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, My subscription is getting rejected as need developer attention with no reason. May I please know where to look for rejected reasons. I am not able to find anything on screen and no email from apple as well. Apprectiate the help. Thanks Vinny

The app is waiting for review since April 22 (nearly 2 months!) with no sensible outcome. The first review never happened I contacted support several times and after more than 40 days I just deleted the submission and created a new one which was quickly rejected on June 3 with the following reasons: The app contains hidden features. The app provides a limited user experience as it is not sufficiently different from a web browsing experience. The reasons do not reflect the reality and I explained why this fully native app, high performance app can't be considered as it provides a limited user experience nor does it contain any hidden features. I referred to the video and explained the tech stack that could falsely trigger any webview concerns. On June 9 I had a call with Apple representative. Before anything the representative suggested for me to do something else in life and not chase the outcome of the review (!). In the end of the meeting he suggested I submit the appeal and so I did right after the call. 30 minutes later I was contacted via mobile by the same representative and he asked to not submit the appeal as they might have a resolution for my review and should just resubmit the same version. I did as suggested and the app has been waiting for review ever since with no communication whatsoever. Does anyone else have similar experience? Anything I can do at all? Submission ID c37cc165-1f58-435a-a394-35fbbee787f8

Hello App Review Team, My iOS app submission has been stuck in “Waiting for Review” for an unusually long time, and I would appreciate help confirming whether there is an internal queue or routing issue. App details: App name: Su Hatırlatıcı Takip Apple ID: 6771927756 Platform: iOS Version / Build: 1.0 (3) Submission ID: 7f9820f2-0c6a-4c7d-941a-c457aaa7a9c8 Submitted: May 24, 2026 at 12:26 PM Current status: Waiting for Review What I have checked: Agreements are active. Banking and tax information are active. Build upload status is Complete. Build 1.0 (3) is selected for the App Store version. There is no Resolution Center message. There is no Action Needed status. There is no Missing Compliance status. There is no Invalid Binary status. The App Review page only shows the submission as Waiting for Review. I also submitted an App Review Status support follow-up and an expedited review request today, but I am posting here because the submission appears not to be moving into the normal review queue. Could Apple Staff please manually verify whether this submission is correctly queued for App Review, or whether there is any internal queue/routing issue or hidden app-record issue preventing the review from starting? If any action is required from my side, please let me know exactly what needs to be changed. Thank you.

I submitted my app to App Review on June 5, 2026, and it has remained in the "Waiting for Review" status ever since. As of today, it has been waiting for review for 16 days without any updates from Apple. This is my first time experiencing such a long delay, and I wanted to ask if anyone else is facing similar review times recently or if there is anything I can do to expedite the process. App Details: Submission Date: June 5, 2026 Current Status: Waiting for Review Waiting Time: 16 Days Any guidance or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hello, I am posting here because I have exhausted the normal support channels and I am seeking clarification from Apple engineers or the App Review team regarding an unusually prolonged review process. Current situation Application submitted on May 28, 2026 Status has remained "Waiting for Review" since submission (20 days). An expedited review request was submitted and approved by Apple but the status remains unchanged. Case reference: case IDs (102907712466 and 102915319049) If any Apple engineer or App Review representative is able to provide help or guidance, I would be extremely grateful. Thank you for your time and assistance.

Hello, We are seeking guidance regarding our Apple Developer Program account, which is currently under a Pending Termination Notice related to Section 3.2(f) of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. The notice stated that our account had repeatedly submitted apps with unresolved guideline violations and that Apple believed these submissions were attempting to evade the review process. We want to make it clear that we never intended to mislead Apple or bypass the review process. We understand the seriousness of Apple's concerns and have taken the matter very seriously. Following the notice, we submitted an appeal to the App Review Board on June 4, 2026. In our appeal, we acknowledged the issues raised, explained the circumstances that led to the repeated submissions, and committed to implementing stronger internal review and compliance procedures. We also expressed our willingness to remove the app involved if necessary to ensure full compliance with Apple's policies. We have been members of the Apple Developer Program for several years and have always aimed to build products that comply with Apple's guidelines. We value the App Store ecosystem and would like the opportunity to address any concerns and continue serving our users responsibly. We want to resolve this properly and rebuild trust. We would be grateful for any guidance from Apple Team or the community on the best way to confirm our materials are under active review, and on any additional steps that would help. Thank you. Thank you for your time and any guidance you can provide.

