In this post, we'll share tips to help you submit apps that deliver original ideas to your users. When working on your app, focus on creating interesting, unique experiences that aren't already available. Apps that actively try to copy other apps won't pass review, and accounts that repeatedly submit copycat apps or attempt to impersonate a service will be closed. The rules that prevent copycat and impersonator apps from being distributed on the App Store are described in App Review Guideline 4.1: 4.1 Copycats (a) Come up with your own ideas. We know you have them, so make yours come to life. Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own. In addition to risking an intellectual property infringement claim, it makes the App Store harder to navigate and just isn’t fair to your fellow developers. (b) Submitting apps which impersonate other apps or services is considered a violation of the Developer Code of Conduct and may result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.(c) You cannot use another developer’s icon, brand, or product name in your app’s icon or name, without approval from the developer. These requirements help make the App Store both a safe place for people to discover apps and a platform for all developers to be successful. Best Practices Here are three best practices that will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1: 1. Submit apps with unique content and features. People want apps that provide unique experiences. Find areas that aren't currently being served and build compelling apps for those audiences. Do: Create apps that provide a new experience or a unique spin on an existing concept. Design original, delightful interfaces that elegantly meet your user's needs. Don't: Don’t imitate the features and functionality of other apps. Don’t copy the look and feel of other apps, such as using an identical user interface design. 2. Make sure App Store metadata only contains relevant information and content you either own or have permission to use. The metadata provided in App Store Connect is used to populate your app's product page on the App Store. People rely on this metadata to learn about your app and what it has to offer. Leveraging the popularity of another brand or app, either by including irrelevant references or protected content, is misleading and won't help your app succeed. Do: Use engaging, descriptive language to describe your unique app. Create original content that best represents your app, such as screenshots showing the actual app in use. Don't: Don't use protected material you do not have the necessary permission to use, such as app icons that are similar to icons of a popular app. Don’t include irrelevant references, such as popular app names or trademarked terms, in any metadata fields. 3. Provide information that is authentic and verifiable. People want to know the developers behind their favorite apps are who they say they are. It's important to continually review and provide up-to-date information, including the developer or company name listed on your Apple Developer Program account, the Support URL listed on your app's product page, and other helpful information. This will enable your users to contact you when they need help and it will also hinder people who may try to impersonate you, your app, or your service. Do: Make sure all information, resources, and documentation related to your account and apps are current and accurate. Don't: Don’t provide inaccurate information or resources, such as directing people to outdated support pages. Don’t provide fraudulent documentation. Accounts that submit fraudulent documentation will be removed from the Apple Developer Program. Support Incorporating these best practices into your app's development will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1. If you need additional assistance, consider taking advantage of one of the following support options available from App Review: If your submission has been rejected, reply to the message from App Review in App Store Connect and request clarification. Request an App Review Appointment to discuss the results of our review. Appointments are subject to availability, and take place during local business hours in your region on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you believe your app follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board. Resources Learn about foundational design principles from Apple designers and the developer community. Learn how to create engaging App Store product pages. Note that apps that violate intellectual property rights are subject to removal through the App Store Content Dispute process. If you believe an app on the App Store violates your intellectual property rights, you can submit a claim.

