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.

Hi, I'm having an issue getting an app reviewed and am looking for any helpful information. I created an app in Fliplet, which allows anyone to create apps using pre-made templates that can be edited. I also created an app last year using the same platform and had no issues. I received a message after review that Apple noticed my app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept as apps submitted to the App Store by other developers, with only minor differences. Submitting similar or repackaged apps is a form of spam that creates clutter and makes it difficult for users to discover new apps. The app isn't spam and contains different data than the original app but its still not being considered. Any suggestions for how to handle this?

4.2.2 Other than catalogs, apps shouldn’t primarily be marketing materials, advertisements, web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links. I cannot understand why app is rejected. The app collects 1000 grocery store offers a week from 250 papers using AI. Users vote on best offers and keep updated with notifications for their own personal products. Images of my app and original pages it is reading from. the most frustrating thing is that the only other app trying to solve the same problem just displays theres papers statically like a website with absolutely no functionality. Their app is a copy of the website: https://mattilbud.no Features of app: Favorite offers, contributing to a global and local vote system. Saved searches with notifications when new matching offers appear. Search by product name or category, with filtering by store. Adjustable grid layout for homepage offers. Home Screen Quick Actions for saved searches. Option to view the original grocery page. Native Share Sheet integration for sharing offers. Haptic feedback on key interactions. Dark/Lightmode based on ios appearance settings.

I'm getting my IAP rejected for: Guideline 3.1.1 - Business - Payments - In-App Purchase We have begun the review of your in-app purchase products but are not able to continue because you have submitted in-app purchase products for the Non-Consumable type, but you have not yet submitted an updated binary for review. Next Steps To resolve this issue, please upload a new binary and resubmit the in-app purchase products for review. I made a new binary and getting it ready to submit, but there is no option to include an IAP. From what I have read, you need the paid agreements signed and you have to have the IAP in the ready to submit phase to have the option to submit it on the new binary. I added notes to the IAP Submission: I'm unsure what to do here, as I have tried multiple times to create a new build and attach the IAP to the build. But the option to attach the IAP isn't there. From what I have read online, the IAP has to be in the Ready To Submit stat and paid agreements signed, which I do have signed. But I feel like the problem is that it's getting rejected because I need to attach it to a new binary, but that new binary doesn't have the option to attach because I don't have an IAP that is in a ready-to-submit state. It's a chicken before the egg problem. Hopefully it may get resolved with my notes to the review team. In the mean time is there something I am missing or should be doing?

Hi, Is anyone aware of the process to request exceptional circumstances for certain current IOS restrictions on APPs?

Hi everyone, Our app was recently rejected under guideline 1.1.6, with the note: “the app allows conversations that aren’t real.” The app is an AI livestream simulator – it does not connect to real people and clearly displays disclaimers in the app title, description, and on every screen inside the app (e.g., “AI SIMULATION”, “NOT A REAL BROADCAST”). The purpose is to help users practice live interactions and overcome anxiety through AI-generated engagement, not to deceive anyone. Despite these precautions, the app keeps getting rejected. The review team seems not to test the actual livestream screen (checked via analytics), and just flags it based on assumption. Questions: Has anyone faced a similar rejection for AI or simulation-based features? What worked for you in getting approved? Is there any official example or template Apple accepts for apps that simulate interaction? Any help or experience would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Dear App Review! We are a tax software that undergoes regular iterations and is updated with new features every month. We have currently uploaded versions for review and have been in a “pending review” state for almost 2 days now. During this wait, we have taken the following actions but have been unable to get into the review process: We requested an expedited review and were told it was successful, but no progress has been made; Contacted "App Review Status" via email; "Please let us know everything is fine and wait for review; Rejected on its own, resubmit for review; Our users have been anxiously asking us when there will be new features and they are eager to use them Apple app ID: 6744107833 Looking forward to hearing from you, thank you!

I have been appealing to Apple to delete this rejected build since we have a new API and an upgraded new build with new IOS version to submit but we must up a version from 2 to 3. But the review BOT, I believe, doesn't read my appeal. It keeps responding with exactly the same rejection notes as before. I don't see the [+] button top left so I can't add a new version. I sent emails and made appeals to the "Review Board" link and submitted a case. There has been no response. It's been over a month. Can anyone recommend a solution, please?

An update to my app has been rejected under Guideline 2.1 - Performance - App Completeness, citing that only a blank screen appeared on launch. I cannot recreate this bug. I have, on this exact device and iOS version that the reviewer used (iPhone 13 mini, iOS 18.5): Downloaded the app from TestFlight and successfully launched Launched in release mode Launched as a new install AND as an upgrade Launched with no internet, good internet and slow internet I have asked the reviewer for any crash logs and more detail about the testing setup that led to this blank screen on launch, and no extra information was provided at all, just another screenshot of the launch screen. Where do I go from here? Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice regarding an issue we’re facing with the resubmission of the Skelbiu.lt app. Our app is a simple web view without any complex logic inside. During the previous review attempt, the Apple review team was unable to access our website (https://www.skelbiu.lt) and encountered an error page. We contacted Apple Developer Support, and it appears the issue may be related to IP-level restrictions or network environment factors. The site remains fully accessible to public users and our internal teams without any problems. Some additional context: • Our app is primarily a web view, built on the same codebase as our other apps, all of which have passed the review process successfully. • The access issue seems to occur only within the Apple review environment — we have not been able to reproduce it ourselves. A bit more background: In November 2024, the Apple review team was able to access our website without issues. At that time, the problem was different — a demo account login error, which has already been corrected. However, after a later resubmission, the review team again reported that they could not reach our website. If anyone has experience dealing with similar site access issues during App Review, or has advice on how to proceed (perhaps someone from Apple could assist?), I would greatly appreciate your input! Thanks so much for your time and help!

