An ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest rejection email looks as follows: ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest- Your app includes "<path/to/SDK>", which includes , an SDK that was identified in the documentation as a privacy-impacting third-party SDK. Starting February 12, 2025, if a new app includes a privacy-impacting SDK, or an app update adds a new privacy-impacting SDK, the SDK must include a privacy manifest file. Please contact the provider of the SDK that includes this file to get an updated SDK version with a privacy manifest. For more details about this policy, including a list of SDKs that are required to include signatures and manifests, visit: https://developer.apple.com/support/third-party-SDK-requirements. Glossary ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest: An email that includes the name and path of privacy-impacting SDK(s) with no privacy manifest files in your app bundle. For more information, see https://developer.apple.com/support/third-party-SDK-requirements. : The specified privacy-impacting SDK that doesn't include a privacy manifest file. If you are the developer of the rejected app, gather the name of the SDK from the email you received from Apple, then contact the SDK's provider for an updated version that includes a valid privacy manifest. After receiving an updated version of the SDK, verify the SDK includes a valid privacy manifest file at the expected location. For more information, see Adding a privacy manifest to your app or third-party SDK. If your app includes a privacy manifest file, make sure the file only describes the privacy practices of your app. Do not add the privacy practices of the SDK to your app's privacy manifest. If the email lists multiple SDKs, repeat the above process for all of them. If you are the developer of an SDK listed in the email, publish an updated version of your SDK that includes a privacy manifest file with valid keys and values. Every privacy-impacting SDK must contain a privacy manifest file that only describes its privacy practices. To learn how to add a valid privacy manifest to your SDK, see the Additional resources section below. Additional resources Privacy manifest files Describing data use in privacy manifests Describing use of required reason API Adding a privacy manifest to your app or third-party SDK TN3182: Adding privacy tracking keys to your privacy manifest TN3183: Adding required reason API entries to your privacy manifest TN3184: Adding data collection details to your privacy manifest TN3181: Debugging an invalid privacy manifest

In this post, we'll share tips to help you submit apps that deliver original ideas to your users. When working on your app, focus on creating interesting, unique experiences that aren't already available. Apps that actively try to copy other apps won't pass review, and accounts that repeatedly submit copycat apps or attempt to impersonate a service will be closed. The rules that prevent copycat and impersonator apps from being distributed on the App Store are described in App Review Guideline 4.1: 4.1 Copycats (a) Come up with your own ideas. We know you have them, so make yours come to life. Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own. In addition to risking an intellectual property infringement claim, it makes the App Store harder to navigate and just isn’t fair to your fellow developers. (b) Submitting apps which impersonate other apps or services is considered a violation of the Developer Code of Conduct and may result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.(c) You cannot use another developer’s icon, brand, or product name in your app’s icon or name, without approval from the developer. These requirements help make the App Store both a safe place for people to discover apps and a platform for all developers to be successful. Best Practices Here are three best practices that will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1: 1. Submit apps with unique content and features. People want apps that provide unique experiences. Find areas that aren't currently being served and build compelling apps for those audiences. Do: Create apps that provide a new experience or a unique spin on an existing concept. Design original, delightful interfaces that elegantly meet your user's needs. Don't: Don’t imitate the features and functionality of other apps. Don’t copy the look and feel of other apps, such as using an identical user interface design. 2. Make sure App Store metadata only contains relevant information and content you either own or have permission to use. The metadata provided in App Store Connect is used to populate your app's product page on the App Store. People rely on this metadata to learn about your app and what it has to offer. Leveraging the popularity of another brand or app, either by including irrelevant references or protected content, is misleading and won't help your app succeed. Do: Use engaging, descriptive language to describe your unique app. Create original content that best represents your app, such as screenshots showing the actual app in use. Don't: Don't use protected material you do not have the necessary permission to use, such as app icons that are similar to icons of a popular app. Don’t include irrelevant references, such as popular app names or trademarked terms, in any metadata fields. 3. Provide information that is authentic and verifiable. People want to know the developers behind their favorite apps are who they say they are. It's important to continually review and provide up-to-date information, including the developer or company name listed on your Apple Developer Program account, the Support URL listed on your app's product page, and other helpful information. This will enable your users to contact you when they need help and it will also hinder people who may try to impersonate you, your app, or your service. Do: Make sure all information, resources, and documentation related to your account and apps are current and accurate. Don't: Don’t provide inaccurate information or resources, such as directing people to outdated support pages. Don’t provide fraudulent documentation. Accounts that submit fraudulent documentation will be removed from the Apple Developer Program. Support Incorporating these best practices into your app's development will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1. If you need additional assistance, consider taking advantage of one of the following support options available from App Review: If your submission has been rejected, reply to the message from App Review in App Store Connect and request clarification. Request an App Review Appointment to discuss the results of our review. Appointments are subject to availability, and take place during local business hours in your region on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you believe your app follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board. Resources Learn about foundational design principles from Apple designers and the developer community. Learn how to create engaging App Store product pages. Note that apps that violate intellectual property rights are subject to removal through the App Store Content Dispute process. If you believe an app on the App Store violates your intellectual property rights, you can submit a claim.

