Hi, My app currently offers a non-consumable in-app purchase to unlock all its features, and I would like to provide this full access for free to an organization with a few thousand Macs. Since Apple limits non-consumable in-app purchase promo codes to 1000 per app, this isn't sufficient for the organization's size. So I'm considering an alternative approach using an auto-renewable annual subscription with offer codes: Create a few thousand offer codes for an annual subscription. Users within the organization would redeem these codes. Instruct users to immediately unsubscribe after redeeming the code. The app would then check the in-app purchase receipt. If the receipt contains a transaction redeemed with an offer code, the app would treat this as a permanent unlock of all features. My concern is that repurposing an auto-renewable subscription in this manner—effectively turning it into a lifetime unlock triggered by redeeming an offer code and immediately cancelling—might violate App Store guidelines. Is using an annual subscription and offer codes this way likely to be compliant with App Store guidelines? Thank you for your guidance!

Hi everyone, I’ve been facing an issue with TestFlight external builds that I haven't encountered before, and I’d appreciate any insights. Background: I have an iOS app that was recently approved and released to the App Store. Prior to this, I’ve regularly submitted TestFlight builds (with updated version and build numbers) to both internal and external tester groups. Internal builds would appear instantly, as expected. External builds were also available almost immediately after selecting “Ready to Submit.” This was consistent for many iterations. Current Issue: After pushing the latest version to the App Store (which went through the standard review process and was approved), I prepared a new version for TestFlight testing. Here’s what happened: Uploaded a new build with a new version number and build number. It appeared instantly for internal testing as usual. When I tried adding it to the external tester group, the build got stuck in the “Waiting for Review” state. I uploaded this on Saturday night, and as of Monday noon, the status has not changed. I also cancelled that build and uploaded a fresh one with an incremented build number — still stuck in the same status. Additional Notes: The app’s ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption key is set to false in Info.plist. There is no missing export compliance warning on App Store Connect. The changes in the new build are minor — a few small updates, nothing significant. I tried decreasing the build number temporarily (which caused an error), then increased it again. No changes were made to permissions, app capabilities, or metadata that would typically trigger a longer review. Questions: Is this expected after an App Store release? Has anyone else experienced delays like this recently for TestFlight external builds? Is there anything I can do to expedite the review? Thanks in advance for any help!

The app that I install from testFlight to my phone has icon, but in the app store connect , when i navigate to the App, that app doesn't have an icon. Please telll me me how to add. I've tried asking ai, it says there's a place to add app icon in the app store> app information, but I couldn't find it.

I've tried different browsers, clearing cache and history, restarting and using different networks, but I still have no access to the business page. I have the account holder and admin roles and I have F2A on my Apple ID. I need to access the business section to submit my new build because it has a subscription. Any help, recommendations or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get advice or hear from anyone with similar experiences. Our app Pixllove was originally rejected under Guideline 4.3 (“Spam”). We were later invited to an App Review call with Erica, who reviewed everything and confirmed verbally and in writing (April 8, 2025) that the spam classification was removed. She acknowledged that our app uses a unique concept and only required us to implement a pre-chat consent popup. We implemented exactly that: • A popup appears before any chat starts, displaying the match’s name, age, and distance. • Users must actively accept before the chat begins. • We show this clearly in our new demo video. • Full reporting/blocking/moderation is in place. However, after submitting the updated build, we were again rejected under a different interpretation of 1.2, with the reasoning that our app “connects users randomly.” This appears to be a misunderstanding, since no match occurred during their test – and it takes at least 2 users online for a match to happen. We explained this and even submitted a screenshot of the consent popup, which had been explicitly requested by Erica. Sadly, the reviewer ignored our message and Erica’s previous confirmation and labeled us as spam again. We replied and asked them to please review Erica’s note from April 8, but we haven’t received a response yet. We’re lucky to have a second review meeting scheduled for Tuesday, but this experience has been extremely frustrating and honestly, quite unprofessional — especially after being told the issue had been resolved. Has anyone experienced something similar? What can be done to ensure prior Apple Review decisions are respected by future reviewers? Thanks so much in advance, Emilija Pixllove Team