Hi, I'm the founder of a small independent mobile app company based in Istanbul, Turkey. I'm sharing this because I'm trying to understand whether anyone else has experienced something similar and whether there are any realistic paths forward after a final Apple Developer Program termination. In April 2026, our app received several App Review rejections. We addressed the issues raised by Apple and submitted updated versions of the app as requested. On April 27, 2026, we received a Pending Termination Notice alleging App Review circumvention. We submitted a formal appeal on April 28 and followed up with additional information and documentation on May 15. On June 2, Apple informed us that our appeal was insufficient and that our membership would be terminated. What caught my attention was that the same communication also stated that submitting a reinstatement request could potentially lead to reconsideration. I took that seriously. We immediately shifted our focus toward a complete compliance review of the app, brought in outside assistance, and reviewed everything we could think of: app metadata, screenshots and marketing assets, user flows, source code, business logic, and third-party integrations. The changes were not cosmetic. Entire features were removed, workflows were redesigned, and significant parts of the application's architecture were revised. Our goal was to address every concern we could identify and submit a comprehensive reinstatement request. Then, on June 6, before we were able to complete and submit that request, we received the final termination notice. To be clear, I'm not claiming Apple made the wrong decision, nor am I posting this to generate outrage. What I found difficult to understand was being told that reinstatement could be considered, investing significant time and resources into preparing that submission, and then receiving a final termination before having the opportunity to submit it. For context: We never used external payment systems. We never purchased or manipulated ratings or reviews. We never distributed binaries hidden from App Review. We never intentionally attempted to deceive Apple or bypass review procedures. I'm 24 years old and this is my first company. Looking back, I can see that some of my decisions came down to inexperience. That's exactly why I took the reinstatement process seriously. I wanted to fix what I could. A few questions: Has anyone received reconsideration after a final Apple Developer Program termination? Has anyone experienced receiving a final termination while actively preparing a reinstatement request? Are there any official communication channels available once App Store Connect access has been removed? Thank you for reading. Batuhan Özdemir Founder, Liquid Apps Team ID: 7K3Z69D85W

Hi everyone, Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their experience.

Our app is a curated short-film streaming app. All content is either produced by us or licensed directly from the independent creators who own it — we do not aggregate, embed, or proxy YouTube, Vimeo, or any third-party streaming/catalog/discovery service. We were rejected under Guideline 5.2.3, with Apple asking for "documentary evidence that you have all necessary rights or permissions to the third-party audio or video streaming, catalogs, and discovery services in the app." We prepared signed documentation (a content rights declaration from our company, the executed creator distribution agreement, the signed consent record for the specific title they flagged, and a sworn authorship/ownership declaration from the creator). We attached these in the Resolution Center reply and got back the identical 5.2.3 template asking us to "attach documentary evidence in the App Review Information section." A few questions for anyone who's been through this: For a documentation-only 5.2.3 issue, does the evidence need to go specifically in the App Review Information → Attachment field (on the version page), versus a Resolution Center reply? Does the reviewer actually read Resolution Center attachments? Does replying in the Resolution Center without tapping "Submit for Review" trigger an actual re-review, or do you have to resubmit (same build, no new binary) to get back in the queue? Has anyone cleared a 5.2.3 "third-party content" rejection where the content is genuinely original/licensed, not third-party? What evidence finally satisfied the reviewer? When you keep getting the same canned response, what's the effective next step — request a call with App Review, or appeal to the App Review Board? Any firsthand experience appreciated.

My app has been stuck in "waiting for review" for 2 days now. The previous time it was stuck for a few weeks until I posted here for someone to review it. Can somebody please take a look at my app and review it. Is this the best way to have someone review apps?

Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand if what I’m seeing in App Store Connect is normal, or if there’s something I should check on my side. I submitted an iOS 1.2 app version for App Review and I also submitted a TestFlight beta build around the same time. Both are still showing as Waiting for Review. The app version was submitted Thursday at around 10:59 PM, and the beta build was submitted Thursday at around 6:48 PM. Usually my beta builds have moved much faster than this, so I’m not sure if this is just current review backlog or if having both the app version and beta build waiting at the same time can slow things down. A few details: App: Mossly: Plant Care Journal Platform: iOS Version: iOS 1.2 Beta build: iOS 1.2 (40) Both currently show: Waiting for Review I haven’t received any message from App Review asking for more information. Has anyone else seen TestFlight beta review and App Review sit in “Waiting for Review” for several days at the same time? Is there anything I can do besides wait, or any setting/submission state I should double-check? Thanks.