My app was submitted on 1/27/2026 and is still in "Waiting for Review" with no updates. I submitted a request to Support several days ago with no response to see if there was an issue that needed to be addressed, and my request to schedule an App Review session was denied.

Hello everyone, We are the developer of PhotoMagic – AI Photo Editor, and we would appreciate guidance from the community regarding a pending enforcement case currently under review by the App Review Board. Case Information Case Number: 102812414888 App ID: 6746860005 Notice Date: January 25, 2026 Current Status: Pending review by the App Review Board Reason cited: Section 3.2(f) of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement The notice stated that our app submissions were considered to have “repeatedly violated the App Review Guidelines in an attempt to evade the review process.” Background & Acknowledgement Upon receiving the notice, we immediately conducted a comprehensive internal audit. During this process, we identified that certain user-uploaded template content (for example, templates involving concepts such as “kiss” or “hug”) posed potential policy risks. We would like to clearly state that we did not intentionally hide or disguise content to evade App Review. However, we fully acknowledge that our previous content moderation mechanisms were insufficient, and we take full responsibility for this oversight. Corrective Actions Taken Following the audit, we implemented the following remediation measures. Some items are already live, while others will take effect in the next app update once submission restrictions are lifted. Already Implemented 1.Expanded and strengthened our prohibited keyword library to prevent searching or generating sensitive content (e.g. “kiss”, “hug”, “nude”, etc.).(We can provide the keyword list if requested.) 2.Added detection and filtering mechanisms for public figures (including political figures and well-known individuals) to prevent potential deepfake misuse. 3.Raised AI model safety thresholds to prioritize risk prevention, even if this blocks borderline or otherwise normal content. 4.Fully restructured our content moderation team to ensure independence, accountability, and redundancy. 5.Implemented an in-app reporting mechanism allowing users to report any content, which is immediately reviewed and removed if found non-compliant. 6.Discontinued use of Grok and any other AI services deemed potentially risky; all AI generation capabilities have been migrated to Gemini. Pending Next App Update 7. Updated Terms of Use to restrict access to adults only and explicitly prohibit generating any prohibited content. Repeated violation attempts result in warnings and eventual denial of service. 8. Removed all user-uploaded custom templates. Only internally designed, fixed templates are provided, with no user-editable prompts. 9. Added both visible and invisible watermarks to all generated content to ensure clear AI attribution and traceability. Questions for the Community We would appreciate any guidance or shared experience regarding the following: Are there any additional steps that are appropriate or recommended to bring remediation details to the App Review Board’s attention while a case is under review? Is there any specific type of supporting documentation (e.g. technical architecture explanations, data cleanup confirmations, policy mappings) that has been helpful in similar situations? In general, once a case is under review by the App Review Board, is it best to wait for further instructions, or are proactive clarifications sometimes appropriate? We respect Apple’s review process and are fully committed to long-term compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines and the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and support.

My app was submitted on 1/27/26 for review and is still in "Waiting for Review" status, with no updates. I thought there might be an issue and submitted a Support Request several days ago, but haven't heard back, and my request to schedule an App Review session was denied as well.

Hello, I’m seeking clarification on In-App Purchase requirements for a marketplace vendor app offering real-world, offline services. We plan to offer paid vendor listing plans (Free, Silver, Gold, etc.) that provide business benefits such as increased visibility, analytics, and also include feature limits like the number of images a vendor can upload to their business profile and enhanced dashboard views. These plans are intended to support vendors’ real-world businesses and do not provide digital content to consumers. Does gating vendor features such as image upload limits or dashboard capabilities require Apple In-App Purchase under App Store Review Guideline 3.1, or can such vendor plans be processed using a third-party payment gateway as account-based service tiers?

My app has been in the review queue since January 23, 2026. Is this normal? What’s more, I applied for an expedited review but haven’t received any feedback yet. Could it be that there’s an unusually large number of apps in the review queue right now?

Hello, My new app has remained in the "Waiting for Review" status for an extended period. I initially submitted it on January 23, 2026. After several days without any progress, I submitted an inquiry on January 27 but have not yet received a response. On February 1, I canceled and resubmitted the app, wondering if there might have been an issue with the review queue, but it still remains in the "Waiting for Review" state. I had scheduled my marketing activities based on the typical review timeframe, but since the review has not started and there is no indication of how much longer the wait will be, it has been difficult to adjust my plans accordingly. If anyone has experienced a similar issue and managed to resolve it, I would greatly appreciate any insights you could share. Thank you for your time, and I hope you have a great day.