Hello All, I am hoping someone has a solution we are encountering. We recently upgraded to XCode 16.3 this week, and were putting together the next test build to push to TestFlight. However, the AppStore is rejecting the app with the following message. ITMS-90048: This bundle is invalid - Your archive contains paths that are not allowed: [._Symbols] We have never had this before and the problem is, there is no path named "_Symbols" in our IPA. Doing some searching online I have seen people report the same problem when build using Flutter or React, but we are using plain vanilla Swift and Native iOS. We also have not added anything significantly new to our project since our last release a couple weeks ago. Any suggestion on how to fix this would be greatly apprecaited. Sincerely, Stan R. - CaringBridge

Refer to the attached screenshots I am trying to push an update for an existing iOS app that I developed a few years ago (App ID: 1465985188) but I am getting this error: A required agreement is missing or has expired. This request requires an in-effect agreement that has not been signed or has expired. (ID: O4YFH7VPB2LECAUAVXR6G4WRFQ) (403) I checked my agreements page and there is no clear indication of any missing agreements left to sign or what not. I have tried different builds of this project to no avail. I am stuck in a rut and I have been already waiting two weeks for customer support to acknowledge my issue and get back to me. My membership is due in a couple months, and honestly, if this is not resolved by end of this month I am not gonna renew. Attaching screenshots of all the agreements, and as you can see all the agreements are signed.

Is App Store Connect down? The system status says it is up, but my team and I aren't able to access it from multiple locations. https://developer.apple.com/system-status/

All of a sudden today I started getting logged out of AppStoreConnect randomly. I would be able to get back in after logging in, but then moments later, logged out. I tried switching browsers and clearing cache etc.. but now when I login, I just get an endless spinner. If I try to refresh the page, I'm brought back to the login page. It appears this isn't the first time this sort of thing has happened as I saw a post in Nov 24 regarding a similar issue.

Hello Apple Developer Team, I've followed the AppStoreConnect API documentation and created the following: I've created a API Key in App store > Integrations > Teams key, gave the role as admin. Created a valid JWT token When fetching the GET v1/apps, I can see the list of apps. Also I was able to make GET v1/users as well successfully. I've the valid bundle Id and capabilities enabled in the developer portal. Facing an issue while creating an app in App Store using AppStoreConnect API using POST call: This is my ruby script: response = api_request( method: :post, path: "/v1/apps", token: token, body: { data: { type: 'apps', attributes: { name: APP_NAME, primaryLocale: LOCALE, sku: "SKU#{Time.now.to_i}", bundleId: BUNDLE_ID, platform: 'IOS' } } } ) It gives me below error: { "errors": [ { "id": "09b465fc-316f-47b4-9bc3-9c340cb966aa", "status": "403", "code": "FORBIDDEN_ERROR", "title": "The given operation is not allowed", "detail": "The resource 'apps' does not allow 'CREATE'. Allowed operations are: GET_COLLECTION, GET_INSTANCE, UPDATE" } ] } Did anyone was able to successfully create the app in App Store via AppStoreConnect API? Could you please help me identify the root cause for the above issue and provide some inputs so that I could work on resolving them and move forward in the deployment process. Appreciate your help in reviewing this. Thank you, Santosh

Hi all, I am dealing with a confusing issue relating to a beta build that I am trying to share over TestFlight. I have followed all steps and managed to upload a build to App Store Connect, but I mistakenly selected "Internal Only" when submitting from XCode. This build was accepted (See image), but then when I submitted a build that would be shareable externally, it was rejected under Guideline 4.3(a). I am unsure what had changed between the first and second build I submitted, and I have since updated the app page with more information and screenshots clearly explaining how this is different to other items available on the app store with no luck. Does anyone have any clue what I could do? Signed hopefully, Luke

I need to ship an urgent critical bug fix being experienced by paying users. AppName: Filters for Pictures: by LAVIE AppleID: 6743334853 My app has been in "In Review" status since a while -> I can see from our logs that the reviewer opened the app, went through first 4 onboarding screens and then quit the app without proceeding further. There has been no updates since then and app in just "In Review" state indefinitely. On App StoreConnect, I am also unable to "Remove From Review", I get Error with HTTP Status 409: STATE_ERROR.ENTITY_STATE_INVALID So, I cannot even remove the current build and push a new build for review. Our users are demanding a fix urgently so its critical to ship an update.

