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. 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.

My app update submission has been in the Waiting for Review status for over 72 hours. A few days ago I already canceled and resubmitted after 3 days of inactivity, but this time it still hasn’t moved forward. I’d like to check if there might be any issues on my side that I should address, or if this is just part of the current review timelines. The update includes a critical bug fix, and unfortunately I’m losing users while waiting. Is there anything I can do to help move the review process along, or should I simply continue to wait? The problem is getting more absurd, since it is not a new app submission but an update for already existing one. Thank you in advance.

Hello, Our app gets rejected for the reason that the reviewer cannot purchase the subscription with the message, "Guideline 2.1 - Performance - App Completeness We found that your in-app purchase products exhibited one or more bugs which create a poor user experience. Specifically, we were unable to purchase Auto-Renewable Subscriptions. The app launched back to the rendering when we tap on the "Get started"" When we test this with our sandbox accounts in test flight version, we can see the subscribe pop up showing and purchase successfully. But turns out they cannot. Unfortunately we cannot see the reason why and even after requesting further explanation regarding how to move along, we are not getting any explanations. Our subscription products are submitted in the first time with the app and they are in "In review" state for more than a week. We requested phone calls and wrote messages to reviewers many times but unfortunately there's no help yet.

Our app, submitted on Sept 12, has been stuck in "Waiting for Review" for over 3 days without updates. Please advise or help escalate.

Hello, My app was rejected, with the reason being given: -- Parts of the app's user interface were still crowded, laid out, or displayed in a way that made it difficult to use the app when reviewed on iPad Air (5th generation) running iPadOS 26.0. Specifically, when viewed on iPad, your app uses only a portion of the screen. It is the same layout as the iPhone 16 on the iPad air, and I know of multiple apps that follow this scheme. I have even sent images. I believe that I am absolutely in the right here. Please do let me know.

Lately every app that I submit (games) with in app purchases, always coins , the app gets rejected with: Guideline 3.1.1 - Business - Payments - In-App Purchase Your app uses intermediary currency to purchase items that function as non-consumable products but still does not include a restore mechanism. Users restore transactions to maintain access to content that they've already purchased It baffles me that reviewers think buy different number of coins is non-consumable. I have tried to explain that coins will be used to buy weapons and skins and they will also be earned at the end of every level yet for some reasons they are still rejecting the app. It is absurd. This is the second app that I have to go through with this. The first one they eventually figured it out but this one no.

Hello, Our auto-renewable subscription products are currently showing as “In Review” in App Store Connect. However, they are not visible in the “In-App Purchases” section of the app version submission, so we cannot confirm or re-attach them to this app version. At the same time, we cannot delete or edit these products while they are in this state. This has left us in a situation where: The IAPs are stuck in “In Review” status, We cannot re-submit or re-attach them, And your review team cannot complete testing because the subscriptions are not yet approved. According to Apple’s own documentation, IAPs that are released with an app version only move from In Review to Approved when the app itself is approved. This means they must be reviewed together. Could you please: Confirm that our IAPs are correctly attached to this app version and will be reviewed together, or Reset their status back to “Ready to Submit” so that we can re-attach them properly to this app version? We want to make sure we are not stuck in a loop where the IAPs cannot be approved until the app is approved, but the app cannot be approved because the IAPs are stuck. Thank you for your help in resolving this situation. Best regards,

During these 60 days, we have attempted to communicate via email and phone, and have also submitted an expedited review request, but we have not received any proper feedback. Could you please let us know why this situation has occurred, and what information we should provide in order to move the review process forward?

I would like to inquire if there are any issues with the review of version 2.3.31+338. It has been 48 hours since submission, and the status still shows 'Waiting for Review It is necessary for my app to go live within today as scheduled by my company, since we have customers waiting to use it. Thank you for your kind support.

Hello everyone, My app was recently rejected under Guideline 4.1 – Design: Copycats. The review team mentioned that my app or its metadata appears to be misrepresenting itself as another popular app or service, and therefore was not approved. This came as a surprise, because my app is an original trading journal product that I’ve built from scratch. While there are other trading journals in the market, my app has unique features and a different design. I did not intend to copy or impersonate any existing app. I would really appreciate advice from anyone who has gone through a similar rejection: What kind of changes did you make to get past this rejection? Should I focus more on branding (name, logo, color scheme) to differentiate? Is it helpful to write an explanation to the App Review team describing how my app is unique? Any tips or experiences would be very helpful, since I want to make sure my app stands out clearly and avoids any resemblance issues. Thank you in advance!

