Hi everyone, I’m seeking advice regarding a frustrating issue we’ve encountered with our app on the App Store. Recently, we published an update that included a Farsi description, and our app was subsequently rejected. Below is the message we received from Apple: Guideline 5.0 - Legal Apple must comply with U.S. laws. Under U.S. sanctions regulations, Apple cannot do business with certain apps or developers connected to U.S. embargoed countries or regions. We have recently identified that the app is subject to U.S. sanctions regulations. Therefore, we are unable to approve the app at this time. Please make appropriate arrangements to remove the app within 14 days of this notice. Failure to do so will result in Apple delisting the app. This area of law is complex and constantly changing, and should changes be made to U.S. law in the future you can resubmit the app. You can contact the U.S. Department of the Treasury or refer to the Iran sanctions or Syrian sanctions should you have questions on regulatory restrictions on U.S. companies. Our app is entirely based in Canada, with all registrations and our Canadian bank account connected to in-app purchases. We raised an appeal seeking clarification and were ready to provide any documentation the review team might need. However, after 10 days, our appeal was also rejected without any explanation: "The App Review Board determined that the original rejection feedback was valid." We were not given any specific reasons or a chance to correct anything that might be wrong in the reviewer's eyes. After spending a year building our app, it’s extremely frustrating to have it removed without any clear explanation or opportunity to rectify the situation. Has anyone else experienced this, and do you have any advice on what steps we can take next? For whatever reason the review team thinks our app does not comply with Guideline 5.0, we are 100% ready to make any necessary changes, but we are not given any chance to do so. Thank you for any help or insight.

I’m trying to add screenshot for my new app, I did it the same way I have been doing this and it seems like there’s a issue with the website causing it to say that the images are still processing after hitting add to review. Is anyone having this issue, I’ve been trying on 3 different apple devices since 6pm EST.

I submitted a new App yesterday and included a video preview file for several size devices (6.7, and a copy of 6.7 for 6.5, 5.5 and 12.9). The iPhone files each took 5-10 minutes of processing (where the file icon shows a cloud image) but each eventually worked. The iPad file uploaded fine, but now 18 hours later is still showing a cloud icon. All these uploaded files are about the same size at about 40M. The AppStore will not allow me to submit the App for review due to: Preview File Still Processing! What is my recourse?

Hi, My app has been rejected twice for the reason mentioned in subject. Has anybody faced a similar issue ? My app does actually reward users for doing digital tasks like surveys and watching ads.

When uploading from Xcode to the App Store, the same error as the attached file occurs. Please tell me how to handle it. The .ipa file is created well and installed well on Mac PC. Because of the part below, it cannot be installed on iPhone or uploaded to the App Store. For reference, Xcode version is 15.3. Asset validation failed Missing required icon file. The bundle does not contain an app icon for iPhone / iPod Touch of exactly '120x120' pixels, in .png format for iOS versions >= 7.0. To support older versions of iOS, the icon may be required in the bundle outside of an asset Asset validation failed UserInfo={IDEDistributionIssueSeverity=3, NSLocalizedDescription=Asset validation failed, NSLocalizedRecoverySuggestion=The following URL schemes found in your app are not in the correct format: [http://xx.***.co.kr/xxxxm] . URL schemes need to begin with an alphabetic character, and be comprised of alphanumeric characters, the period, the hyphen or the plus sign only. Please see RFC1738 for more details. (ID: 499c0ae0-9ea1-44df-99f2-f3b6847edf2e)})>" These two things happen, so if you have any experience with how to solve them, please give me some advice. Please refer to the attached error image file. thank you

Quick pulse check on review times... I have an app submitted that triggered a question related to login credentials needed. I have responded, opened up a case with support to expedite the process and still have not made any progress. Hoping someone from Apple can provide next steps, I'm at a loss at this point.

