App Review

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App review is the process of evaluating apps and app updates submitted to the App Store to ensure they are reliable, perform as expected, and follow Apple guidelines.

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App Stuck in ‘Waiting for Review’ for 48+ Hours After Resubmission
Hi everyone, I’m experiencing a delay with my app review process and wanted to check if this is normal or if anyone has faced something similar. App Name: Finna: Budget Tracker Here’s the timeline: Apr 13: Submitted → Waiting for Review → In Review → Rejected Apr 15: Fixed the issues and resubmitted → Waiting for Review (since then, ~48+ hours now) Current status is still “Waiting for Review”, and it hasn’t moved to “In Review” yet after resubmission. A few points: -> This is not a brand-new submission (it was previously reviewed and rejected once). -> I addressed all rejection points carefully before resubmitting. -> No major feature changes, just fixes based on Apple’s feedback. Questions: Is it normal for resubmitted apps to take longer than the first review? Does rejection history affect queue priority? Should I wait more or consider contacting Apple Developer Support? Would appreciate insights from anyone who has gone through similar delays recently. Thanks!
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Apr ’26
Curious about the shift from iOS developer to full time indie developer Ask Me Anything 🚀📱
Hey everyone 👋 I have 14 years of experience in iOS development, starting in my mid-teens and later working as a senior and lead developer with Fortune 50 companies. Around 1.5 years ago I began my indie journey as a side hustle, and for the past 3 months I have been building apps full time with a growing portfolio and increasing revenue 📈 I currently handle everything myself including development, ASO, and design, with marketing planned for later 🚀 I just shipped a major release last week and taking a relaxed week now, so feel free to ask anything about iOS development, indie life, ASO, monetization, or related topics 💬
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Apr ’26
TestFlight “What to Test” error + Apple Support delay – Case ID 102871190604
Hi everyone, I’m currently facing an issue in App Store Connect when submitting a build to TestFlight. When I try to complete the “What to Test” section and submit, I get the following error: “There was an error processing your request. Please try again later.” Case details: Case ID: 102871190604 Submitted: April 17, 2026 (GMT+7) Status: No response after 3–4 days This issue is blocking me from submitting the build. What I’ve tried: Retried multiple times Switched browsers (Chrome, Safari) Used Incognito mode Logged out and back in Simplified the “What to Test” text Checked build is processed and not expired I have already contacted Apple Developer Support but haven’t received any response yet. Questions: Is this a known App Store Connect issue? Should I wait for support, or upload a new build? If any Apple staff could help check this case, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
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Apr ’26
TestFlight submission error in “What to Test” – Case ID 102871415765
Hi everyone, I’m getting this error in App Store Connect when submitting a build in TestFlight: “There was an error processing your request. Please try again later.” Case information: Case ID: 102871415765 Contacted Apple Developer Support: April 17, 2026 (GMT+7) It has been 3–4 days with no response so far Where it happens: App Store Connect During the “What to Test” step The build is already processed and available What I tried: Retried several times Switched browsers Used Incognito mode Logged out and back in Simplified the “What to Test” text Checked that the build is not expired This issue has been blocking submission for several days now. Has anyone experienced this recently? Is there any workaround, or should I upload a new build? Thank you.
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Apr ’26
Escalation Request – Extended “Waiting for Review” Status
Hello, I would like to request an escalation regarding my app review status. My app (Apple ID: 6758756966) was submitted for review on February 24 and has been in “Waiting for Review” status for an extended period, with no progress so far. I have contacted Apple Developer Support multiple times (Case IDs: 102840237455, 102840079647, 102846664998, 102841727941) starting from March 9, but unfortunately, I have not received any response to any of these requests. I have also submitted three expedited review requests, but none of them have been acknowledged. Could you please: • confirm whether the submission is still active in the queue • check if there are any issues preventing it from moving forward • and assist in escalating the review if possible If any additional information is required from my side, I am ready to provide it immediately. Thank you very much for your time and support.
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Apr ’26
3.2(f) triggered — account pending termination despite repeated attempts to comply
Hi all, Looking for some clarity.. I have an app (Pocket Love: AI Roleplay Chat, Apple ID: 6745031268) that went through a long review process with many resubmissions. The feedback I received across those reviews was often generic “overtly sexual”) message, but without any detail on exactly what needed to change. Because of that, I approached it iteratively making adjustments each time based on what I thought the issue might be. Over time I made quite significant changes across the app (imagery, unlockable content, voice-overs, menus, copy, etc.), and increased the age rating to 18+. I also had a call with a policy eexpert & App Review. In the final interaction, I was asked to ensure all unlockable content was visible, so I re-uploaded a build and provided screenshots with everything pre-unlocked for transparency. Despite this, my account has now been flagged under 3.2(f) for “dishonest or fraudulent activity,” and is pending termination. What I’m struggling to understand is: Can repeated resubmissions / iterative changes alone be interpreted as “evasion” under 3.2(f)? Or does this typically mean App Review believes there was something intentionally misleading? From my perspective, I was trying to respond to feedback and get the app into a compliant state, not bypass review or hide anything. The game does have "sexy" imagery lingerie etc..and adult themes but 0 nudity and is tamer than similar games live on the app store. Would really appreciate any insight from others who’ve experienced similar, or from anyone familiar with how this is interpreted internally. I can't believe my account is pending termination without any intentional wrongdoing, I currently have 3 other live games one with strong revenue, that will be removed too due to this. My initial appeal was rejected today. Thanks!