Here are some tips from App Review for a smooth review experience. We’ve split them into two categories: Before You Submit and After You Submit. We’ve also made an easy-to-follow Submission Guide you can save and reference at any point on your App Store journey. Before You Submit Tips Enable a complete review. Make sure you’ve provided demo accounts or implemented an account demonstration mode before you submit. We’ll need to review the entire app experience, both with and without an account. Provide up-to-date demo account login credentials in the App Review Information section on the app version page in App Store Connect. If your app has multiple account types (such as admin and general users), use the Notes field to provide additional demo account credentials for each account type. If your app requires an authentication code in addition to the login credentials, provide the code in advance in the Notes field. Otherwise, a call may be required to complete the review. Apps that handle sensitive user information, or operate in highly regulated industries, can implement demonstration modes that exhibit full features and functionality while using demonstration data. Use the Notes field in App Store Connect to provide information to App Review. The App Review Information section of App Store Connect includes a Notes field. Provide any information that could be relevant to your submission’s review: Submitting a new app? Tell us about your app's concept, business model, and if your app is designed to only operate in certain locations. Submitting an update? Tell us about what’s changed and where to locate significant new content or features. Connecting to hardware? Attach a video, not a screen recording, that shows both the hardware and the app running on a physical Apple device as they pair and interact. Test your app on physical devices before submitting for review. Use TestFlight to distribute your app for beta testing. App Review evaluates apps the way your users will use them: installed on real devices and connected to networks with real-world conditions. Make sure your pre-submission testing includes running the app on each device platform where it could be used. Users expect the app to function on all the devices where it’s available. TestFlight will help you do quality assurance and beta testing on real devices. Share your beta app with internal testers on your Apple Developer Program account or to external users via an email invite or public link. Configure In-App Purchases for review in the sandbox environment. App Review assesses In-App Purchases in the same sandbox environment Apple provides for testing them. The sandbox lets us use real product data and server-to-server transactions, without incurring any financial charges. Take these steps to prepare your In-App Purchases for review: Accept the Paid Applications Agreement in App Store Connect. Submit the In-App Purchases in App Store Connect that you’d like reviewed. Follow the steps in TN3186: Troubleshooting In-App Purchases availability in the sandbox if your app fails to display your In-App Purchases. Note: In-App Purchases don’t need prior approval from App Review to function in review. Join a Meet with Apple event if you need assistance before you submit for review. Request an App Review appointment through Meet with Apple to chat with an App Review expert about how to prepare for review, ask questions about specific guidelines, and discuss other topics related to the review process. Appointments are subject to availability during your local business hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. After You Submit Tips Contact App Review if you need assistance with an ongoing submission. If your submission doesn’t pass review and you have questions, contact App Review directly by clicking Reply to App Review in App Store Connect. You’ll receive a reply from a review specialist who’s familiar with your app. You can also use the Reply to App Review message window to request a call with an Apple representative. Include your preferred time and language for the call and we’ll do our best to accommodate your requests. Use the Bug Fix Submissions process to quickly deliver bug fixes and resolve other issues on the next submission. If an update includes bug fixes and is rejected, you will be given the option to resolve the issues on your next submission, as long as there are no legal or safety concerns. App Review will let you know if your submission is eligible by including this note at the top of the rejection message: Bug Fix Submissions The issues we've identified below are eligible to be resolved on your next update. To accept this offer, simply reply to the rejection message in App Store Connect and let App Review know you’ll resolve the issues on the next submission. Share ideas with Apple about how to improve or clarify the App Review Guidelines by submitting guideline feedback. Just as the App Store is always changing and improving to keep up with the needs of customers, the App Review Guidelines may be revised to provide new and updated guidance. If you have ideas for improving or clarifying our requirements you can suggest guideline changes. If your submission was rejected but you believe it follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board. If your submission didn’t pass review but you have reason to believe it follows the App Review Guidelines, you can submit an appeal to the App Review Board. You can also file an appeal if you think we misunderstood your app or the review was unfair. The App Review Board will contact you as soon as they complete their investigation.

Apple platforms make it easy to distribute your app to a variety of compatible devices, so it’s important to maximize your app experience on each platform you support. Here are some tips from App Review to help you understand how device compatibility impacts your app’s distribution — and how to make sure your apps shine on every platform they’re on. Understand device compatibility There are many ways an app built for one Apple device can run on other Apple devices: Apps designed for iPhone can run on iPad devices in compatibility mode if there are no dependencies on iPhone device capabilities. Compatible iPhone and iPad apps can run unmodified on Macs with Apple Silicon. Compatible iPhone and iPad apps can run unmodified on Apple Vision Pro. Xcode provides options to configure settings for apps on multiple platforms. You can specify which platforms your app’s target supports in the Supported Destination field. However, it’s important to note: People may still be able to run your app on a device even if you remove it or don't include it as a Supported Destination in Xcode. For example, as long as an app designed for iPhone doesn’t depend on a capability that’s only available on iPhone, it can be downloaded from the App Store onto iPad. Adding or removing iPad as a Supported Destination in Xcode won’t change that app’s availability on iPad. To view examples of cases where it's appropriate to restrict availability, see Restrict device distribution below. Follow compatibility best practices 1. Plan and test for compatibility modes so your app works on every device where it can be downloaded. Do: Use Xcode simulators to verify basic functionality across different device types. Leverage TestFlight with external testers who have access to a wide range of Apple devices. Don't: Don’t submit for review without testing your app’s behavior in compatibility modes. Don’t assume removing a supported destination in Xcode prevents distribution to that device type. 2. Build adaptive interfaces that work across device variations. Do: Build interfaces that respond to different screen sizes and orientations. Adapt features based on available hardware, providing alternatives for a consistent experience. Don't: Don’t design rigid interfaces that assume only one type of device or input method. Don’t let your app crash or become unusable when optional hardware is unavailable. Restrict device distribution Wherever possible, it’s best to make your app available on multiple platforms to increase its reach and provide people with a consistent experience across devices. But there are cases where it does makes sense to restrict an app’s availability. For example: iPhone apps that rely on iPhone-specific hardware won’t function as expected on iPad. Use the UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities key in the information property list file to specify hardware dependencies. Note: Apps should only use the UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities key for genuine hardware dependencies, not to indicate distribution preferences. Navigation- or camera-based apps are not well suited for visionOS. Learn more about managing availability of iPhone and iPad apps on Apple Vision Pro. Apps that rely heavily on touch inputs that can’t be replicated on a keyboard are not well suited for macOS. Learn more about restricting distribution to Apple Silicon devices. Learn more about how to configure multiplatform apps in Xcode. Support If you need more assistance, explore these support options: If your submission has been rejected, reply to the message from App Review in App Store Connect and request clarification. Request an App Review appointment through Meet with Apple. Appointments are available during local business hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you believe your app follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board.

