App Store Rejection: "AppTrackingTransparency permission request not found" — But ATT Completely Removed

Hi everyone,

I'm facing a frustrating App Store rejection that I can't seem to resolve.

My app was rejected under Guideline 2.1 - Information Needed with the following message:

"The app uses the AppTrackingTransparency framework, but we are unable to locate the App Tracking Transparency permission request when reviewed on iPadOS 18.5."

However, in my latest version (2.9 Build 18), I have:

• Removed all SDKs that collect IDFA or perform tracking.
• Removed the AppTrackingTransparency framework entirely.
• Removed the NSUserTrackingUsageDescription key from Info.plist.
• Confirmed that no third-party SDKs are accessing IDFA or similar.
• Not using the app_tracking_transparency package (I'm using Flutter).

I included a detailed review note explaining all of this, yet the app still gets rejected for not showing the ATT prompt — even though ATT is not used at all.

Also, I can't update the App Privacy section until this new version is approved, which still reflects tracking from a previous live version (2.3).

Has anyone faced something similar?

Questions:

• Is there a way to confirm what part of the build might still be triggering ATT detection on Apple's side?
• Could an unused pod or leftover reference be the issue?
• How do I fully verify that ATT is not linked anywhere in the final binary?

Any guidance or tips from others who’ve resolved this would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks