company. Apple won’t allow publishing an app like that under a private account of a developer.
During the pandemic, this point became especially important: Apple keeps a close eye on apps distributing information about COVID-19.
An app will be rejected if it has to do with informing people about illnesses but isn’t published by an account that has nothing to do with healthcare or other certified domains. Even a simple news aggregator offering news on coronavirus won’t pass the review.
❌The content is offensive to people of different races, religions, sexual orientations, or nationalities.
❌The app promotes the illegal use of weapons or allows the purchase of them.
❌Graphic sexual or pornographic content.
❌The app allows sending anonymous text messages/MMS, making anonymous calls, or holding lotteries.
❌Encourages the intake of tobacco products, electronic cigarettes, illicit substances or abuse of alcoholic drinks. It’s especially strict if the app is targeted at minors.
❌The loyalty card in the wallet has no company contact details. This needs to be specified so that users can contact the company if they want to.
In-app purchases
❌Digital content purchases are mediated by something other than in-app purchases. Digital content includes subscriptions, music inside the app, videos, and expanded access to specific features.
❌The app doesn’t show the odds of its users getting a specific object from the loot box. The odds must be specified before this game element is purchased.
❌The app forces users to take extra actions to unblock content or features. For example, rate the app, leave a review, or install another app.
❌The app doesn’t provide users with all the necessary information about a purchase right up until the moment of purchase. This is important if the app uses Apple Pay. In addition to that, the payment window must not be customized.
Kids
Kids is a whole other category of apps in the App Store. This is the one that Apple reviews the most carefully. The Kids category comprises three subcategories:
- kids under 5 y.o.
- 6–8 y.o.
- 9–11 y.o.
❌External links, purchases, and other distracting factors. Such elements require extra security and are separated from the features used by kids. The only exception is parental control options.
❌Failure to abide by the laws protecting child confidentiality on the Internet. The apps must not send personal information and device data to third parties.
❌Third-party analytics and advertisements. This includes any analytical system that passes information to another server. The only services allowed are the ones that don’t pass any identifying information about children: their location, name, date of birth, and email address.
In the comments, feel free to share why your apps were rejected by the App Store.