Apple is committed to keeping the App Store a safe place for users to get apps and a great opportunity for all developers to be successful. A reliable review process is critical to this commitment, which is why App Review works around the clock to review at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours. Updates with minor changes and bug fix submissions typically move swiftly through review, while other reviews may take longer because they require additional verification. In this post, we'll explain when that can happen and how you can best prepare your submission for a thorough review. Why some reviews require more time While most submissions are reviewed within 48 hours, some apps may require additional time because the review involves extra verification steps, such as: Documentation review, where App Review requests and verifies supporting materials such as authorizations, licenses, or partnership agreements before approving the submission. Complex or novel issues, including apps with regulated content, new platform capabilities, entitlements enabled, or other sensitive features, may require greater scrutiny and consideration. Common examples may include: Medical apps involving health data, diagnostic or treatment features, or other medical claims often require documentation supporting those claims or demonstrating regulatory approval. (Guideline 1.4.1) Cryptocurrency exchange apps must be offered by an approved exchange and secure the necessary licensing to operate on each storefront where the app is available. (Guideline 3.1.5) Apps operating in highly regulated industries, such as banking and financial services, air travel, healthcare, and similar sectors, must be submitted by authorized legal entities with supporting documentation. (Guideline 5.1.1(ix)) Apps with third-party intellectual property require verifiable permission to use another party's content, branding, or other protected material. (Guideline 5.2.1) Gambling, lotteries, and real-money gaming apps must provide the necessary licensing and permissions for each storefront where the app is available. (Guideline 5.3.4) If your app falls into one of these categories, the most effective way to reduce your review time is to attach all requisite documentation we'll need for review in the App Review Information section of App Store Connect. Why this matters: Incomplete submissions require additional back-and-forth before we can complete the review. Including everything upfront is the fastest path to a decision. Best practices to minimize delays 1. Provide complete information on every submission. Give App Review everything needed for a complete review, especially for apps with regulated, specialized, or otherwise complex content. Do: Include demo accounts, authentication codes, and any required setup steps in the App Review Information section. Use the Notes field to explain your app's concept, business model, or authorization to operate in regulated industries. Attach all relevant supporting documentation before submitting the app for review. If you're unsure what information is needed for review, schedule an App Review appointment through Meet with Apple to discuss your app's concept. Don't: Don't resubmit the app for review until all identified issues are resolved. Why this matters: Resubmitting with unresolved issues will result in the same outcome, meaning the submission spends additional time in the queue without a different result. 2. Only provide authentic and verifiable information on your developer account. Authentic account information and high-quality apps build customer trust and keep your submissions moving smoothly through review. Do: Keep your developer name, Support URL, and account information current. Provide authentic, verifiable documentation whenever it's required. Only submit apps that have been thoroughly tested on physical devices and are ready for distribution. Don't: Don't submit documentation you're not authorized to use, or that can't be independently verified. Don't misrepresent your identity or relationship to other brands or services. Don't submit apps that are low-quality, untested, or include incomplete content or features. When fraud or malicious activity is detected To protect the App Store's high standards for privacy, security, and quality, we have zero tolerance for fraudulent or malicious activity. App Review investigates all reported or identified conduct that falls outside the App Review Guidelines and the Developer Code of Conduct, which requires accurate representation and integrity across the App Store experience. Examples include: Misrepresented developer identity or impersonation, such as providing inauthentic documentation or otherwise pretending to be someone you're not (Guidelines 4.1 and 5.6.2). Manipulation of the App Store experience, including gaming charts, search results, reviews or referrals, or attempting to hide features in review (Guidelines 2.3.1(a) and 5.6.3). Submitting low-quality apps, as indicated by excessive customer reports, such as negative customer reviews, and high-volume refund requests (Guidelines 4.3 and 5.6.4). When these signals appear, we investigate thoroughly, and repeated or serious violations can lead to additional rejections, app removals, and account removal from the Apple Developer Program. Support before or during your review If you have a critical timing issue, such as fixing a critical bug or releasing your app to coincide with an event, you can request an expedited review. If your submission has been rejected, reply to the message from App Review in App Store Connect and request clarification. You can also reply to request a call with an Apple representative to discuss the outcome of the review. If your app has been rejected and you believe it follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board. Appeals must include specific, detailed explanations for why your app follows each of the guidelines in question.