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Apr ’26
How to track an appeal?
I had an app rejected for a reason I thought was incorrect. I replied with an explanation and resubmitted, but it was rejected again, so I clicked the link to appeal that went to the link below where I submitted a detailed appeal.https://developer.apple.com/contact/app-store/?topic=appealI did not receive any email confirmation or response from the appeal and can find now way to track the status of the appeal. However, I do now see in iTunes Connect that the app no loger displays the red bar at the top that used to say "There are one or more issues with the following platform(s):1 unresolved iOS issue". Does this mean the appeal was accepted? Is there a way to track the status of an appeal?
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Apr ’26
57 days in 'Waiting for Review' – Never entered 'In Review' – Seeking guidance from Apple or experienced developers
Hi everyone, I am writing this post with the hope that someone from Apple's App Review team, Developer Relations, or the wider developer community can shed some light on what I am experiencing. I have exhausted every official support channel available to me, and I am at a complete loss. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ THE SITUATION ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ I have a v1.0 iOS app that has been stuck in 'Waiting for Review' for 57 days. It has never progressed beyond this status. No rejection. No feedback. No communication. Just silence. I am not here to complain. I am here because I genuinely do not understand what is happening, and I need guidance. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ TIMELINE ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ • Day 1 — App submitted for review. Status: 'Waiting for Review.' • Day 22 — No movement. No feedback. Out of frustration, I made the mistake of doing a Developer Reject and resubmitting. I now understand this was the wrong decision, as it likely reset my position in the queue. • Day 27 — Contacted Apple Developer Support. A Senior Advisor confirmed the app was still in review and said they would reach out to the internal review team. • Day 42 — Still no change. Sent a formal follow-up and escalation request. • Day 44 — A second Senior Advisor responded, confirming they had also forwarded the case to the review team. • Day 57 (today) — The app is still in 'Waiting for Review.' Nothing has changed. Two separate Senior Advisors have each told me they contacted the internal review team. After both of those interactions, nothing changed. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ WHAT MAKES THIS UNUSUAL ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ I want to be clear about something: the app has NEVER entered 'In Review.' It has been in 'Waiting for Review' the entire time. This is not a case of a slow review — it appears the app has never been picked up for review at all. I have checked Apple's System Status page multiple times throughout these 57 days. All services have consistently shown as fully operational. I have not resubmitted again after Day 22. I have been patiently waiting, following the advice given to me. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ MY HONEST QUESTIONS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Is it technically possible for a v1.0 app to be permanently stuck in 'Waiting for Review' without any notification or rejection? Could this be a system or queue issue on Apple's end? Is 'Waiting for Review' for 57 days — with no status change and no communication — within the range of what other developers have experienced? I want to understand if this is abnormal. When a Senior Advisor says they have 'forwarded the case to the review team,' what does that actually mean in practice? Is there a way to verify this happened or to escalate further? Is there a formal escalation path beyond Developer Support — for example, Developer Relations or the App Review Board — for situations where standard support channels have not produced any result after nearly two months? Could the app category (social / matching) be the reason for an extended manual review? If Apple requires additional information, documentation, or content moderation policies from developers in certain categories, why is there no notification or communication mechanism to request this? ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ WHAT I AM NOT ASKING FOR ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ I am not asking for my app to bypass the review process. I am not asking to skip the queue. I am not asking for guaranteed approval. I understand Apple's review process exists to protect users, and I fully respect that. I am simply asking for ONE of two things: — Either: review the app and give me a decision — approval or rejection, both are acceptable. — Or: tell me if there is a problem, a hold, or something you need from me, so I can act on it. Fifty-seven days of silence, with no path forward, is the one outcome I cannot work with. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ A NOTE TO APPLE DEVELOPER RELATIONS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ If anyone from Apple is reading this — I am not writing out of anger. I am writing because I am a solo developer who has poured everything into this product, and I am genuinely stuck. I have done everything I was asked to do. I have been patient. I have followed the process. All I am asking for is a resolution — in any direction. If there is anything I can provide — demo account credentials, additional documentation, a content moderation policy, privacy details, anything at all — I will provide it within hours of being asked. Thank you sincerely to anyone who takes the time to read this and share their experience or advice. — Akif Solo Developer
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Apr ’26
pp update in "Waiting for Review" for 65 days — no response to expedite requests
Our app update for Underground Arena (a padel sports community platform) has been pending review for over (65 days), since the first submission on February 11, 2026. At no point has the submission transitioned to "In Review" or received any feedback. The previously approved version (v1.1.2) was reviewed and approved within one day. This update includes security improvements, privacy policy alignment, and metadata updates. No changes to monetization or permissions. We have submitted two expedited review requests and opened support case 102840575585 — none have resulted in movement. We have a padel tournament on April 22, 2026 that requires the updated app for participant registration. Our Android version is already live on Google Play, and iOS users are currently unable to access the latest features. Could someone from the review team please confirm whether this submission is in extended review, or advise on any information needed to proceed? Thank you.