I'm currently working on an OSX app that requires a user to have Spotify installed. (If the user doesn't have Spotify, the app will still run–it will just be useless) It seems like this sort of thing is allowed because I see plenty of apps in the Mac App Store that use Spotify, but do I need to make any special notes of this in my app submission to make sure it's approved?

Hi, I have a completely new release of my app coming out with a new tech stack. I noticed that only 1% of my users were on iPad so the new app was not created to be 'compatible' with iPad including how it looks on iPad. Can I release this new version of the app only for iPhone? Or because it was previously available for iPad I have to release for iPad as well? Really appreciate any support/guidance on this. Thank you!

Dear App Review Team, Our app – Apple ID 6756967338, has been stuck in the “In Review” status for over 10 days (Jan, 19 at 1:33 PM). Normally, reviews begin within a few days, but in our case, it seems unusually delayed. Could you please clarify: • Is there a specific reason for this hold? • Is any action required from our side? • When can we expect the review to finish? Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

I have an app that is stuck in "Waiting for review" since January 2nd. This will be one month tomorrow as I'm writing this. It's a totally new app, which I guess could take longer than an update to an existing app, but a month seems a bit much. What can I do about this? It seems weird that there isn't some kind of alarm inside the app review team that will catch some app being stuck for this long...

Hello everyone Hoping for some insights with an issue we're having with our app store review process. Note that this is not a new app, and we've had many successful reviews in the past. We submitted the app for review just over a week ago. We received a timely review about 24 hours later, citing an issue with Apple Pay. We make use of PassKit, but the reviewer could not find where we use Apple Pay in our app. I replied within a few hours with screenshots and videos, as it is quite easy to find where we use Apple Pay. Since then, we haven't received any feedback at all. I tried resubmitting a new build after 4 day,s and that is also sitting unreviewed for a while now. We've got features and bug fixes that were supposed to go out in this release, but we are now blocked on them. Is there anything we can do?

I’ve observed several areas in iOS where user experience could be enhanced, such as keyboard flexibility, animation speed, biometric options, cache management, background uploads, navigation reliability, and automation features. Addressing these aspects would not only improve usability but also align iOS more closely with diverse user needs across regions and use cases. What enhancements would you consider most valuable?

When I update my app name, the App Store URL also changes, and since the app URL contributes to ASO performance, this is a concern for me. I would like to know whether it is possible to change the app name without affecting the URL, or if the previous URL automatically redirects to the new one.

In App Store Connect metadata I added keywords expecting App Store and Apple Watch searches to surface my app using those terms. However searching those keywords does not show my app and it only appears when I search by the app name so I am unsure what is incorrect.

I’m launching my game on May 9 and have been going through Apple’s App Store course. It’s informative but also feels like a marketing push. For those who’ve tried App Store campaigns, did they actually drive results like views, conversions, or in-app purchases? Sharing your app/industry for context would be super helpful.

I’ve been working on marketing my iOS app, but it’s been quite frustrating so far. ASO hasn’t brought the results I expected, and I’m not sure what to try next. I’d like to learn more about indie app marketing beyond keyword tweaks-any blogs, courses, books, or communities you’d recommend for understanding effective strategies and improving app visibility?

Hi everyone, Just wanted to ask if anyone else has noticed longer-than-normal review times recently. Our latest app has been sitting in “In Review” for more than a week now. Normally our apps get reviewed much faster, so we’re unsure if this is just a backlog or something else. Currently: No communication from Apple No visible issues in metadata Review status hasn’t changed Curious to know: • Are others seeing similar delays? • Does this usually mean a deeper/manual review? • When should we reach out to Apple? • How do you usually contact App Review for status checks? Would love to hear your experiences. Thanks!

Dear App Review Team, Our app – Apple ID 6754872058 has been stuck in the “In Review” status for over 7 days (since Jan, 15 at 10:44 PM). Normally, reviews begin within a few days, but in our case, it seems unusually delayed. Could you please clarify: • Is there a specific reason for this hold? • Is any action required from our side? • When can we expect the review to finish? Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

Apple’s documentation indicates that iOS now supports A/B testing for app icons, but I haven’t been able to get it working. My app already includes alternate icons within the same binary, yet when I try to set up an A/B test in App Store Connect, there’s no option to change the icon-only screenshots can be updated in a new treatment.

My iOS app currently holds a 3.5★ rating with limited reviews, and I’d like to raise it by motivating happy users to share feedback. I’m looking for ethical ways to do this without being pushy. What are the best strategies and timing for review prompts to boost ratings while keeping users satisfied?