we got this very confusing reply from apple review; Hello, Thank you for additional information. Regarding Guideline 3.2.1(viii) - Business - Other Business Model Issues - Acceptable Your app provides loan services but does not meet all the requirements for apps providing these services. See below for additional information. These requirements give App Store users confidence that apps offering financial services are qualified to provide these services and will responsibly manage their data. Next Steps It would be appropriate to make the following changes to comply with the App Store requirements: The verified email domains associated with your Apple Developer Program account must match domains for the submitting company or partnered financial institution. We look forward to reviewing your resubmitted app. Best regards, App Review But Our company name is Worldmox Business, S.A.P.I. de C.V., SOFOM, E.N.R. Our official website is https://www.worldmoxbusiness.tech and the domain we are using is worldmoxbusiness.tech Under "user and access" we only have one user who's domain is also worldmoxbusiness.tech In our app Description, all the mail we used are under domian name worldmoxbusiness.tech So I'm very confused that what is "verified email domains" and what is "match"? The Apple Review Team wouldn't answer any of my questions, what they did is give me lots of policy urls which are impossible to locate useful information, why submitting an app on App Store Connect is so hard?

Hello Could you please tell me what's wrong? I am publishing my application for the first time. I have already put Terms of Use in the application settings. What is missing? Guideline 3.1.2 - Business - Payments - Subscriptions 3.1.2(c) Subscription Information Before asking a customer to subscribe, you should clearly describe what the user will get for the price. How many issues per month? How much cloud storage? What kind of access to your service? Ensure you clearly communicate the requirements described in Schedule 2 of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Issue Description The submission did not include all the required information for apps offering auto-renewable subscriptions. Apps offering auto-renewable subscriptions must include all of the following required information in the binary: Title of auto-renewing subscription, which may be the same as the in-app purchase product name Length of subscription Price of subscription, and price per unit if appropriate Functional links to the privacy policy and Terms of Use (EULA) The app metadata must also include functional links to the privacy policy and Terms of Use (EULA). Next Steps Update the app's metadata to include the following required information: A functional link to the Terms of Use (EULA). If you are using the standard Apple Terms of Use (EULA), include a link to the Terms of Use in the App Description. If you are using a custom EULA, add it in App Store Connect.

I have a new build in App Store Connect, however when I attempt to add a New Version, I get an error. It makes no difference which number I enter. Any ideas about the cause? Thanks

I find odd that the App Store Connect still requires 5.5" iPhone screenshots of the iPhone 8 Plus, given that this specific phone is no longer supported by the latest release: iOS 17. I am well aware that the iPhone SE still has a similar screen ratio, and that it is still being supported by iOS 17, but it doesn't have the same pixel requirements (1242 x 2208), which means that in order for my app to be even reviewed (which is an iOS 17+ exclusive), I'm gonna have to create images that will then be upscaled to the right dimensions. Am I missing something here, or is it Apple who missed this detail?

I built an app that makes playing audio plays easier using MusicKit. Now I am about to release the app to the app store. Following questions occured while doing so: Am I accessing/showing third party content in my app when I am music (in this case radio plays) from MusicKit? I am getting all of that data directly from Apple. Is Apple a third party in this case? The publisher has an app that can playback all of the content that can be accessed in my app. This app has an age rating of 4+ years. Can I just copy that? I've heard that referring to other apps doesn't convince the App Review Team if they disagree. None of the titles are marked explicit in Apple Music. Under the hood MusicKit is using HTTPS to get the data from Apple's servers. I have no code that has anything to do with encryption or HTTPS. Does my app still uses Non Exempt Encryption because MusicKit does so? Can I access music through MusicKit that is otherwise not available in this region or does MusicKit take care of this for me? In other words do I have to restrict the availability of my app to certain regions so I don't bypass any geo blockings by accident? Thank you

Hello Apple Developer Community, I hope this message finds you well. I recently submitted an astrology-related app to the App Store, and it was rejected with the following reason: "Your app primarily features astrology, horoscopes, palm reading, fortune telling, or zodiac reports. As such, it duplicates the content and functionality of many other similar apps currently available on the App Store." I would like to seek some clarification and guidance on how to address this issue and bring my app in compliance with Apple's guidelines. I understand that there are similar apps available, but I believe my app offers unique and valuable features that differentiate it from others. Specifically, I would like to know: What criteria does Apple use to determine whether an app is considered duplicative of others in the same category? Are there any specific guidelines or best practices to follow when submitting astrology or similar apps to ensure they are approved? Is there a way to highlight the distinctive features of my app that make it unique and provide a better user experience compared to other similar apps? Are there any precedents or examples of successful astrology apps that were approved on the App Store, and if so, what factors contributed to their approval? I want to ensure that my app complies with Apple's policies and provides value to users while avoiding any issues related to duplication. Any insights or guidance on this matter would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and assistance. Best regards,