I submitted my app for review through App Store Connect two days ago, but the status has remained “Waiting for Review” without any updates. All required app information, agreements, compliance details, screenshots, and review notes have been completed. I have not received any messages indicating that additional action is required. Is this review waiting time currently normal, or should I contact App Review Support? Has anyone recently experienced a similar delay? Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi all — hoping someone from the App Review team can help with this. App: ContentCam: Dual Camera Video (App ID 1281521467) Submitted two auto-renewable subscriptions (Annual + Monthly) under subscription group "ContentCam Premium" over a week ago (App version 2.0 as well as 2.0.1). App version 2.0 and 2.0.1 was reviewed and approved independently. The subscriptions have not moved from "Waiting for Review" despite the binary being approved. No rejection message, no metadata flag, nothing actionable showing on my end. This matches reports I've seen from other developers here: once an app version is rejected and later resubmitted/approved, the attached subscriptions can get stuck in "Waiting for Review" indefinitely, disconnected from the binary review outcome. I've contacted Apple Developer Support (case open, no resolution yet). Posting here in case this needs engineering visibility, or if anyone has a workaround that's actually worked (not just "wait" or "resubmit a new build" — already tried the latter with no effect). Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone, I want to share what the last year has been like, partly to be heard, and partly because I think other solo developers should know this can happen. Two years ago, I was driving Uber in New Zealand. Somewhere during those long shifts, talking to passengers and thinking about the same idea every single day, I decided to build my own ride-hailing platform. I had no background in coding. None. I just started. I hosted my own server. I learned to build a backend. Then a frontend. Then a whole driver app and a whole rider app. My daily routine was this: I'd drive with my MacBook sitting on the dash of my Prius. When rides were quiet, I'd pull over to the side of the road and code. I drove close to 70,000 km around New Zealand while building these apps. I gave up a large part of my time with my family, and there are moments with my baby girl that I won't get back. My family supported me the whole way, and they were proud of me. After nine months, I had four apps built. The Android versions went live and have been running with no issues, no complaints, and no flags. Then I built the iOS versions too, got them through TestFlight and into production. The first time they were live, I felt something I'd never felt before—that I'd actually made something. I showed them to friends, family, and even my Uber passengers. That feeling of accomplishment was everything. I had two apps: A driver app for drivers. A rider app that riders use to hail taxis. We had live tracking and every feature that Uber had. The only thing I assume I did wrong (since I was inexperienced) was that I gave login credentials to the Apple review team so they could access my driver app. So far, so good. I wanted them to experience the full flow of the app, so I decided to dispatch demo (dummy) offers so they could see the complete journey. A new offer would appear whenever they tapped Go Online, repeating every two or three minutes. My intention was for them to see the incoming offer and go through the different stages of the app—receiving an offer, accepting it, driving to the destination, ending the trip, seeing the reward card, fare, and so on. They would never have seen all of this if I hadn't created a dummy offer. This mechanism was activated only for the Apple reviewer credentials. No one else would ever experience it. I think they assumed I was giving fake offers or misrepresenting the app. A human reviewer, understanding the intent, would hopefully have recognised what I was trying to demonstrate. At the very least, I wish they had flagged it and given me a chance to explain instead of terminating my account overnight. Based on this, I recreated the exact timeline from my backend logs. Here's exactly what happened: Time (NZ) 15:03:47 — Logged in — ✅ 200 15:03–15:04 — Browsed earnings, job history, past trip #1164, payouts, and Stripe status — ✅ All fine 15:04:23 — Tapped Go Online — ✅ 15:04:23 — Backend seeded a fake ride offer (#1038) — Offer appears 15:04:27 — Rejected the offer (after 4 seconds) — ✅ 15:06:00 — Last seen timestamp — Last successful moment 15:06:10 — A second Apple login (17.185.64.86) accessed the same account — First session disconnected 15:06:12–15:07:47 — Reviewer's live connection failed 7 times ("session_token mismatch" → 403) — ❌ Broken 15:06:13 — Tried to go offline — ❌ 401 15:06–15:12 — Received a new fake offer approximately every 2 minutes; attempted to reject them but received 400 errors — ❌ ~15:13 — Reviewer left — Nothing completed Then one day, I got a notice from Apple. My Developer Program membership was terminated under Section 3.2(f). All my apps were pulled from the App Store overnight. Here's the part I want other solo founders to understand, because it's the part that still keeps me up: There was no warning. No email first. No "this looks wrong, can you explain or fix it?" Just termination, and everything was gone in one moment. I filed an appeal through the official channel. It came back as a final denial, and they said there would be no further appeals on the account. From my own server logs, I could see that between the termination and the denial, no reviewer ever opened the app again. The decision was made from their records, not from a fresh look. So there was genuinely nothing I could have shown them—no fix, no explanation—that would have been seen. I'm not writing this to argue that Apple has no right to protect its platform. It does. But for a one-person team, a Section 3.2(f) termination means your entire business can disappear overnight, with no warning and no practical way back. I don't think many solo developers realise how final and how fast that is until it happens to them. So I wanted to ask the community a few honest questions: Has anyone here been through a Section 3.2(f) account termination? What happened next? Is there genuinely any path forward once an appeal is marked final—a separate entity, a legal channel, or anything else? And a broader question: do you think there should be a warning, or a short window to fix things, before a lifetime ban, especially for solo developers whose whole livelihood is on the line? This has been one of the hardest stretches of my life. I put everything into this. If even a few people read it and it saves them from the same fall, or if someone genuinely knows a path forward, that would mean a lot. Thank you for reading.

