The eight guidelines behind most App Store rejections, in plain words: what the reviewer wants, what to change in the app, what to write back, and the one rejection a reply can't fix.
Apple reviewed 7.77 million app submissions in 2024 and rejected 1.93 million of them, about one in four. Most of those rejections are fixable in a day or two. The trouble is that the rejection message quotes a guideline number and a paragraph of policy, and doesn't tell you what to change. Below are the eight guidelines behind most rejections, what the reviewer wants in each case, what to change in the app, and what to write back. One of them, 4.3, can't be solved with a reply at all.
Read the rejection before you touch the app
The message is in App Store Connect under App Review, and the same thread is where you reply. It gives a guideline number, a short reason, and often a screenshot from the reviewer's device. Three things to take from it before changing anything:
- The guideline number. It tells you which of the sections below applies.
- Whether the reviewer is asking a question or reporting a problem. "Information Needed" is a question. You may not need a new build.
- The device and OS version in the screenshot. A crash on an iPad you never tested is still a crash.
Don't resubmit the same build with no reply. It goes back to the same reviewer queue and comes back with the same answer, a few days later.
The eight at a glance
| Guideline | What Apple is saying | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 App Completeness | We couldn't review it: crash, broken login, missing demo account | Reply with access, or a small build fix |
| 5.1.1 Data Collection | Privacy policy, permission wording or account deletion is missing | Build change |
| 4.8 Login Services | You offer a third-party login without an equivalent private option | Add Sign in with Apple |
| 3.1.2 Subscriptions | The paywall or listing lacks price, period or legal links | Paywall and listing edit |
| 5.1.2 Tracking | You track before asking, or the privacy details don't match | Reorder prompts, fix the privacy details |
| 2.3 Accurate Metadata | Screenshots, description or keywords don't match the app | Listing edit, often no build |
| 4.2 Minimum Functionality | It's a website in a wrapper, or it does too little | Real native features |
| 4.3 Spam | It's too close to other apps on the store | Design and code changes |
2.1: App Completeness, or "Information Needed"
Apple's own App Review page says over 40% of unresolved issues fall under 2.1. In the 2024 transparency report, "performance" was the largest rejection category at 1.24 million submissions. It covers anything that stopped the reviewer getting through the app: a crash on launch, a login they can't pass, placeholder text, a backend that was down that afternoon.
The commonest version needs no new build. The reviewer needs a demo account, or wants to know how a feature works. Create a working reviewer login with real-looking data, put the credentials in the App Review Information section, and reply in the thread explaining the steps. If the app needs hardware or a location to do anything, attach a short screen recording.
5.1.1: privacy policy, permission wording, account deletion
Three separate tripwires sit under this number.
- Account deletion. If people can create an account in the app, they must be able to delete it in the app. A "contact us to delete" email link doesn't pass. This is the most predictable rejection a first-time publisher gets.
- Permission wording. The text shown when the app asks for the camera, photos or location has to say why, with an example. "This app needs camera access" is rejected. "Take a photo of your receipt to attach it to an expense" passes.
- Privacy policy. A working link in the listing and inside the app, and a policy that actually covers what the app collects.
4.8: Login Services
If the app offers Google, Facebook or another third-party login, it must also offer a login that limits data collection to name and email and lets the user hide their email. Sign in with Apple is the standard way to meet that. Apps that only use their own email and password accounts aren't affected.
3.1.2: Subscriptions
Apple wants the subscription terms visible before purchase: the price, the period, what the user gets, and working links to your Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, on the paywall and in the App Store listing. A paywall that shows "Start free trial" in large type and the price in grey six-point text is the classic rejection. Its neighbour, 3.1.1, is the rule that digital content sold in the app has to go through in-app purchase. The details there now differ by country, so check the current guideline for your storefront before you build a payment flow.
5.1.2: Tracking
If the app tracks people across other companies' apps and sites, or shows personalised ads, it has to ask first through the App Tracking Transparency prompt. Rejections come from tracking that starts before the prompt (often an ad or analytics SDK initialising at launch), from a custom screen that pressures people before the system prompt, and from privacy details in the listing that don't match what the SDKs collect. The fix is to hold the SDKs until after consent and correct the privacy details.