The review status of my application has been stuck in review status for almost 48 hours and the time is rising. It also happened in my previous submission. At that time, I did not hear from the apple official for 3 days, he did not respond to the correspondence. so I canceled the submission and restarted the process. In the situation I am experiencing today, as I mentioned above, I have completed the second day. Is there a way to move the process forward without canceling the submission, or is there an idea whether it is necessary to stop and restart the review in every waiting situation exceeding one or two days? I opened an expedited review request. I also opened a ticket to Apple in the other app review question category. I don't know what else can be done.

Subject: Clarification on App Store Policy Regarding Payments Through Telegram Bots Dear Apple Team, My name is Fedor Skuratov, and I am a CEO at Combot.org. We have received a notification from Telegram (Telegram.org) regarding the necessity to switch to a new payment mechanism—Telegram Stars — for all bots that accept payments for digital goods and services. This is the text of their announcement: URGENT Action Required Dear Bot Developer, Apple has informed Telegram that @combot is in violation of App Review Guidelines 4.7 and 3.1.1, because it accepts payments for digital goods and services directly from customers without relying on Apple's in-app purchase mechanism. To ensure that Telegram bots/mini apps such as yours continue operating without interruption on all platforms, we have developed a way for third-party developers on Telegram to accept payments from their customers that is compliant with the App Store and Play Store policies. To this end, we are rolling out a new in-app currency, Telegram Stars, which users will be able to acquire from Telegram using standard Apple and Google in-app purchases and then use to buy digital goods and services from you. Developers will be able to review their Telegram Stars balance and withdraw them at any time using the TON blockchain. Starting on June 12, all payments for digital goods and services in bots and mini apps will have to be carried out exclusively in Telegram Stars. Since Telegram has to follow the Guidelines imposed on us by the app stores, failure to comply with these changes will result in the suspension of @combot for most of your customers. We will publish the full updated API documentation within the next few days, but you can already prepare your bots and mini-apps for the upcoming changes. To accept payments for digital goods and services, you will need to use the sendInvoice or createInvoiceLink methods with the currency field set to "XTR" and the provider_token field left empty. We expect these changes to positively impact the conversion rate for payments from customers in most markets. Payments for physical goods and services remain unchanged. More details will be published on @botnews soon. The Telegram Team These changes have raised several questions and concerns as they directly impact our business. We would like to seek clarification on the following points: **Apple's Requirements: ** What specific requirements has Apple set for Telegram and bot developers regarding payments for digital goods and services? Is this requirement initiated by Apple or is it solely a decision by Telegram? **Apple's Commission: ** According to the new rules, Telegram proposes using in-app currency (Telegram Stars) for all payments for digital goods and services, which adheres to the Apple/Google commission (~30%). These changes can negatively affect existing business models. Are there any plans to ease the conditions or provide additional time for adaptation to the new requirements? Jurisdictional Issues: In most jurisdictions, receiving payments for digital goods in cryptocurrency (including TON/Telegram Stars) is illegal. How does Apple plan to address this issue in your relations with Telegram and businesses which uses the bot functionality in Telegram app? Application of Rules: Do these requirements apply only to those developers using in-app Telegram Payments 2.0, or to all who sell any services and have links to these services in its bots? Payments on Third-Party Websites: Our service (Combot.org) which is a moderation an community management tool for communities including Telegram chats, uses Stripe to accept payments on our website, and the bot acts as an agent in chats and does not handle payments. How do Apple's new requirements relate to such business models? We appreciate your assistance and understanding in this matter. Thank you in advance for your clarification. Sincerely, Fedor Skuratov CEO Combot.org

Stuck in the loop of denied application right now....any of you have solid recommendations on the best ways to contact your reviewer? I'll give myself a much more forgiving ETA in the future as the App Approval process can be a real marathon.