I saw a member of the App Review team comment with this... [quote='897633022, App Review, /thread/838096?answerId=897633022#897633022'] Posts here are for questions about the App Review Guidelines and how to resolve guideline issues. Your question seems related to a review status question. We recommend contacting Developer Support to receive the most effective assistance. [/quote] Sir, we post here because Developer Support does nothing. Our apps keep getting stuck on “Waiting for Review.” for weeks... Calling the developer support is not possible now due to a three-hour wait, and I did wait for three hours—but guess what? No one cares. So please excuse us, sir, on behalf of all the developers you are ignoring who post their problems here, because they cannot find another way to be heard.

Hello, My name is Tarek Mansour. I've been developing for Apple platforms since before the App Store existed, and my developer account dates back to the year the store launched. I say that only to make one point: I know how this process is supposed to work, and this is not it. My app has been sitting in "Waiting for Review" for over three weeks. It's been on the App Store for more than 10 years with a clean history. The submission in question is a critical bug fix — real users are affected every day it sits there. Every official channel has failed: • Expedited Review Request • Contact Us email • Phone support — hours on hold, no resolution Promised by email more than once that it would be handled — nothing changed Submission ID: 891c1b55-f353-4bf8-bb81-609b1c29a5cc In nearly two decades on this platform I have never seen apps left in the queue for a month with no communication and no working escalation path. Judging by this subtopic, I'm far from the only one. Apple: developers build businesses on the assumption that review is predictable and support is reachable. Right now, neither is true. Please look at this submission — and please address what's happening to the queue generally.

