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.

Hello Apple Review Team, We recently submitted an urgent update to our app (App ID: 6736983550) to fix a critical signup bug that prevented all new users from registering on the platform. The app initially showed “Waiting for Review”, but since October 21, its status has changed to “In Review” without any progress or feedback. Given that this update directly impacts user access and onboarding, we kindly request that the review process be prioritized or expedited as a matter of urgency. Please advise if any additional details are required to facilitate the review. Thank you for your attention and assistance. Kind regards,

Hello, my app has been in review since October 21, 2025, at 11:00 PM Istanbul time, and there hasn’t been any tester activity yet. Has anyone experienced similar delays recently?

Hello, I have a new app with one in-app purchase and App Store Connect says I need to submit an app for review to get the in-app purchase reviewed and approved. But, my review always gets rejected, because obviously the in-app purchase doesn't work, as the product can't be found. So I already answered this, but it still got rejected a second time. So how can I have the in-app purchase approved, before the app gets reviewed? Thank you in advance.

Hi Apple Review Team, The app I submitted last week thursday has been in "waiting for review" for several days, but there has been no result yet. Could you please help with the progress of the review? App Name: Garcia Sports Shop Bundle ID: garciasports.shop.app

Hi everyone, I am developing a mobile application designed for rug cleaning businesses. The app allows businesses to register, subscribe, and use various tools to manage their daily operations — such as job tracking, rug status updates, and team coordination. Essentially, our platform provides a SaaS solution specifically for professional rug cleaning companies, not for general consumers. I have a couple of questions: Since the app is meant only for registered businesses, and users must have a valid business account to access the core features — what are the chances of the app being rejected during App Store review? If I integrate Apple In-App Purchase (IAP) for subscription instead of using an external payment method (like Stripe), would that reduce the chances of rejection, or could there still be issues since it’s a B2B app? Any guidance or real experiences with similar business-use apps would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Dinesh

Hello, My app (App ID: 1616628950) has been in the “In Review” state for quite some time. I first submitted it on October 14, and it stayed in review for over 7 days without any update. I then resubmitted the same build on October 21, but it’s still in review as of now. Normally, my app reviews are completed within 1–2 days, so this delay seems unusual. There were no policy-related updates in this version. I just wanted to share this here in case someone from the review team could take a quick look or check if the submission might be stuck. Thank you very much for your time and understanding!

Hi everyone, My app was recently rejected during App Review because it’s missing screenshots for the 13-inch iPad display size. However, I don’t currently have access to a 13-inch iPad device, and I’m not sure how to generate or capture the correct screenshots. I’ve already provided screenshots using simulator for 13 inch iPad, which I thought they will accept, but they didn't. Could anyone please advise on: How to create valid 13-inch iPad screenshots without owning the device? Its really troubling me while its time for app review. Any guidance or workaround would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Apple Review Team, The app I submitted last week has been in review for several days, but there has been no result yet. Could you please help with the progress of the review? App Name:BackYouUp Bundle ID:com.teacherscheduler.myapp

Hello everyone, I want to remove subscriptions from review to publish my app without any subscriptions. But I'm unable to do so - they are stuck in "in review" status and I can't change it. What should I do?

Dear Apple Review Team The app I submitted has been in the review process for several days, but there has been no result yet. Could you please help expedite the progress of the review? App Name:美术宝网校 - 备战美术艺考神器 Bundle ID:com.msb.wangxiao.ios

Hello, Our app (App ID: 6753726496), submitted on October 15, 2025, at 10:19 PM, is still waiting for review with no status change in App Store Connect. We have also requested an expedited review and have an open support case regarding this submission (Case ID: 102728891684). Could someone from the App Review team please check if this app might be stuck in the review queue or let us know if any action is required from our side? Thank you for your time and assistance.

Hello everyone, There's an issue that has been driving me and my team mad for almost a month. Our subscriptions work properly in a sandbox mode, when we're testing on our own devices. However, every time we send them to review, we receive a rejection - apparently, the subscriptions don't work at all for the reviewers. I'm pretty confident that we set up everything properly in App Store Connect as it's not our first time. We sent the subscriptions to review as well and they're now stuck in the "in review" state, even though the app submission itself gets rejected over and over. I'm unsure what to do here because we've been going back and forth with this for several weeks, and I don't know how to debug it given that everything works properly on our side. We had a call with an Apple representative and he advised to create a topic here. I'm attaching two screenshots - one from our sandbox testing, the other from the App Reviewers team rejection. I'm hoping that your answers can shed a light on what's going on here and how we can fix it. Thanks!

