Subscriptions locked "Waiting for Review" by a cancelled submission. Cannot edit them or remove the images App Review flagged (case 20000117635283)

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Created 4w

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My iOS app's first submission (ThymeBlock, Apple ID 6779269775) was rejected under 2.3.2 solely over the OPTIONAL promotional images on my two auto-renewable subscriptions. The required fix, deleting the images, was impossible: both subscription records were locked in "Waiting for Review" and the image field disabled. My reply in the submission thread went unanswered for 48+ hours, so I cancelled the submission (standard advice). The cancel completed, no submission exists anymore, and both subscriptions REMAIN locked in "Waiting for Review", held by nothing. I cannot edit them and cannot delete the flagged images, so resubmitting the app version cannot satisfy the rejection: the change App Review required is impossible to make.

Developer Program Support has so far responded with unrelated information, and on a call suggested the subscriptions are in review due to "pending charges from July 18", which seems impossible since the app has never been released and has zero customers.

This matches threads 705460 and 717024 (same lock; resolved only by Apple server-side). Case number: 20000117635283. Could App Review or App Store Connect staff release my two subscription records to an editable state, or remove the two promotional image as the rejection requested?

Answer 1

rafaelthymeblock OP

3w

Update: this resolved itself in an unexpected way, so documenting it for the next person who hits the lock.

What fixed it was changing the build attached to the rejected app version. Nothing else. On the version page (Distribution tab, the rejected 1.0 version), I removed the build that had gone through review and attached a newer build from TestFlight. Almost immediately after that, both stuck subscriptions flipped from "Waiting for Review" to "Developer Rejected". That state is fully editable: the promotional image field unlocked and I could finally delete both images, which is the exact change App Review had demanded and which had been impossible for almost a week. Remove from Sale and Add for Review also became available again.

So the subscriptions were never independently stuck. They were pinned by the version's submitted review package, and replacing the binary appears to supersede that package, at which point App Store Connect marks the previously submitted items Developer Rejected and releases them. There is no control anywhere that does this directly, no documentation that mentions it, and neither App Review nor Developer Program Support suggested it. Support's last reply on my case was a template pointing me at App Store Connect Help.

Obviously a sample size of one, but if your IAP or subscription records are locked in "Waiting for Review" after a rejection and support is not moving: try swapping the build on the affected version and then reload the subscription pages. It costs nothing and it was the only thing that worked here.

Answer 2

rafaelthymeblock OP

3w

I claimed victory too quickly. The subscription group itself was still stuck and I did not find a way to fix that, and when it came time t resubmit it just gave me a nonspecific "There are errors with one or more of your items", with no indication anywhere in the UI of the items themselves that anything was wrong at all. Now I will try to follow advice I have seen elsewhere and recreate with a new subscription group. Will update if anything changes.