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Apr ’26
App Store Distribution – Minimum Deployment Targets (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) with XCode 26
Hello Team, We’ve confirmed Apple’s current minimum OS requirements for Xcode 26: iOS 15 – 26 iPadOS 15 – 26 tvOS 15 – 26 watchOS 8 – 26 visionOS 1 – 26 macOS 11 – 26 Are we correct in understanding that any builds targeting below these versions are no longer accepted by the App Store and may fail to launch for users on older systems? Like this https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/821370?answerId=882822022#882822022 For Steam macOS distribution, can older macOS targets still be supported, or should we align strictly with Apple’s minimums? Thank you and best regards, Phong
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Apr ’26
2 Months of Identical Copy-Paste Rejections for a Game Emulator — No Human Review, No Meaningful Feedback
Hello, I'm the developer of RPGPlayer, a game emulator for RPG Maker games that has been live on the App Store since 2025. I'm writing here out of frustration and desperation after 2+ months of trying to publish a critical bug fix update. The Situation I submitted v2.4 on February 21, 2026. Since then, I have received 9+ rejections under Guidelines 4.7 and 2.5.2. Every single rejection message is word-for-word identical — the same copy-pasted text, every time. None of my detailed technical responses have ever been acknowledged or addressed. I have submitted appeals twice through the App Review Board. Both times I received the same automated response: "The App Review Board will contact you directly once they've completed their investigation." The first appeal went unanswered for over 30 days. At this point, I genuinely do not believe a human being has opened my app during any of these reviews. The Technical Reality RPGPlayer is a game emulator, explicitly permitted under Guideline 4.7. The rejection under 4.7 states that "HTML5-based games appear to be an incidental feature." This is incorrect. RPG Maker MV/MZ games are built on HTML5/JavaScript by design — that is the engine's native architecture on all platforms including PC and consoles. The WKWebView is the emulation layer, not a web browser or game portal. There are zero bundled games. The rejection under 2.5.2 states the app "installed or launched executable code." The app does not download anything from the internet. It includes a bundled, statically-linked runtime (MKXP-Z) that interprets local game scripts from user-imported files — identical to how Delta Emulator interprets ROM instructions. The Double Standard Other apps on the App Store use the exact same architecture as RPGPlayer: Delta Emulator — approved under Guideline 4.7, interprets user-provided ROM files Quest Play — RPG Maker MV/MZ player, uses the same WebView approach, currently receiving updates ArkRPG — same engine, same architecture, also on the App Store and getting updates. These apps are approved and actively updated. RPGPlayer is being rejected with automated messages for doing the exact same thing. What I've Tried Detailed technical responses in Resolution Center — ignored Two App Review Board appeals — no meaningful response Contact Us support requests — automated replies Provided ROM files, video walkthroughs, and thorough App Review Notes — none of it acknowledged The Impact My users have been waiting 50+ days for a critical bug fix. Some have left negative reviews calling me a scammer because they think I abandoned the app. I haven't. I've been fighting this review process every single day. I have a Meet with Apple appointment scheduled. But I wanted to share this here as well — both to ask if anyone has faced a similar situation with emulator apps, and to document what is happening in case it helps other developers. Has anyone successfully resolved a 4.7 + 2.5.2 rejection for a legitimate emulator app? Any advice is welcome.