We submitted our banking application, Summit Bank, for review on 8 July. Since then, we have received the notification “Summit Bank Submission (iOS) version 1.3.0 has been approved” on three (3) separate occasions. However, each approval has been followed by the app remaining indefinitely in “In Review,” instead of "Pending Developer Release" forcing us to resubmit the same version repeatedly. Application Details App Name: Summit Bank Apple App ID: 6751147180 Version: 1.3.0 Current Submission ID: dfea3890-a0bf-4136-b5ae-7241db7d15c9 In our most recent submission, we included detailed notes describing this recurring issue and requesting assistance. Unfortunately, despite the app once again being marked as approved, its status has not changed and it remains stuck in the review process. This unresolved issue is causing significant operational disruption, reputational damage, and loss of business, as our customers are unable to access the latest version of the application. We respectfully request that this matter be escalated for immediate investigation and resolution. If there is any issue with our submission or additional action required on our part, please let us know as soon as possible. We would appreciate your urgent assistance in resolving this matter.

App ID: 6763439171 My app has been stuck in "Waiting for Review" for 6 weeks now. When I first submitted this app, the initial review took a month — which already felt painfully long. After that, minor updates were approved within a day or two. But this latest update has been sitting in "Waiting for Review" for 6 weeks. I've searched through the forums and haven't found anyone who's waited this long. I have no idea why Apple is doing this to me. It's incredibly frustrating because there's nothing I can do on my end. I've requested an expedited review three times, but there's been no response whatsoever. Has anyone experienced something similar? Any advice on how to get Apple's attention would be greatly appreciated.

Hey, My app "Machko OTT" (Apple ID: 6778678181, Submission ID: bf9c82cb-52c7-4735-9c94-592ebe38eb76) has been stuck in "Waiting for Review" since July 7 at 4:07 PM, with no update since. Some background: I originally submitted the app for review on June 10 at 5:50 PM. On June 29, I removed it from review, assuming there was a glitch since it was taking far longer than usual. I later re-submitted, but it's now been stuck again with no movement. I also contacted Apple Support directly — they told me I'd get a response within 2 business days. That deadline has now passed with no email reply either. At this point, my app has effectively been pending publication for almost a month. Any guidance on how to escalate this or get an update would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hi all, Like others my app submission has been stuck in “waiting for review” for weeks. I know initial app reviews take longer than updates, but this has been delayed far too long and makes me concerned about repeating the process in the future. I submitted this app for review back on Feb 10. It was initially rejected for a minor issue, which I resolved and resubmitted the same day. After that, the build remained in “Waiting for Review” for about two weeks with no further communication. At that point I canceled the submission and resubmitted the build, thinking it may have been stuck in the queue (I now know not to do this next time). Unfortunately the new submission has also been waiting for review for another 9 days now with no messages or updates. I’ve contacted app review support as well (case ID- 102826632729). I understand review times can vary, but delays like this make it difficult for developers to plan launches or push updates when the review process is the only path to distributing apps. As paying members of the Apple Developer Program, we rely heavily on this pipeline functioning reliably. Hoping this post will reach someone from Apple who can help move the process along. If any other devs have suggestions/tips that have worked for them, please share so others in this position can become unblocked. Thanks in advance.

My app is stuck in the "waiting in review" stage for a 5 days. This is my first time experiencing the review taking this long without an approval or rejection. Did my review get stuck or lost or something? Is there anyway to get any clarity on this?

I have a launch event for my app this Sunday and it was rejected for something that was in the app already. I’ve been trying to get approved / deployed in the App Store for two weeks now. This is very important to me, most of the issues Apple flags are things that are already on my app just the automated systems didn’t seem to catch such as account deletion button within my settings as the last flagged issue that was already there. Issues that Apple flags I have already built in and have shared screen recordings showing where they are on the app and it working. would love to get this launched by Sunday at the latest! thanks

I would appreciate some guidance about an iOS update that has remained in Waiting for Review for several days. App: AlphaOmega App Store ID: 6783182206 Version: 1.0.4 Build: 26 Waiting since: July 10, 2026 Build processed: July 11, 2026 This is an update to an existing app. An expedited review request was approved, but the submission has not yet moved to In Review. I also contacted Developer Support and was advised that the review is proceeding normally and no further action is needed. I understand that review times can vary. Could anyone please share whether this waiting period is within the normal range, or whether there is anything I should check in App Store Connect? I would also appreciate hearing from developers who have recently experienced similar delays. Thank you for your time.