Since the app was submitted on September 11, it has been stuck in the "in review" status for more than 3 days without being rejected, without further information updates, and without any other feedback. We can't delay any longer, the lack of progress is disrupting our plans. Please inform us immediately on how to proceed or upgrade the review. We contact the Apple review team almost every day (via email), but there is no clear reason for the response. This makes us feel frustrated while waiting for feedback, and at the same time, our users cannot wait any longer. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Hello everyone, Today we suddenly received a Pending Termination Notice for our Apple Developer account. What makes this situation especially difficult is that there were no prior warnings, rejections, or requests for clarification before this action was taken. Our app was published on September 1, and just a short while ago (September 12) we were notified that the account is flagged for removal and our product was already taken down from the App Store. We submitted a formal appeal to the App Review Board a few minutes ago, but we are extremely concerned. Our company is a U.S.-registered business and we provided all required documentation during enrollment and afterwards. Everything is legitimate, and we strongly believe this is a mistake. For us, every minute matters — we run a large-scale marketing campaign, and each delay is already costing us thousands of dollars in losses. This sudden removal without prior communication feels devastating. Has anyone else faced a similar situation? How long did it take for Apple to respond to an appeal in such cases? And is there any recommended way to escalate urgent matters like this? We would deeply appreciate any advice or shared experiences. Thank you.

Hello everyone, I’m developing an app for our insurance franchise network called Avantar Indica. The core functionality of the app is to allow a user (after being affiliated to one of our units) to refer friends or family members so that the franchise unit can contact them and offer our services. During App Review, the app was rejected under Guideline 5.1.2 – Privacy – Data Collection and Storage, since the app currently collects name and phone number of third-party contacts without their explicit consent. I completely understand Apple’s concern and would like to adapt the functionality in order to make it compliant with the App Store Guidelines. 👉 New proposed flow: When a user selects a contact to refer, no personal data is stored immediately. Instead, the app will send an email or SMS invitation to the referred person, informing them that they have been invited by [User’s Name]. The referred person will be able to accept or decline the referral. Only if the referred person explicitly accepts will their data (name and phone number) be securely stored in our database and shared with the franchise unit. This way, the referral process only completes after explicit consent from the data owner, which I believe aligns with both App Store Guidelines and privacy regulations such as GDPR and LGPD. ❓ My question: Would this adjusted approach (sending an invitation and saving data only after acceptance) be considered acceptable under Guideline 5.1.2? Or is there a recommended best practice for implementing this kind of referral flow on iOS apps? Any guidance or experiences from other developers who faced similar situations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello Apple Community, I'm seeking guidance on a Car Play app rejection from the apple team. My mobile-only app was approved, but the version that includes the Car play app is consistently being rejected, and I'm trying to understand the reasons for the same. I'm hoping to get insights from developers who have successfully published Car Play apps, especially those involving voice interaction. About the App My ios app is an AI-powered voice agent for drivers, designed to provide a hands-free, conversational experience. The app's features include: Information & Navigation Live weather updates. Turn-by-turn navigation for single or multiple destinations, which opens Google Maps. Real-time data lookups (flight status, stock prices, news, sports scores). Media & Entertainment Playing songs via Spotify and YouTube Music. Productivity Setting time-based reminders. Making phone calls. Vehicle Integration Remote commands for the vehicle (e.g., "lock the doors," "open the trunk"). Accessing vehicle data (fuel level, tire pressure, etc.). The Problem: Car Play Rejection When I remove the Car Play code and manifest declaration, the app gets approved for mobile. However, as soon as I include the Car Play implementation, the app update is rejected. This leads me to believe the issue is not with the app's core functionality but specifically with how it presents itself on Car Play. My Core Question for the Community Is the rejection likely because Car Play does not permit third-party, general-purpose voice assistants as a primary app interface? The platform seems to reserve core voice control for the integrated Siri and third-party apps are expected to fit into specific categories (Media, Navigation, IoT, etc.) using the Car App Library templates. My app acts as a single, all-in-one assistant, which is not one of the listed categories. What is the correct path to bring my app's features to Car Play? Is it against policy to have a custom voice assistant, even if its capabilities fall into supported functions like navigation and media? Should I fundamentally change my approach? For example, should I break the app down and submit it as a Navigation or IoT app that uses the official Car App Library templates, and then offer my voice capabilities within that compliant structure? Has anyone successfully integrated a third-party voice service into a Car play app, and what was the approved architecture? Or any other path you suggest based on your experience. I've reviewed the "Car app quality" guidelines but am looking for practical interpretation and advice from those with experience. Any insights you can share would be incredibly helpful. Thank you