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Apr ’26
Critical Bug — Cannot Submit or Delete Draft Response to Guideline 5.6.4 Notice — App at Risk of Removal
Hi everyone, I am hoping someone here has experienced this and can help, because we are in a really difficult position right now. We received a notice from App Review regarding Guideline 5.6.4 and have been working hard to prepare a full response with supporting evidence. The problem is that a draft response exists in App Store Connect that we cannot submit or delete. Every time we click either Submit or Delete Draft, we get the same error: "The resource cannot be found" That is it. No further explanation, no workaround, nothing. The draft is just stuck there and we cannot get past it. Because we could not submit through the normal channel, we uploaded a new build with our action plan included in the notes, hoping that would reach the review team. The build has been sitting there unreviewed. We have raised a support ticket with Apple Developer Support and have not received any response. The clock is ticking. App Review has given us a deadline to respond or face removal from the App Store. We have our response ready. We have our evidence ready. We just physically cannot submit it because of what appears to be a technical bug on Apple's side. Has anyone else hit this "resource cannot be found" error on a draft App Review response? Is there any other channel we can use to get this in front of the App Review team directly? We have tried everything we can think of. Any help would be massively appreciated. This is our livelihood and the deadline pressure combined with a broken system is genuinely distressing. Thank you
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Apr ’26
StoreKit / IAP: Product WAITING_FOR_REVIEW — works locally with production RevenueCat key + Apple Sandbox, fails during App Review
Hello, I need guidance on App Store Connect product state vs StoreKit behavior during App Review. Stack: iOS app (Expo / React Native), subscriptions via RevenueCat + StoreKit. Bundle ID matches App Store Connect. RevenueCat API keys — what I’ve verified locally: With the production RevenueCat API key (iOS appl_..., same as the submitted build), everything works on local device but not when I download it from TestFlight. I have also tested with RevenueCat’s sandbox / test API key (the separate key intended for sandbox/testing). That setup works as well — I can load offerings and complete test purchases the same way What RevenueCat (SDK / dashboard health) reports: Product monthly is configured in RevenueCat. Warnings that products aren’t approved in App Store Connect yet and that the default offering has configuration issues. Apple’s product state: WAITING_FOR_REVIEW. The SDK still states that test purchases are possible. What App Review reports: After onboarding a new business account, “Activate subscription” leads to an error (plans don’t load / purchase path fails). Review suggested an app code issue. Why this is confusing: Locally, both RevenueCat key modes I tried (production and sandbox/test) work with Apple Sandbox on the device. The submitted build uses the production RevenueCat key. Review still sees a failure. Questions: For IAP in WAITING_FOR_REVIEW, should App Review always use an Apple Sandbox account to test subscriptions until the product is fully approved? Is it documented that StoreKit may not return products during review without Sandbox while the product remains WAITING_FOR_REVIEW? Has anyone else seen “works locally (prod + sandbox RevenueCat keys + Apple Sandbox) but Review fails” with the same WAITING_FOR_REVIEW state? Thanks for any official documentation or similar threads.
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Apr ’26
Apple reviewer not seeing product pricing in paywall
Hello, I have a perplexing issue with apple reviewers not having the same experience as myself regarding the paywall. This is an Expo app and uses RevenueCat and SuperWall integrations. This app is going through its first review - it is not published yet. So the app and its subscriptions are being reviewed for the first time. I should also mention that this is my first time as an app developer, so please pardon my ignorance. When I install the app from TestFlight and launch it, I see the paywall with the product prices shown and I can complete a test purchase. Same for my friends who I've asked to test for me. But the apple reviewer does not see the product prices when the paywall is shown to them. Without being able to replicate the problem I am flying blind. I don't want to re-submit the app for review only to find the same problem exists. I also need to understand what is different between my testing environment and the apple testers. If anyone can point me in the right direction here I would really appreciate the help!
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Apr ’26
“In-App Purchases and Subscriptions” section on the version page not showing
I’m trying to submit my app for review, but I’m currently blocked due to a recurring issue with in-app subscriptions. Both of my auto-renewable subscriptions (premium_monthly and premium_yearly) are marked as “Waiting for Review”. However, I am still seeing the blue box stating that “your first subscription must be submitted with a new app version.” Despite creating a new version (1.0.1) and uploading/selecting a new build , I am not seeing the “In-App Purchases and Subscriptions” section on the version page, and I therefore cannot link the subscriptions before submitting. This issue is blocking my ability to submit the app for review. Any help to resolve this would be greatly appreciated.
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Apr ’26
My app is in review since Feb 3, 2026
Hi there, I originally submitted my app on February 3, 2026. It was rejected initially with a request for additional information. Since then, I’ve gone through several rounds of communication and provided all the requested documents, including company formation details etc. The app was moved to “In Review” again on March 10, 2026, but there has been no update since then. It’s now been over two months since the initial submission, and I haven’t received any further feedback or decision since more than a month. This delay is starting to impact our business, as we’ve been waiting without any clear timeline or direction. Could you please advise if there’s any way to contact the review team directly or expedite the process or any other suggestion that could help? Thank you.
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Apr ’26
Music streaming app with external payment only – EEA compliance question
Hi everyone, I'm developing a music streaming app for iOS and I have a question about App Store guidelines before I submit. Here's how my app works: The app has a signup screen and a login screen There are NO in-app purchases at all Users pay for their subscription on our external website (a separate web app) Once they've paid on the website, they log into the iOS app to listen to music The app itself contains no payment flow, just an external link directing users to our website to subscribe My company is based in France (EU/EEA). My questions: Is this external-payment-only model permitted under current App Store Review Guidelines? Since I'm in the EEA, do I need to apply for an External Purchase Link Entitlement (StoreKit External Purchase Link), or can I operate without it since payment happens entirely outside the app? Is there a difference between simply not having any payment in the app vs. actively linking users out to a website for payment? I want to get this right before submitting. Any guidance from Apple engineers or developers who've dealt with this would be really appreciated. Thanks!
