I'm currently running into an issue during the App Store review process where my reviewer isn't liking how the Screen Time API is being used to hide apps.
For some context, my app uses the Managed Settings and Device Activity frameworks in the Screen Time API to allow users to set restrictions on their personal devices and save those restrictions into a preference object that they can switch between. This was detailed as my app's primary purpose in my Family Controls & Personal Device Usage Entitlement Request, which was approved last year.
After around a year of working on this app, it's finally done and ready for submission to the App Store. However, my App Reviewer recently rejected the app with this single complaint:
Guideline 2.5.1 - Performance - Software Requirements
The app uses public APIs in an unapproved manner, which does not comply with guideline 2.5.1.
Specifically, your app uses ScreenTime API to hide apps.
Since there is no accurate way of predicting how an API may be modified and what effects those modifications may have, unapproved uses of public APIs in apps is not allowed.
Next Steps
Please revise the app to ensure that documented APIs are used in the manner prescribed in the documentation.
All I'm doing is passing a set of Application objects to ManagedSettings.ApplicationSettings.blockedApplications, I'm not doing anything special. The documentation for this API itself states:
The system hides blocked applications and prevents the user from launching them.
In my reply, I let the reviewer know
Regarding Guideline 2.5.1, I believe my use of the Screen Time API appears to align with Apple's documented intended functionality. The specific API I'm using,
ManagedSettings.ApplicationSettings.blockedApplications,is explicitly documented by Apple as: "The system hides blocked applications and prevents the user from launching them."This is why I used the term "hide" in my app's marketing and functionality descriptions - I was directly referencing Apple's own terminology for this feature. The documentation clearly indicates this is an approved capability of this API.
The source for this documentation can be found here: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/managedsettings/applicationsettings/blockedapplications-swift.property. I've also provided a screenshot of this documentation below.
Despite providing a link to the documentation and a screenshot that shows the text from Apple explicitly stating "The system hides blocked applications", the App Reviewer just copy-and-pasted the same text in their reply and rejected the app.
I should also note that we don't have control over how the system handles the Application set we pass into ManagedSettings.ApplicationSettings.blockedApplications, the system will always try to "hide" these apps as specified in the documentation. We can't change this behavior.
Has anyone else faced this sort of rejection before? Is using ManagedSettings.ApplicationSettings.blockedApplications now considered an illegal use of the API? Or are we not allowed to use the words noted in the documentation of this API? The app rejection suggested I "consult with fellow developers and Apple engineers on the Apple Developer Forums." Any guidance here would be much appreciated as I continue to appeal this. For any Apple staff members reading this post, I can provide the Submission ID of the App Review privately if needed to help resolve this issue.