Rejection guides

App Store Rejection Guides

Rejection is a normal part of shipping on the App Store. Widely cited industry estimates put 2025 rejections at roughly 22% of all submissions, with about 63% of developers hitting at least one rejection per year. The good news: most rejections map to a handful of guidelines with well-understood fixes, and Apple names the guideline it applied in the rejection message itself. The nine guides below cover the guidelines developers hit most — what Apple's message actually means, what to change in the app or the listing, and how to resubmit so the fix is reviewed quickly rather than bounced again. If you haven't submitted yet, the same ground is covered in advance by the App Store submission checklist.

One more number worth knowing — appeals are commonly reported to fail about 85% of the time. In almost every case, fixing the issue and resubmitting is faster than arguing. These guides show you exactly what to fix for each guideline.

Last updated: July 2026 · Haven't submitted yet? Start with the App Store submission checklist. · Download the rejection checklist as a PDF

Guideline 2.1

App Completeness

Crashes, bugs, placeholder content and missing demo accounts — the single most common rejection.

Guideline 2.3.3

Inaccurate Screenshots

Screenshots must show the app actually in use, not just splash screens or marketing art.

Guideline 2.3.10

Accurate Metadata

Android mentions, pricing in the description and irrelevant keywords in your metadata.

Guideline 2.5.1

Software Requirements

Private APIs, non-public frameworks and deprecated technologies like UIWebView.

Guideline 3.1.1

In-App Purchase

Digital content unlocked outside in-app purchase, or external payment links Apple doesn't allow.

Guideline 4.2

Minimum Functionality

Web wrappers and thin apps that don't do enough to justify existing as native apps.

Guideline 4.3

Spam / Design

Duplicate, template and repackaged apps flagged as spam — including 4.3(a).

Guideline 5.1.1

Privacy: Data Collection and Storage

Missing purpose strings, forced registration and account-deletion gaps — the second most common rejection.

Guideline 5.1.2

Data Use and Sharing

Tracking without the ATT prompt and sharing user data with third parties without consent.

Or stop reading rejection emails entirely

Forward Apple's email to AscAuto — it classifies the guideline, drafts the fix (metadata fixes can apply automatically), and resubmits after your one-click approval.

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