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Apr ’26
App Stuck in ‘Waiting for Review’ for 48+ Hours After Resubmission
Hi everyone, I’m experiencing a delay with my app review process and wanted to check if this is normal or if anyone has faced something similar. App Name: Finna: Budget Tracker Here’s the timeline: Apr 13: Submitted → Waiting for Review → In Review → Rejected Apr 15: Fixed the issues and resubmitted → Waiting for Review (since then, ~48+ hours now) Current status is still “Waiting for Review”, and it hasn’t moved to “In Review” yet after resubmission. A few points: -> This is not a brand-new submission (it was previously reviewed and rejected once). -> I addressed all rejection points carefully before resubmitting. -> No major feature changes, just fixes based on Apple’s feedback. Questions: Is it normal for resubmitted apps to take longer than the first review? Does rejection history affect queue priority? Should I wait more or consider contacting Apple Developer Support? Would appreciate insights from anyone who has gone through similar delays recently. Thanks!
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161
Activity
Apr ’26
Curious about the shift from iOS developer to full time indie developer Ask Me Anything 🚀📱
Hey everyone 👋 I have 14 years of experience in iOS development, starting in my mid-teens and later working as a senior and lead developer with Fortune 50 companies. Around 1.5 years ago I began my indie journey as a side hustle, and for the past 3 months I have been building apps full time with a growing portfolio and increasing revenue 📈 I currently handle everything myself including development, ASO, and design, with marketing planned for later 🚀 I just shipped a major release last week and taking a relaxed week now, so feel free to ask anything about iOS development, indie life, ASO, monetization, or related topics 💬
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2
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141
Activity
Apr ’26
Please check my last app update
Hello, I recently submitted an update for my app, and I would really appreciate it if you could review it when possible. The latest version includes important fixes and improvements. Please let me know if anything else is needed from my side. Thank you for your time and support.
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42
Activity
Apr ’26
TestFlight “What to Test” error + Apple Support delay – Case ID 102871190604
Hi everyone, I’m currently facing an issue in App Store Connect when submitting a build to TestFlight. When I try to complete the “What to Test” section and submit, I get the following error: “There was an error processing your request. Please try again later.” Case details: Case ID: 102871190604 Submitted: April 17, 2026 (GMT+7) Status: No response after 3–4 days This issue is blocking me from submitting the build. What I’ve tried: Retried multiple times Switched browsers (Chrome, Safari) Used Incognito mode Logged out and back in Simplified the “What to Test” text Checked build is processed and not expired I have already contacted Apple Developer Support but haven’t received any response yet. Questions: Is this a known App Store Connect issue? Should I wait for support, or upload a new build? If any Apple staff could help check this case, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.
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127
Activity
Apr ’26
TestFlight submission error in “What to Test” – Case ID 102871415765
Hi everyone, I’m getting this error in App Store Connect when submitting a build in TestFlight: “There was an error processing your request. Please try again later.” Case information: Case ID: 102871415765 Contacted Apple Developer Support: April 17, 2026 (GMT+7) It has been 3–4 days with no response so far Where it happens: App Store Connect During the “What to Test” step The build is already processed and available What I tried: Retried several times Switched browsers Used Incognito mode Logged out and back in Simplified the “What to Test” text Checked that the build is not expired This issue has been blocking submission for several days now. Has anyone experienced this recently? Is there any workaround, or should I upload a new build? Thank you.
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153
Activity
Apr ’26
Escalation Request – Extended “Waiting for Review” Status
Hello, I would like to request an escalation regarding my app review status. My app (Apple ID: 6758756966) was submitted for review on February 24 and has been in “Waiting for Review” status for an extended period, with no progress so far. I have contacted Apple Developer Support multiple times (Case IDs: 102840237455, 102840079647, 102846664998, 102841727941) starting from March 9, but unfortunately, I have not received any response to any of these requests. I have also submitted three expedited review requests, but none of them have been acknowledged. Could you please: • confirm whether the submission is still active in the queue • check if there are any issues preventing it from moving forward • and assist in escalating the review if possible If any additional information is required from my side, I am ready to provide it immediately. Thank you very much for your time and support.
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8
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396
Activity
Apr ’26
3.2(f) triggered — account pending termination despite repeated attempts to comply
Hi all, Looking for some clarity.. I have an app (Pocket Love: AI Roleplay Chat, Apple ID: 6745031268) that went through a long review process with many resubmissions. The feedback I received across those reviews was often generic “overtly sexual”) message, but without any detail on exactly what needed to change. Because of that, I approached it iteratively making adjustments each time based on what I thought the issue might be. Over time I made quite significant changes across the app (imagery, unlockable content, voice-overs, menus, copy, etc.), and increased the age rating to 18+. I also had a call with a policy eexpert & App Review. In the final interaction, I was asked to ensure all unlockable content was visible, so I re-uploaded a build and provided screenshots with everything pre-unlocked for transparency. Despite this, my account has now been flagged under 3.2(f) for “dishonest or fraudulent activity,” and is pending termination. What I’m struggling to understand is: Can repeated resubmissions / iterative changes alone be interpreted as “evasion” under 3.2(f)? Or does this typically mean App Review believes there was something intentionally misleading? From my perspective, I was trying to respond to feedback and get the app into a compliant state, not bypass review or hide anything. The game does have "sexy" imagery lingerie etc..and adult themes but 0 nudity and is tamer than similar games live on the app store. Would really appreciate any insight from others who’ve experienced similar, or from anyone familiar with how this is interpreted internally. I can't believe my account is pending termination without any intentional wrongdoing, I currently have 3 other live games one with strong revenue, that will be removed too due to this. My initial appeal was rejected today. Thanks!