I am currently part of the development team for an app that intends on donating part of its proceedings to charities related to music teaching. We do not intend to let users donate through our app, but will conduct these donations using "our funds", obtained through the app. In our understanding, then, the app will comply to the acceptable business model issues from the App Review Guidelines (item 3.2.1, paragraph vi), in the sense that it wouldn't be necessary for our app to only donate to approved nonprofits. However, we do intend to include within our app the claim that part of the proceedings will go to charity, explicitly stating the percentage of the proceedings to be used to this end. Is this permitted under the App Review Guidelines, and if not, what is the best practice for doing this?

Dear App Review Team, Our app – Apple ID 6749515097 has been stuck in the “Waiting for Review” status for over 5 days (since October 14, 2025). Normally, reviews begin within a few days, but in our case, it seems unusually delayed. Could you please clarify: • Is there a specific reason for this extended hold? • Is any action required from our side? • When can we expect the review to proceed? Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

Validation failed (409) Invalid Version. The build with the version “1.4.1” can’t be imported because a later version has been closed for new build submissions. Choose a different version number. (ID: 488836e5-c319-44c3-828b-394470c3620a) I'm using air for ios with adobe animate. I change the version number in the publish settings (making sure it's higher) and try again and again but I still get the same error, Can anyone help?

Hello Everyone! I recently got a termination notice. I've already sent an appeal 20 days back, I did get the response saying "they'll not change the decision" which is really a big problem! I've been developing apps and have been supporting my family for quite some time. But because of a small-mistake, I lost my entire account (Although I've made changes and re-submitted, but the app which got the removal isn't going for review) Anyone can you please help? I never got any kind of warning from Apple and I understood that since I'm using a commercial API, I could use it in my title, but it triggered removal of my entire account. Here's the notice I got: Upon further review of the activity associated with your Apple Developer Program membership, it's been determined that your membership has been used for dishonest or fraudulent activity, in violation of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement and the Developer Code of Conduct (App Review Guideline 5.6). Given the severity of the identified issues, your account has been flagged for removal. Because your account has been flagged for removal, any earnings payments are paused and app transfers are disabled. Creating new accounts after receiving this message may result in the termination of the new or associated accounts. Evidence of Dishonest or Fraudulent Activity You provided fraudulent and/or false account information, documentation, or otherwise falsely represented yourself or your submitted app to Apple either during the account enrollment process or after the account was created. Guidelines or Terms Violated The dishonest or fraudulent activity described above directly violates section 3.2(f) of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, which states: "You will not, directly or indirectly, commit any act intended to interfere with any of the Apple Software or Services, the intent of this Agreement, or Apple's business practices including, but not limited to, taking actions that may hinder the performance or intended use of the App Store, Custom App Distribution, TestFlight, Xcode Cloud, Ad Hoc distribution, or the Program (e.g., submitting fraudulent reviews of Your own Application or any third-party application, choosing a name for Your Application that is substantially similar to the name of a third-party application in order to create consumer confusion, or squatting on application names to prevent legitimate third-party use). Further, You will not engage, or encourage others to engage, in any unlawful, unfair, misleading, fraudulent, improper, or dishonest acts or business practices relating to Your Covered Products or Corresponding Products (e.g., engaging in bait-and-switch pricing, consumer misrepresentation, deceptive business practices, or unfair competition against other developers).” The dishonest or fraudulent activity described above also directly violates the Developer Code of Conduct, specifically App Review Guideline 5.6.2 - Developer Identity, which states: "Providing verifiable information to Apple and customers is critical to customer trust. Your representation of yourself, your business, and your offerings on the App Store or alternative app marketplaces must be accurate. The information you provide must be truthful, relevant, and up-to-date so that Apple and customers understand who they are engaging with and can contact you regarding any issues." Appeal If you would like to appeal this termination decision to the App Review Board, you must do so within 30 calendar days. When submitting your appeal, be sure to select "I would like to appeal an app rejection or app removal" from the drop-down menu on the Contact the App Review Team page and provide a written statement that includes the following: A thorough explanation of the issues we identified New information clarifying these issues, if you disagree with our findings Otherwise, your Apple Developer Program membership will be terminated. If you have questions, contact us.