Hi all, my mac app uses the "com.apple.security.temporary-exception.apple-events" entitlement. Originally the process was that one is allowed to use such an entitlement as long as one filed a bug to request a scripting target that would allow one to move away from it. Now, my app has been approved for years with that entitlement, but every 5th time or so I submit an update, my app gets rejected because I allegedly shouldn't use that entitlement. I then ask for clarification, repeating the statement about why i am using it, and then the app gets silently approved. Is there a better way to handle this? It is super annoying that every couple of updates I get this random delay and have to dispute stuff just to get my update through. The note for the entitlement already describes why I am using it, but it seems that some reviewers just ignore it and then, upon me repeating that note, the app gets approved... I would also be fine getting an official statement that Apple doesn't support my use of the entitlement anymore and I could communicate to my customers that this is why the feature will disappear in the app store version, but since my updates eventually get approved, the issue seems to be with the particular reviewer... Any ideas how to fix this? Thank you.

Hello, I am in the process of submitting my first app to the app store and im stuck on the question where it asks for a amil and password, since my app only has sign in with apple I can't create an emil and password for them. How do i get around this?

I did an initial app submission on April 25th. A few business days went by and it was still “waiting for review”. Since then, I‘ve called customer support a couple of times, both said they put my app on expedited review process. That doesn’t seem to have any affect at all as to this day my app is still waiting for review. Apple claims 90% of submissions gets reviewed within 48 hours, I did not think the remaining 10% could be stuck in limbo with no communication for more than a week. Even when being expedited, the app is still not being reviewed… where is the accountability? There seems to be no penalty on Apple at all for this delay without communication. Every day that goes by like this means a financial burden on my team.

I fully understand and appreciate that the App Store requires moderation to maintain quality standards - this benefits both developers and users. However, I've encountered what appears to be a hasty and superficial rejection that fails to honor this important review process. My app, Hekate Astrology, was rejected under guideline 4.3b citing market saturation of similar apps. While I would accept this determination if accurately assessed, my server logs conclusively show that the reviewer never authenticated with the credentials I provided as requested. This means they couldn't have properly evaluated the app's unique features and differentiation before rendering judgment. Hekate Astrology is not another generic horoscope or fortune-telling application. It represents years of research in humanistic astrology following the philosophical tradition of Dane Rudhyar, who pioneered the integration of psychological principles with astrological analysis. This scholarly approach to personal development stands apart from mainstream entertainment astrology apps. The current review process appears to operate as an opaque black box where apps can be dismissed based solely on their title or category without proper examination. This undermines Apple's commitment to fairness and innovation. Developers invest significant time and resources creating apps for iOS with the reasonable expectation that submissions will receive thorough, equitable consideration. I respectfully request a re-review where my application's actual content, unique approach, and differentiation are properly assessed according to Apple's standards.

We've been struggling for weeks to upload our app in the App Store, but we keep receiving the same rejection. Here's the exact response from Apple: "The app provides loan services but the domains listed on the app's Product Pages are still not clearly under your control or ownership. Since users may use these domains to contact you to request support, the domains used on the Product Page for loan apps must be under your control or ownership. Update the Product Page metadata in App Store Connect to only include domains that are associated with Apple Accounts registered to your developer account." The issue is that we've always listed the same domain that we used when registering our Apple Developer account. If you visit our website, the company name and address are clearly displayed in the footer. We have already provided all the evidence that all the links in the developer's account are on our domain. We also provided evidence that this domain is ours. But it did not help. We've tried asking for clarification, but we keep receiving the same generic response without any specific details. This situation is extremely stressful for us.

We submitted our app for Review on June 3. The submission was put in "In Review" status on the same day. Today is June 10 and we did not receive any status update. Our customers are waiting for the release of our app. This is delaying our promised release date. Can someone review our app?

I am building banking application which has audio/video and text chat. It is intended for contacting bank support. When user device has auto lock on after 30 seconds, session is ended, and user needs to initiate it again. Will Apple allow this kind of application to have Audio, Airplay, and Picture in Picture or Voice over IP for background modes for this kind of application or it is against Apple rules (per 2.5.4 - https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/)? Chat framework uses Web sockets and SIP.

We are preparing to submit a new app that shares some functionality and with an app we have previously distributed on the App Store. The Codebase will be different (the existing one was developped using React JS and the Second one usinf SWIFT). While the new app includes updated features, a redesigned interface, and is intended for a different user audience, we would like to confirm in advance whether submitting it as a separate app (with a new Bundle ID) is acceptable under current App Store Review Guidelines. In particular, we would appreciate clarification regarding Guideline 4.3 (Spam), to ensure that the submission will not be considered a duplicate or unnecessarily repetitive version of our existing app. Could you please advise on this matter?

My application has been in "In Review" status since May 30, 2025, and it is still in that status today. Please check the status of my app, LS Tools. Our customers are waiting for the latest version

Hello, I seem to be in the same situation as this developer here. My account is pending termination with the following accusation: App submissions from your account have engaged in concept or feature switch schemes to evade the review process, such as dynamically populating different app content after review, submitting apps with hidden features, repeatedly submitting misleading apps, and/or submitting apps with concrete references to content that you are not authorized to provide or is otherwise not appropriate for the App Store. I believe this to be a mistake, however I'm happy to make changes to the app to remedy this. I'm an open book - there's nothing I'm "hoping you won't notice". I'm aiming for full compliance with all the App Store requirements and if I'm not compliant I'll make the required changes. If the App Review team monitors this could you please take a look? Thanks, Matt

in review for long time Apple ID: 6742814997