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6
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282
Activity
Apr ’26
Guideline 5.1.1 - Nike vs Small Brands
My app was declined for violation of Guideline 5.1.1. I'm very confused though, because a shopping app like Nike is permitted to not allow anyone into their app if they don't "Sign Up/Log In", yet my client a smaller first time app maker, isn't allowed to do the same? Why is it okay for a company like Nike to do it but not smaller brands?
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3
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157
Activity
Apr ’26
How to track an appeal?
I had an app rejected for a reason I thought was incorrect. I replied with an explanation and resubmitted, but it was rejected again, so I clicked the link to appeal that went to the link below where I submitted a detailed appeal.https://developer.apple.com/contact/app-store/?topic=appealI did not receive any email confirmation or response from the appeal and can find now way to track the status of the appeal. However, I do now see in iTunes Connect that the app no loger displays the red bar at the top that used to say "There are one or more issues with the following platform(s):1 unresolved iOS issue". Does this mean the appeal was accepted? Is there a way to track the status of an appeal?
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6.8k
Activity
Apr ’26
57 days in 'Waiting for Review' – Never entered 'In Review' – Seeking guidance from Apple or experienced developers
Hi everyone, I am writing this post with the hope that someone from Apple's App Review team, Developer Relations, or the wider developer community can shed some light on what I am experiencing. I have exhausted every official support channel available to me, and I am at a complete loss. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ THE SITUATION ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ I have a v1.0 iOS app that has been stuck in 'Waiting for Review' for 57 days. It has never progressed beyond this status. No rejection. No feedback. No communication. Just silence. I am not here to complain. I am here because I genuinely do not understand what is happening, and I need guidance. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ TIMELINE ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ • Day 1 — App submitted for review. Status: 'Waiting for Review.' • Day 22 — No movement. No feedback. Out of frustration, I made the mistake of doing a Developer Reject and resubmitting. I now understand this was the wrong decision, as it likely reset my position in the queue. • Day 27 — Contacted Apple Developer Support. A Senior Advisor confirmed the app was still in review and said they would reach out to the internal review team. • Day 42 — Still no change. Sent a formal follow-up and escalation request. • Day 44 — A second Senior Advisor responded, confirming they had also forwarded the case to the review team. • Day 57 (today) — The app is still in 'Waiting for Review.' Nothing has changed. Two separate Senior Advisors have each told me they contacted the internal review team. After both of those interactions, nothing changed. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ WHAT MAKES THIS UNUSUAL ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ I want to be clear about something: the app has NEVER entered 'In Review.' It has been in 'Waiting for Review' the entire time. This is not a case of a slow review — it appears the app has never been picked up for review at all. I have checked Apple's System Status page multiple times throughout these 57 days. All services have consistently shown as fully operational. I have not resubmitted again after Day 22. I have been patiently waiting, following the advice given to me. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ MY HONEST QUESTIONS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Is it technically possible for a v1.0 app to be permanently stuck in 'Waiting for Review' without any notification or rejection? Could this be a system or queue issue on Apple's end? Is 'Waiting for Review' for 57 days — with no status change and no communication — within the range of what other developers have experienced? I want to understand if this is abnormal. When a Senior Advisor says they have 'forwarded the case to the review team,' what does that actually mean in practice? Is there a way to verify this happened or to escalate further? Is there a formal escalation path beyond Developer Support — for example, Developer Relations or the App Review Board — for situations where standard support channels have not produced any result after nearly two months? Could the app category (social / matching) be the reason for an extended manual review? If Apple requires additional information, documentation, or content moderation policies from developers in certain categories, why is there no notification or communication mechanism to request this? ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ WHAT I AM NOT ASKING FOR ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ I am not asking for my app to bypass the review process. I am not asking to skip the queue. I am not asking for guaranteed approval. I understand Apple's review process exists to protect users, and I fully respect that. I am simply asking for ONE of two things: — Either: review the app and give me a decision — approval or rejection, both are acceptable. — Or: tell me if there is a problem, a hold, or something you need from me, so I can act on it. Fifty-seven days of silence, with no path forward, is the one outcome I cannot work with. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ A NOTE TO APPLE DEVELOPER RELATIONS ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ If anyone from Apple is reading this — I am not writing out of anger. I am writing because I am a solo developer who has poured everything into this product, and I am genuinely stuck. I have done everything I was asked to do. I have been patient. I have followed the process. All I am asking for is a resolution — in any direction. If there is anything I can provide — demo account credentials, additional documentation, a content moderation policy, privacy details, anything at all — I will provide it within hours of being asked. Thank you sincerely to anyone who takes the time to read this and share their experience or advice. — Akif Solo Developer
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Apr ’26
pp update in "Waiting for Review" for 65 days — no response to expedite requests
Our app update for Underground Arena (a padel sports community platform) has been pending review for over (65 days), since the first submission on February 11, 2026. At no point has the submission transitioned to "In Review" or received any feedback. The previously approved version (v1.1.2) was reviewed and approved within one day. This update includes security improvements, privacy policy alignment, and metadata updates. No changes to monetization or permissions. We have submitted two expedited review requests and opened support case 102840575585 — none have resulted in movement. We have a padel tournament on April 22, 2026 that requires the updated app for participant registration. Our Android version is already live on Google Play, and iOS users are currently unable to access the latest features. Could someone from the review team please confirm whether this submission is in extended review, or advise on any information needed to proceed? Thank you.
