Nearly 36 hours “In Review”?

But how on earth can an app remain “In Review” for this long?

App can remain "In Review" for weeks. A classic scam tactic is to arbitrarily change app behaviour after a couple of weeks once an app has passed review. Then your AI Photo retouching app can morph into an astrology dating app with matchmaking prediction and betting module.

Releases are planned around OS launches, marketing, customer expectations, and other deadlines.

Then you should get your releases done earlier so you can set the App Store Connect flag to release on your own schedule.

I seriously doubt Apple would accept this level of unpredictability from one of its own critical business partners.

Sounds like you misunderstand your relationship with Apple.

App Review is broken.

App Review is functioning as designed. The purpose of a system is what it does.

At some point, Apple needs to establish a greater level of trust with longtime developers who have been shipping reputable apps on its platforms for years.

Some of the most dishonest developers I've ever encountered fall into that category.

Otherwise, as legislation continues to open these platforms to alternative distribution, Apple shouldn’t be surprised when established developers choose to distribute outside the App Store simply to regain control over their own release schedules.

You don't need to wait for legislation. That's already happened. Alternative markets exist right now. If you want to be free to ship on your own schedule, live the dream. There's nothing holding you back.

@Etresoft If you’re implying that my app might be a scam, I think nearly 16 years on the App Store with an established product and track record provides some useful context.

As for submitting earlier, I submitted as soon as Apple began accepting apps built with the tools required to support macOS 27. I’m not sure what more preparation would have changed here.

My point isn’t that reviews shouldn’t happen. It’s that once an app enters “In Review,” leaving it there for days with no predictable timeline makes release planning unnecessarily difficult for legitimate developers.

you’re implying that my app might be a scam

I am not. I recommend you review the App Store Transparency Report for context.

I submitted as soon as Apple began accepting apps built with the tools required to support macOS 27. I’m not sure what more preparation would have changed here.

I shipped changes to support macOS 27 almost two months ago.

Or are you talking about some new feature in macOS 27?

@Etresoft Yes, I’m using new APIs specific to the OS 27 releases. Supporting the OS and adopting its new APIs are two different things.

In any case, I think we’ve exhausted this discussion. My point remains that an app sitting “In Review” for days creates unnecessary uncertainty for developers trying to coordinate releases around a new OS launch.

We clearly disagree on that, so I’ll leave it there.

Here are the facts by observation:

1. Submitted 3 platform builds for a single app.
2. The visionOS and iOS builds are always picked up before the macOS build for review. 
3. The macOS build has sat in In Review for almost 4 days, while the iOS and visionOS updates were picked up within minutes of submission and approved. 
4. The macOS build was falling behind the other two platforms, and the 4-day review was cancelled in order to stay at the release level. 
5. The iOS and visionOS updates were once again approved, while the macOS is now sitting there waiting for review.

So yes, I agree with the original poster and their concerns around the level of service promised to developers, because it’s the expectation set by Apple.

@iTen I’m on the same boat. Both iOS and visionOS submissions were approved within a few hours but the macOS version is sitting in review for close to 48 hours, despite requesting an expedited review, which was granted but nothing has moved yet. At this point, I’d rather get a rejection for which I could take action instead of just sitting there.