App Store Connect's privacy label system creates impossible review situations by checking live app versions instead of submitted builds.
Problem:
- Developer has a live app with tracking on the App Store
- Developer create a new app version with all tracking removed
- Privacy labels from AppStore Connect cannot be updated because system references live version with tracking
- App gets rejected for privacy label mismatch with submitted build
- Cannot fix labels until approved, cannot get approved with wrong labels
Expected behavior: Privacy label system should allow updates for pending app versions or check submitted build instead of live version.
Steps to reproduce:
- Submit app update with tracking removed
- Try to update privacy labels to "no tracking" from AppStore Connect
- System shows error: "Your app contains NSUserTrackingUsageDescription, indicating that you will request permission to track users. You must indicate which data types are tracking users. If this is incorrect, update your app binary and upload a new build to App Store Connect."
- App gets rejected despite submitted build having no tracking
This affects any developer trying to remove tracking functionality from AppStore Connect in such a scenario.
I have opened a bug in Feedback Assistant: FB19459680