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133
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Apr ’26
App Store Distribution – Minimum Deployment Targets (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) with XCode 26
Hello Team, We’ve confirmed Apple’s current minimum OS requirements for Xcode 26: iOS 15 – 26 iPadOS 15 – 26 tvOS 15 – 26 watchOS 8 – 26 visionOS 1 – 26 macOS 11 – 26 Are we correct in understanding that any builds targeting below these versions are no longer accepted by the App Store and may fail to launch for users on older systems? Like this https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/821370?answerId=882822022#882822022 For Steam macOS distribution, can older macOS targets still be supported, or should we align strictly with Apple’s minimums? Thank you and best regards, Phong
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244
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Apr ’26
2 Months of Identical Copy-Paste Rejections for a Game Emulator — No Human Review, No Meaningful Feedback
Hello, I'm the developer of RPGPlayer, a game emulator for RPG Maker games that has been live on the App Store since 2025. I'm writing here out of frustration and desperation after 2+ months of trying to publish a critical bug fix update. The Situation I submitted v2.4 on February 21, 2026. Since then, I have received 9+ rejections under Guidelines 4.7 and 2.5.2. Every single rejection message is word-for-word identical — the same copy-pasted text, every time. None of my detailed technical responses have ever been acknowledged or addressed. I have submitted appeals twice through the App Review Board. Both times I received the same automated response: "The App Review Board will contact you directly once they've completed their investigation." The first appeal went unanswered for over 30 days. At this point, I genuinely do not believe a human being has opened my app during any of these reviews. The Technical Reality RPGPlayer is a game emulator, explicitly permitted under Guideline 4.7. The rejection under 4.7 states that "HTML5-based games appear to be an incidental feature." This is incorrect. RPG Maker MV/MZ games are built on HTML5/JavaScript by design — that is the engine's native architecture on all platforms including PC and consoles. The WKWebView is the emulation layer, not a web browser or game portal. There are zero bundled games. The rejection under 2.5.2 states the app "installed or launched executable code." The app does not download anything from the internet. It includes a bundled, statically-linked runtime (MKXP-Z) that interprets local game scripts from user-imported files — identical to how Delta Emulator interprets ROM instructions. The Double Standard Other apps on the App Store use the exact same architecture as RPGPlayer: Delta Emulator — approved under Guideline 4.7, interprets user-provided ROM files Quest Play — RPG Maker MV/MZ player, uses the same WebView approach, currently receiving updates ArkRPG — same engine, same architecture, also on the App Store and getting updates. These apps are approved and actively updated. RPGPlayer is being rejected with automated messages for doing the exact same thing. What I've Tried Detailed technical responses in Resolution Center — ignored Two App Review Board appeals — no meaningful response Contact Us support requests — automated replies Provided ROM files, video walkthroughs, and thorough App Review Notes — none of it acknowledged The Impact My users have been waiting 50+ days for a critical bug fix. Some have left negative reviews calling me a scammer because they think I abandoned the app. I haven't. I've been fighting this review process every single day. I have a Meet with Apple appointment scheduled. But I wanted to share this here as well — both to ask if anyone has faced a similar situation with emulator apps, and to document what is happening in case it helps other developers. Has anyone successfully resolved a 4.7 + 2.5.2 rejection for a legitimate emulator app? Any advice is welcome.