Hi everyone, Our recent app update was rejected under Guideline 2.1 – App Completeness, with the note: “The app was unresponsive when we tapped on Sign in with Apple.” Device: iPad Air (5th generation) OS: iPadOS 26.1 However, we’ve tested this thoroughly and can’t reproduce the problem at all. Here’s what we’ve done so far: Tested both on simulator and real devices (iPhone and iPad). Tried combinations of: Logged in / not logged in to iCloud Apple ID linked / not linked to our app In all cases, Sign in with Apple works as intended — no freezing or unresponsiveness. We also recorded videos showing successful sign-in on simulator (iPad Air, iOS 26) and iPhone 13 mini simulator: We replied to App Review asking whether they were using a simulator (since “Sign in with Apple” often fails there unless the test Apple ID is properly set up). We also provided steps and links explaining that you need to: Create a test account with a real email. Sign in at iCloud.com, and complete security setup / agree to terms, in order for that test account to be recognized in a simulator environment. From our end, everything functions correctly — so it’s quite frustrating to hear it was “unresponsive.” Has anyone encountered similar false positives with Sign in with Apple on simulator tests? Is there a recommended way to clarify or escalate with App Review when we’re confident it’s an environment issue on their side? Any advice from others who’ve handled similar rejections would be greatly appreciated 🙏

Hello Apple App Review Team, I’m developing a sound streaming app that offers two subscription plans — a monthly and a yearly plan — both managed through auto-renewable subscriptions. We’re planning to introduce a sharing feature for users who purchase the yearly subscription: When a user purchases a 1-year subscription, they can share access with up to 3 friends or family members. Each of those invited users should receive 1 month of premium access for free, without needing to purchase the subscription themselves. These invited users may be on different platforms (iOS and Android). The access would be managed and tracked through our secure backend, not through in-app purchase or Apple’s subscription offers, but purely as a limited-time promotional benefit tied to the original subscriber’s active plan. We want to ensure this feature fully complies with Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines — especially sections 3.1.1 (In-App Purchase) and 3.1.3 (Multiplatform and Reader Apps). Could you please clarify: Whether this “shareable trial access” (3 × 1-month benefit) is permitted if it’s granted and controlled via our backend system, only for users whose friends have an active 1-year subscription? If not, is there any recommended or approved mechanism — such as subscription offers, custom codes, or Family Sharing APIs — that can be used to enable this cross-platform (iOS + Android) sharing model? Would this model be compliant if all premium access is temporary, clearly marked as “promotional access,” and automatically expires after 1 month? We want to strictly follow Apple’s policies and avoid any unintended IAP violations. Your guidance will help us design this feature correctly. Thank you very much for your time and support. Best regards, Dev Zaveri

Hello everyone, I am the developer of a small app studio that has been creating and publishing apps on the App Store since 2017. Our main app recently reached the Top 5 in the Lifestyle category, serving thousands of paying subscribers and gaining around 15,000 new downloads per day until it was suddenly removed from the App Store along with our other apps. On October 11, 2025, I received a Pending Account Termination Notice for my main developer account. A few months earlier, on August 15, 2025, another account registered under my name had also received a pending termination related to Guideline 4.3(b) for a duplicate binary submission. That app was never live on the App Store. Once I realized the issue, I rejected the binary myself and stopped all activity on that account. I believe both accounts became linked because the same Apple ID and bank information were briefly used during setup. This may have caused Apple to associate the two accounts. Both accounts are fully verified legal entities. Since then, I have: Removed the shared Apple ID and banking details Set up internal review steps to prevent duplicate submissions Stopped all submissions from the secondary account Offered to close the secondary account and continue only under the main account I have already submitted a combined appeal through the official channel, explaining everything clearly. It has been several days, and I have not yet received an update. I am sharing this here to provide more context in case the App Review team or moderators can help bring attention to the appeal. There was never any intent to mislead or evade review. This was an honest mistake, and everything has now been fully corrected. Our users continue to reach out daily asking when the app will be available again, and we are eager to resolve this as soon as possible. Can anyone from the community or Apple’s team please confirm if appeals like this are reviewed in order and how long the process usually takes? I am happy to provide any additional details or documentation needed. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for maintaining such high standards on the App Store.

Hello, My app (App ID: 6753706741) has been waiting for review since October 10, 2025, it’s now been over 4 days without any change in status. I submitted another app around the same time, and that one was already reviewed and published, so it seems there may be an issue or bug affecting this specific submission. I’ve also requested an expedited review, but there’s been no update yet. Could someone from the App Review team please check if this app might be stuck in the queue or if any additional action is required on my side? Thank you for your help.