18 days waiting for review, no support response — deeply disappointing for a paid developer program

Is anyone else feeling deeply disappointed by the lack of communication around App Review?

I submitted my iOS app on October 6. As of October 24, it is still “Waiting for Review” — approximately 18 days later.

I contacted Apple Developer Support on October 13 and followed up on October 22. So far, I have received no response explaining what is happening, whether anything is wrong with my submission, or whether I need to take any action.

For reference, here are the details of my submission:

  • App ID: 6817446637
  • Platform / Version: iOS / 1.0.0
  • Submitted: October 6, 2026, at 14:18 JST (UTC+9)
  • Current status: Waiting for Review
  • Support case: 102995107676

Reading other threads here, I have seen developers describing similar experiences: prolonged waits, unanswered inquiries, and no clear indication of what to do next. Seeing those reports makes this situation even more discouraging.

I understand that review times vary and that some apps require additional checks. I do not expect an annual membership fee to guarantee approval or priority treatment. But we pay an annual fee to participate in the Apple Developer Program, and I think it is reasonable to expect basic communication and a meaningful response when something appears to be stuck.

Waiting more than two weeks without review starting is frustrating enough. Having no response to a support inquiry after 11 days makes it much worse. Even a brief explanation that the case is being investigated, or an indication of when to expect an update, would make a difference.

As an independent developer who has put considerable time and effort into building an app, this experience has been deeply disappointing. In my view, this level of communication is not acceptable for a paid developer program.

For others who have been in this situation, did you eventually receive a response or find a way to get the issue investigated? Was there a specific support channel that actually helped?

If Apple staff are reading this, I hope you will take these experiences seriously. Developers should not have to post publicly just to find out whether their submissions and support requests are being handled.