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104
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Apr ’26
Critical Bug — Cannot Submit or Delete Draft Response to Guideline 5.6.4 Notice — App at Risk of Removal
Hi everyone, I am hoping someone here has experienced this and can help, because we are in a really difficult position right now. We received a notice from App Review regarding Guideline 5.6.4 and have been working hard to prepare a full response with supporting evidence. The problem is that a draft response exists in App Store Connect that we cannot submit or delete. Every time we click either Submit or Delete Draft, we get the same error: "The resource cannot be found" That is it. No further explanation, no workaround, nothing. The draft is just stuck there and we cannot get past it. Because we could not submit through the normal channel, we uploaded a new build with our action plan included in the notes, hoping that would reach the review team. The build has been sitting there unreviewed. We have raised a support ticket with Apple Developer Support and have not received any response. The clock is ticking. App Review has given us a deadline to respond or face removal from the App Store. We have our response ready. We have our evidence ready. We just physically cannot submit it because of what appears to be a technical bug on Apple's side. Has anyone else hit this "resource cannot be found" error on a draft App Review response? Is there any other channel we can use to get this in front of the App Review team directly? We have tried everything we can think of. Any help would be massively appreciated. This is our livelihood and the deadline pressure combined with a broken system is genuinely distressing. Thank you
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130
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Apr ’26
StoreKit / IAP: Product WAITING_FOR_REVIEW — works locally with production RevenueCat key + Apple Sandbox, fails during App Review
Hello, I need guidance on App Store Connect product state vs StoreKit behavior during App Review. Stack: iOS app (Expo / React Native), subscriptions via RevenueCat + StoreKit. Bundle ID matches App Store Connect. RevenueCat API keys — what I’ve verified locally: With the production RevenueCat API key (iOS appl_..., same as the submitted build), everything works on local device but not when I download it from TestFlight. I have also tested with RevenueCat’s sandbox / test API key (the separate key intended for sandbox/testing). That setup works as well — I can load offerings and complete test purchases the same way What RevenueCat (SDK / dashboard health) reports: Product monthly is configured in RevenueCat. Warnings that products aren’t approved in App Store Connect yet and that the default offering has configuration issues. Apple’s product state: WAITING_FOR_REVIEW. The SDK still states that test purchases are possible. What App Review reports: After onboarding a new business account, “Activate subscription” leads to an error (plans don’t load / purchase path fails). Review suggested an app code issue. Why this is confusing: Locally, both RevenueCat key modes I tried (production and sandbox/test) work with Apple Sandbox on the device. The submitted build uses the production RevenueCat key. Review still sees a failure. Questions: For IAP in WAITING_FOR_REVIEW, should App Review always use an Apple Sandbox account to test subscriptions until the product is fully approved? Is it documented that StoreKit may not return products during review without Sandbox while the product remains WAITING_FOR_REVIEW? Has anyone else seen “works locally (prod + sandbox RevenueCat keys + Apple Sandbox) but Review fails” with the same WAITING_FOR_REVIEW state? Thanks for any official documentation or similar threads.
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166
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Apr ’26
Apple reviewer not seeing product pricing in paywall
Hello, I have a perplexing issue with apple reviewers not having the same experience as myself regarding the paywall. This is an Expo app and uses RevenueCat and SuperWall integrations. This app is going through its first review - it is not published yet. So the app and its subscriptions are being reviewed for the first time. I should also mention that this is my first time as an app developer, so please pardon my ignorance. When I install the app from TestFlight and launch it, I see the paywall with the product prices shown and I can complete a test purchase. Same for my friends who I've asked to test for me. But the apple reviewer does not see the product prices when the paywall is shown to them. Without being able to replicate the problem I am flying blind. I don't want to re-submit the app for review only to find the same problem exists. I also need to understand what is different between my testing environment and the apple testers. If anyone can point me in the right direction here I would really appreciate the help!
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Apr ’26
“In-App Purchases and Subscriptions” section on the version page not showing
I’m trying to submit my app for review, but I’m currently blocked due to a recurring issue with in-app subscriptions. Both of my auto-renewable subscriptions (premium_monthly and premium_yearly) are marked as “Waiting for Review”. However, I am still seeing the blue box stating that “your first subscription must be submitted with a new app version.” Despite creating a new version (1.0.1) and uploading/selecting a new build , I am not seeing the “In-App Purchases and Subscriptions” section on the version page, and I therefore cannot link the subscriptions before submitting. This issue is blocking my ability to submit the app for review. Any help to resolve this would be greatly appreciated.
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Apr ’26
My app is in review since Feb 3, 2026
Hi there, I originally submitted my app on February 3, 2026. It was rejected initially with a request for additional information. Since then, I’ve gone through several rounds of communication and provided all the requested documents, including company formation details etc. The app was moved to “In Review” again on March 10, 2026, but there has been no update since then. It’s now been over two months since the initial submission, and I haven’t received any further feedback or decision since more than a month. This delay is starting to impact our business, as we’ve been waiting without any clear timeline or direction. Could you please advise if there’s any way to contact the review team directly or expedite the process or any other suggestion that could help? Thank you.
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Apr ’26
No update on App Review
Since April 6 I’m waiting for review. No updates. They usually say that takes 24-48hrs to be reviewed. I'm at 10 days already. And I get no response on my emails and ticket.
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Apr ’26
Music streaming app with external payment only – EEA compliance question
Hi everyone, I'm developing a music streaming app for iOS and I have a question about App Store guidelines before I submit. Here's how my app works: The app has a signup screen and a login screen There are NO in-app purchases at all Users pay for their subscription on our external website (a separate web app) Once they've paid on the website, they log into the iOS app to listen to music The app itself contains no payment flow, just an external link directing users to our website to subscribe My company is based in France (EU/EEA). My questions: Is this external-payment-only model permitted under current App Store Review Guidelines? Since I'm in the EEA, do I need to apply for an External Purchase Link Entitlement (StoreKit External Purchase Link), or can I operate without it since payment happens entirely outside the app? Is there a difference between simply not having any payment in the app vs. actively linking users out to a website for payment? I want to get this right before submitting. Any guidance from Apple engineers or developers who've dealt with this would be really appreciated. Thanks!
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Apr ’26