2.3: Accurate Metadata
The listing must describe the app as it is. Common triggers: screenshots that are marketing artwork instead of the app in use, a description promising features that aren't there, keywords naming competitors, and any mention of Android or another platform. These usually need a listing edit and no new build.
4.2: Minimum Functionality
An app that is a website inside a frame gets this one, as does an app that does very little. Apple wants something that feels made for the device: native navigation, offline behaviour, notifications, something beyond what Safari already does with your site. A reply won't change the outcome. The app has to do more, and what more costs is in our mobile app cost breakdown.
4.3: Spam, the hard one
4.3 means Apple thinks the app is too similar to others on the store. It lands on apps built from a shared template, on several near-identical apps from one developer, and on new entries in crowded categories that look like what's already there. Arguing in the reply thread rarely works, because the reviewer is comparing binaries and screens, not reading your case.
What works is making the app different: its own design, features the template siblings don't have, and often merging several small apps into one. That's real design and development work, which is why we quote 4.3 cases separately after a look.
How to reply so it gets resolved
- Answer the question asked. If the reviewer wanted a demo login, lead with the login.
- Be specific and short. "Fixed in build 42: account deletion is under Settings, Account, Delete account" beats three paragraphs.
- Attach a screen recording when the feature is hard to reach.
- If you think the reviewer is wrong, say why once, politely, in the thread. If that fails, appeal to the App Review Board from App Store Connect. You get one appeal per rejected submission, so make it specific.
- For a critical bug fix or a dated launch, ask for an expedited review. Apple grants them for real urgency, and they're not a way to skip the queue every time.
How long it takes
Apple says 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. Replies in the review thread usually come back in one to three days. An appeal to the App Review Board has no published timeline and can take a week or more. So a rejection that needs one round of changes costs about three to five days end to end, and each avoidable round adds the same again. In 2024, 295,109 rejected apps were approved after revisions, so the route works.
When to hand it over
If the rejection has come back twice, or the fix means digging into SDKs and privacy declarations you didn't write, it's usually cheaper to hand it to someone who does this weekly. We publish our own catalogue of 130+ Android apps on Google Play and build iOS apps natively in Swift, so policy notices and rejections are part of our normal week. Our fixed price for an App Store rejection is $399, with the cause and the price given before you pay, and if the same rejection returns within 30 days we keep working at no extra charge. We won't promise approval, because nobody honestly can.
Questions people ask after a rejection
Why was my app rejected by Apple?
The message names a guideline number. The most common are 2.1 (the reviewer couldn't get through the app), 5.1.1 (privacy policy, permission wording or account deletion), 3.1.2 (subscription terms), 2.3 (the listing doesn't match the app) and 4.3 (too similar to other apps). Find your number in the table above and start there.
How many apps does Apple reject?
In 2024 Apple reviewed 7.77 million submissions and rejected 1.93 million, about one in four. 295,109 rejected apps were approved after revisions. Performance problems were the largest category at 1.24 million rejections.
How long does App Review take after I resubmit?
Apple says 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. Replies in the review thread take one to three days. An appeal to the App Review Board can take a week or more. Budget three to five days for one round of changes.
Do I need a new build to fix a rejection?
Not always. A 2.1 request for a demo account and most 2.3 metadata problems are solved with a reply or a listing edit. Account deletion, tracking order, subscription paywalls and anything under 4.2 or 4.3 need a new build.
Can I appeal an App Store rejection?
Yes. Reply in the review thread first, once and politely, with your reasoning. If that doesn't resolve it, submit an appeal to the App Review Board from App Store Connect. Apple allows one appeal per rejected submission. Appeals work when the reviewer misread the app. They don't work for 4.3 unless the app has changed.
What is a 4.3 spam rejection and can it be fixed?
It means Apple considers the app too similar to others, often because of a shared template. It can be fixed, but with design and code changes that make the app distinct, sometimes by merging several apps into one. A reply alone almost never clears it.