I have a launch event for my app this Sunday and it was rejected for something that was in the app already. I've been trying to get approved / deployed in the App Store for two weeks now. This is very important to me, most of the issues Apple flags are things that are already on my app just the reviewer didn't seem to catch, such as account deletion button flagged that I have within my settings already. Issues that Apple has flagged seem to be ones that I have already built in and have shared screen recordings showing where they are on the app and it working. I have done the hard work and am patiently waiting for approval onto the app store now. Would love to get this launched by Sunday at the latest! thanks

Hello, On June 13, we received an email from App Review stating, “There’s an issue with your app.” We completed the requested changes within approximately one week and resubmitted the app. After waiting for several weeks without receiving any further update, a newer version of our product became available. We therefore canceled the previous submission and submitted the latest version on July 6. However, nine days later, the app is still showing “Waiting for Review.” We have made significant preparations and entered into promotional agreements for the app’s launch. Unfortunately, these commitments are now being negatively affected by the continued delay. Could someone please help us confirm whether our submission is correctly queued for review and whether there is any issue preventing the review from starting? We would greatly appreciate any assistance or escalation. App Review ID: c23859b9-df9f-40f0-8e99-8426d155b0fc Thank you.

Hello, we are preparing an app that sells digital subscriptions consumed within the app and we fully understand that Guideline 3.1.1 requires such content to be sold through In-App Purchase. Our question concerns one specific case: In-App Purchase does not appear to be available for App Store accounts in the Russia region. For users in that region, what is the compliant way to offer a digital subscription? Would using an approved local third-party payment provider be acceptable when IAP is not available and if so, are there any conditions or entitlements we should be aware of? For all other regions where IAP is available, we plan to use In-App Purchase as required. Thank you! Kind regards

Hello, Our application connects to our backend server, which only allows access from specific IP addresses for security reasons. We understand that Apple owns the IP range 17.0.0.0/8, but we are unsure whether App Review traffic always originates from this range. Could you please clarify the following? Does App Review always access backend servers from IP addresses within 17.0.0.0/8? If so, is there a more specific IP range that can be allowlisted instead of the entire 17.0.0.0/8 block? If Apple does not provide a dedicated IP range for App Review, what is the recommended best practice for applications that restrict server access by IP address? Our goal is to minimize the allowlisted IP range while ensuring that App Review can successfully access our backend during the review process. Thank you for your guidance.

Hello everyone, I’m currently experiencing unusually long wait times for app reviews and wanted to check if others are seeing similar delays this week. Here is the current status of my submissions: App Store Update: Stuck in "Waiting for Review" much longer than the typical 24–48 hour window. New Version: A newly submitted version also seems to be stalled in the initial phase. TestFlight Processing: Even TestFlight builds are taking longer than usual to process. Expedited Review: I've attempted an expedited review request and direct communication, but the status remains unchanged so far. What’s confusing is that I see other apps in the same category receiving updates, so I’m unsure if this is a localized technical glitch or a broader delay affecting a specific group of developers. I’m not looking to escalate anything just yet; I’m simply trying to gauge if this is a widespread issue at the moment. I would greatly appreciate any insights into your recent experiences or if you've noticed similar patterns over the last few days. Thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone with pending submissions! 🙂

We are an established Apple Developer with multiple production apps. Over the past four weeks, every submission under our developer account—including both new apps and updates—has either remained in "Waiting for Review" or "In Review" significantly longer than expected. We have already: Contacted Apple Developer Support multiple times Been granted an expedited review Replied to all support cases Despite this, none of our submissions have progressed. I'm unsure if this could be related to an account-level review or another issue affecting our developer account. Has anyone else experienced similar issues? Thank You!

I submitted my app nearly a week ago, and it's still stuck on I submitted my app nearly a week ago, and it's still stuck on "Waiting for Review." I also contacted App Review Support, but I haven't received a response. For a service that costs so much, this level of communication is disappointing. I understand that reviews can sometimes take longer, but having no updates or response from support is frustrating. Is anyone else experiencing similar delays? I also contacted App Review Support, but I haven't received a response. For a service that costs so much, this level of communication is disappointing. I understand that reviews can sometimes take longer, but having no updates or response from support is frustrating. Is anyone else experiencing similar delays?

Hello. My app (new iOS app, previously shipped macOS app) has now been waiting in review for 6 days. I submitted it on Wednesday July 8th 2026. Does it normally take this long? Seems pretty long.