On March 13, I sent a new game to App Store Connect for review, it got "In Review" status within 1 day and remained under review until March 22. It is officially stated in App Store Connect that the review period is 24-48 hours. I also submitted a ticket for this situation and they said that I had to wait and that they could not do anything else. So I canceled the review on March 22, thinking that if I submitted it for review again, it would speed up and I sent an update again. The update I sent on March 22 has been waiting as "In Review" for 16 days. I submitted a ticket 7-8 times during this period, but I did not receive any response. It is unacceptable for a valuable store like the App Store to treat developers in such an irresponsible manner. Moreover, if we remember that they charge developers an annual fee. During this period, all my marketing plans were turned upside down because the game was not released. And I do not know what to do; should I update it again or should I submit it as a new app, what do you think I can do? And who can I reach? Because https://developer.apple.com/contact/topic/select is useless. Thanks!

I am really struggling with registering my app in App Store Connect. I find the system to be complicated an unhelpful. I have two issues with my app. I can see the builds that I have uploaded from Xcode when I select "Add Build" from the "IOS App" page. But for some reason, I cannot select a build - as there is no error message or guide as to why I can't select the build, I am asking here. I have created a Subscription Group for my app in MONETIZATION -> Subscriptions. I have created the Reference Name and Product-Id. It has been saved. App Store Connect tells me there is Missing Metadata but once more gives me no clue as to what is missing and how to correct it. As far as I can see I have completed everything needed for the Subscription Group/Product. I would like to add a Trial Period to my subscription but I cannot see anywhere to do this. The UI for Apps Store Connect is terrible - I would expect errors to be flagged and some suggestions given as to why the error exists - nothing! Is there a helpful (and understandable) guide I could use for setting up the App and any suggestions from the forum as to what I need to do to get my app ready for review and testing in Test Flight. Thanks!

I submitted my ID for review over a week ago, and it's still the same, I can't log in App Store Connect? How long have you been waiting? Have a nice day.

This question is related to this post (of mine). It seems default build settings do not include dSYM files needed when uploading embedding app package. But now Xcode issues new warnings about this. Now the question - how do I tell Xcode to create dSYM files for me, say when I build My.Framework? I asked AI chatbot which tells me that for release build I need to : set "Debug Information Format" to DWARF set "Strip Debug Symbols During Copy" to off I have item 1 turned on (which I believe is the default). But item 2 is on, maybe that's the reason I do not have dSYM files in final built My.Framework. Should I turn "Strip Debug Symbols During Copy" off?

Hello Developers, I submitted my app Score + for review on March 15, and it has been stuck in review for over 20 days with no progress. On March 22, I contacted Apple Developer Support, and they assured me that my app would receive an expedited review, but nothing has changed in the past two weeks. After waiting 20 days, I thought there might be a technical issue preventing my app from being reviewed, so I incremented the version number and resubmitted it. However, it is still not being reviewed. I am wondering if my app is: ❌ Stuck in the queue due to a system error ❌ Blacklisted for some unknown reason ❌ Delayed due to a backlog of reviews Has anyone else experienced such a long delay? What can I do to escalate this issue further? Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Erdinç Ayvaz