Hello everyone, We are currently facing a frustrating situation: we are trying to publish an app that enables VPN connection with our platform, which is offered exclusively to our clients. However, our app is being repeatedly rejected under Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam. To clarify, this VPN app is strictly for enterprise use and only operates in specifically provisioned environments. It is not a generic VPN client and cannot function outside of its intended context. Authorship: The entire codebase is original and exclusive. The only third-party dependencies are: WireGuardKit: used for establishing the VPN tunnel (WireGuard protocol). ZIPFoundation: used for compression and decompression of packages. Uniqueness: No other VPN app on the market works with our solution. The only thing in common with some is the use of the WireGuard protocol. Our app includes an agent that reports device information to our platform for security policy evaluation and access control. It uses entirely proprietary authentication and authorization processes. We cannot “do something different”: removing or changing these core functions would eliminate necessary telemetry, authentication, or restrictions, and the app would no longer fulfill its corporate purpose. It provides exactly what is needed for our enterprise clients, nothing more and nothing less. We kindly ask for advice or insights from anyone who has faced similar issues, or from moderators/admins if there is a way to get more specific feedback or reconsideration. We are open to providing any additional information if needed. Thank you in advance for your help and suggestions. Best regards,

Since the app was submitted on September 3, it has been stuck in the "in review" status for more than 7 days without being rejected, without further information updates, and without any other feedback. We can't delay any longer, the lack of progress is disrupting our plans. Please inform us immediately on how to proceed or upgrade the review. We contact the Apple review team almost every day (via email), but there is no clear reason for the response. This makes us feel frustrated while waiting for feedback, and at the same time, our users cannot wait any longer.

Hi AppReview Team What can I do to get out of the processing loop of our German screenshots for our Shack app? Been trying for more than an hour to get the screenshots through processing. English worked fine and DE is stuck. used a different browser deleted all screenshots and added again renamed screenshots and added again Thanks in advance Julius

I have included a number of plugins with my app. If I get xCode to compile a dsym file, it changes the identifier from x.y.z to com.apple.xcode.dsym.x.y.z When I try to upload it, it gives the error Invalid Bundle. The application bundle may not contain tools or frameworks provided by Apple, or using bundle identifiers in the 'com.apple.' namespace. Invalid bundle: [hk.cinder.Monitor2.pkg/Payload/Monitor2.app/Contents/Resources/Modules/Release/BIS.bundle.dSYM], with bundle identifier 'com.apple.xcode.dsym.x.y.z.BIS'. (ID: 3c2029d4-93fb-48fe-8ec0-c2c28a810167) Anyone got any idea what is going on?

App Store Connect rejects the build with the following error: Please correct the following issues and upload a new binary to App Store Connect. ITMS-90058: This bundle is invalid - The value for key CFBundleVersion [iphoneos] in the Info.plist file must be a period-separated list of at most three non-negative integers. Please find more information about CFBundleVersion at https://developer.apple.com/documentation/bundleresources/information_property_list/cfbundleversion But we double-checked at the app level; in all places the CFBundleVersion and versions is mentioned in the correct format. Even though we tried to upload via Xcode and Transporter, both show success. but the build is not reflecting in TestFlight. Receive the above error message via mail. data: { "attributes": { "cfBundleShortVersionString": "3.25.9", "cfBundleVersion": "25", "p Validated with the delivery log, but the delivery log also shows correct versioning only.

Hi everyone, Our app has been stuck in "Waiting for Review" status for 2 days now and we’re starting to get very concerned. Details: Version 7.0.4 All required metadata completed It usually takes less than a day for the reviews to be done but it is now two days and we do not want to abuse the expedited review policy. It seems unusually long considering that the typical review time is just a day or less. Has anyone else run into similar delays lately? Is there any other way to escalate the issue or get Apple’s attention other than an expedited review? Thanks in advance for any help or advice!

Hey, I just uploaded a video preview for my app and my submission was declined: "The app preview includes content that does not sufficiently show the app in use. Specifically, the app preview: Includes device images and/or device frames. App previews should allow users to see what the app does and how it will appear on their device when the preview is played in full screen. Next Steps To resolve this issue, revise the app preview to only use video screen captures of the app that may include narration and video or textual overlays for added clarity." For my understanding I only uploaded a cut together version of screen recordings with subtitles above. I'll attach some screenshots. The recordings are connected through some animations (fade in/out, etc) might this be the reason for a declination? Thank you, Carlotta