I have two apps that are exempt from the need to be sandboxed. One has been in the MAS since the first day in 2010, and the other was added only a bit later, when there still was no sandboxing in place. When Apple added requirements for sandboxing, they exempted existing apps like mine under certain conditions. For years, this was no problem, but lately, nearly every other time I submit an update or a TestFlight beta, I get the app rejected for not being sandboxed, even though I explain the situation in the app's Review Notes. It's always a tedious fight convincing the reviewer to let the app pass. And, of course, it delays my releases each time. It's frustrating and exhausting. Sadly, I cannot find any public documents that confirm my claim of this exemption. So, it's always possible that the reviewer may read my note but still not believe me. Are there others here who still have such non-sandboxed in the MAS? How do you deal with this? Or do you know of documents or websites that I can refer the reviewer to?

Hey everyone, I'm facing a bit of a puzzling issue with the review of my app, particularly with the in-app purchase functionality for message extension/sticker packs. I've implemented the entire store using StoreKit for in-app purchases, using exactly the same code like it is in Apple's demo application (https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/in-app_purchase/implementing_a_store_in_your_app_using_the_storekit_api). Here's the problem: the products appear correctly according to what's set up in App Store Connect (In-App Purchases section), and the purchase process works flawlessly in sandbox and TestFlight environments. However, during the review process, I received the following feedback: "Guideline 2.1 - Performance - App Completeness We found that your in-app purchase products exhibited one or more bugs which create a poor user experience. Specifically, the app kept loading indefinitely when we tapped on “Shop”. Please review the details and resources below and complete the next steps." It seems that the products are not loading properly in the environment used by the reviewers. What's most puzzling is that another app with the exact same store implementation has passed the review and is available in the store (https://apps.apple.com/pl/app/the-prince-frog/id6478831171?l=pl). I'm running out of ideas on what could be causing this discrepancy, especially since everything is functioning correctly in sandbox and TestFlight. Could someone please take a look at the code in Store.swift in this demo project and point out what might be missing? Any help or insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. @MainActor func requestProducts() async { do { //Request products from the App Store using the identifiers that the Products.plist file defines. let storeProducts = try await Product.products(for: productIdToEmoji.keys) for product in productIdToEmoji.keys { toDebug = toDebug + ", " + product } var newCars: [Product] = [] var newSubscriptions: [Product] = [] var newNonRenewables: [Product] = [] var newFuel: [Product] = [] //Filter the products into categories based on their type. for product in storeProducts { switch product.type { case .consumable: newCars.append(product) case .nonConsumable: newCars.append(product) case .autoRenewable: newSubscriptions.append(product) case .nonRenewable: newNonRenewables.append(product) default: //Ignore this product. print("Unknown product") } } //Sort each product category by price, lowest to highest, to update the store. cars = sortByPrice(newCars) subscriptions = sortByPrice(newSubscriptions) nonRenewables = sortByPrice(newNonRenewables) fuel = sortByPrice(newFuel) } catch { print("Failed product request from the App Store server: \(error)") errorMessage = error.localizedDescription } }

Hello, I can't delete my app because my subscription group was in 'Waiting for Review' status. Then I deleted subscriptions and all subscription groups. The steps I followed: Submitted app to the review (new app) App Store Team Rejected I decided to make changes in the app Submitted new build for the review App was in the status "Waiting for the review" I decided to don't publish my app Removed Subscription groups and removed app from the sale Tried to delete the app Now I can't delete the app. Is there way to delete this app? I don't like having an app that isn't published to App Store. In other words, I don't want to see this app in the App Store Connect

Your app provides loan services but does not meet all the requirements for apps providing these services. See below for additional information. These requirements give App Store users confidence that apps offering financial services are qualified to provide these services and will responsibly manage their data. Next Steps It would be appropriate to make the following changes to comply with the App Store requirements: The verified email domains associated with your Apple Developer Program account must match domains for the submitting company or partnered financial institution.

We have taken the actions listed in the following URL. We would like to confirm if the review is approved. https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=pvszzano Is there any other way to check if it passes the review other than the actual review? We would like to do a preliminary review to make sure that what we have done is okay.