I just spent way too many hours trying to figure out why my in-app subscription was stuck in “Missing Metadata” in App Store Connect, even though I had filled out everything. If you're here because you're in the same boat, this is the solution Apple doesn't make obvious. The Problem I created an auto-renewable subscription (Kanabloom Premium) and filled in all required fields. The subscription was still marked "Missing Metadata", preventing me from submitting it. The “In-App Purchases” section wasn’t showing up in my App Store version submission, which meant I couldn't even attach the subscription to my app version. I triple-checked the metadata, pricing, tax settings, review screenshot, and even resaved everything, but nothing worked. What I Tried (Before Finding the Fix) Checked that pricing was set up correctly for all countries. Uploaded the required review screenshot for the subscription. Made sure the subscription group existed and was linked properly. Refreshed, logged out/in, and tried different browsers. Read every Stack Overflow, Reddit, and Apple Developer Forum post I could find. Even tried creating a dummy subscription to see if that would reset the system. The Solution: Localizing the Subscription Group Here’s the stupidly hidden requirement that finally fixed it: ✅ Your subscription group itself (not just the subscription) needs a localized display name. App Store Connect requires each subscription group to have at least one localized display name for it to be valid. If this is missing, all subscriptions inside that group will stay stuck in “Missing Metadata” no matter how complete they are. How to Fix It: Go to App Store Connect > Subscriptions > Subscription Group Click on your subscription group (not the individual subscription). Check if there's a localization added under "Group Reference Name." If missing, add a localization (e.g., English) and save. Refresh the page and boom – the subscription will finally be "Ready to Submit." Conclusion Apple really needs to make this requirement clearer. Now that I’ve finally figured it out, hopefully, this post helps someone else avoid losing hours of their life to the same issue. If you're still stuck, double-check that: You’ve set pricing and enabled "Cleared for Sale." You’ve uploaded a review screenshot for the subscription. You’ve signed all App Store agreements and banking/tax documents. Your app's In-App Purchase capability is enabled in Xcode. Let me know if this helped you! I wish I had found a post like this sooner. 😂 This should make for a useful and searchable post in case other devs run into the same headache. Let me know if you want any tweaks before posting! 🚀

I just started with App Clips so quite new to it. One of our dependencies is very big in size (85+ MB) which is making the app size almost 87MB's uncompressed and 40MB's compressed with just this dependency and no other app clip related code in it. I created a App Thinning size report for the app clip and even with bigger app clip size, I decided to upload the beta build to App Store Connect for testing purposes. On App Store Connect, app clip size is 70+ MB and to my surprise it passed the App Store Connect review and I was able to install this app clip on my device from Test Flight. If I add functionality to the app clip with this bigger dependency SDK, then the app clip size is going to increase further and am worried that it could get rejected when I push it to app store. Minimum iOS version of the app is 16.4, so my understanding is that the maximum app clip size allowed is 15MB. Am trying to figure out, how the app clip build was approved on app store connect and if dependency sizes in app clips are ignored? Attaching screenshot of App Thinning report and screenshot of App Store Connect build with this App Clip.

Context: Back on March 4th, we scheduled a price increase for April 16th on one of our monthly subscription plans with several hundred active subscribers, to change the price from $18.99/mo to $19.99/mo and it has sat unedited in App Store Connect since. Expected: Based on this documentation (Increase the price of an auto-renewable subscription), I would expect that 27 days prior to the price increase (which would be 4 days ago, on March 20th), that users would start receiving notifications about the price increase in the form of emails to their Apple IDs and push notifications when they open up the app. We also have App Store Server Notifications V2 set up. Therefore, I expected to start receiving PRICE_INCREASE notifications as users either got emails and/or push notifications. Actual: We have yet to see any PRICE_INCREASE events come through. Additionally, we have one employee subscribed to this plan on production with a subscription that would renew on April 17th, which would mean that the 21st (3 days ago) was 27 days prior to his subscription renewing. He has checked his email and the app and has still not been notified in any way about the price increase and his subscription manager shows he will renew April 17th at the same price. Questions: Is there some other step that needs to happen for the price increase to take place? Are my expectations wrong about what we should see by this point, or else why might we not have had any indication of customer notifications of the price increase occuring yet?