Hi Apple, I'm reaching out because my app Lynup (Bundle ID: ai.lynup.app, Apple ID: 6766385801) has been stuck in "Waiting for Review" since May 6, 2026 — that's now over 19 days with no movement. Here's what I've already tried: Submitted an expedited review request — twice Opened a support ticket with App Review (Case ID: 102892962160) on May 18, 2026 Despite both actions, the status hasn't changed and I haven't received any meaningful update beyond the initial acknowledgment. This is a first submission and the delay is significantly impacting our launch timeline. Any help, advice, or update would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Hello, Our app Hook — Smart Message Assistant has been stuck in “Waiting for Review” since June 9, 2026 — 8 days after resubmission addressing all issues raised under Guideline 3.1.2(c) (Subscriptions). Timeline: • June 8: Rejected under Guideline 3.1.2(c) • June 9: Resubmitted with all issues resolved June 9 onwards: Stuck in “Waiting for Review” with no movement We have submitted 3 expedited review requests, all approved. We contacted Developer Support via email and through App Store Connect messages with no response. We are a small team with an active marketing campaign dependent on this launch. Every day of delay has direct business impact. Could the App Review team please investigate this submission? Thank you, Eden

Hello. We have recently submitted for review an app, which has in it Shopify Customer Account API, which allows users to login using a OTP (currently a 6 digit code) received in their email. The login itself uses OAuth and that API provides access to customer data like orders and addresses. The app was not approved and the reasons cited by the reviewer were: The app uses a third-party login service, but does not appear to offer as an equivalent login option another login service with all of the following features: The login option limits data collection to the user’s name and email address. The login option allows users to keep their email address private from all parties as part of setting up their account. The login option does not collect interactions with the app for advertising purposes without consent. Note that Sign in with Apple is a login service that meets all the requirements specified in guideline 4.8. I would like to receive a confirmation that Shopify's new login system is considered a third party login and that it requires the provision of Apple Login as an alternative. The issue with that is that Shopify Customer Account login differs from other 3rd party providers, where you can use them to authenticate, but store data in your own platform afterwards. In Shopify's case, the data that the app needs resides in their platform. We have currently disabled the Shopify login and we could provide Sign in with Apple, if that's needed for compliance, but it would serve no purpose as it wouldn't provide anything more to the users, than our current guest account. Looking forward for a clarification on that issue.

Hello Apple Staff, I’m posting again because this issue has not been resolved yet. We currently have two active apps under the same developer account that are still in Waiting for Review. For one of the affected apps, the details are as follows: App ID: 6760743106 Review submission ID: 6950ecff-f833-404d-b04b-ac34ec552b85 We also tried to submit an expedited review request, but the expedited review form does not complete successfully. The following error message is displayed: “Sorry, we didn’t receive your request. An error has occurred and your submission wasn’t completed. Please go back and try again. If you continue to have issues, contact us.” Could Apple Staff please check the current status of these review submissions and let us know if any additional action is required from our side? We would greatly appreciate your assistance, as the review process has not started and we are currently unable to submit an expedited review request. Thank you for your time and support.

Hello, I'm a first time developer and both of my submissions for NexFi - Portfolio Tracker have been suck in Waiting for Review for an extended time. TestFlight: My first build was submitted on Feb 15th (25+ days) and still Waiting for Review Production/Distribution: Submitted March 2nd (10 days) and still Waiting for Review. It is a finance category app (portfolio tracker) that requires no login, no account creation, and no server side user data so I figured it should be a relatively quick process as there is a minimal privacy footprint. App Name: NexFi - Portfolio Tracker Platform: iOS App ID: 6759226354

Hello App Review Team, My app "Astrosel" (iOS, version 1.0, build 1.0.0 (16)) has been stuck in "Waiting for Review" for 6 days with no movement. Timeline: On June 10, 2026, I received a message asking me to resubmit the app once any necessary adjustments were made. I made the requested adjustments and resubmitted the same day, on June 10, 2026 at 1:02 PM. Submission ID: 80fda72e-b7bc-4436-9185-497a26ddec28 Since then, the status has remained "Waiting for Review" and has not moved to "In Review." There is no open issue in the Resolution Center and no reply option available on the previous message thread. All metadata, screenshots, and agreements are complete. Could you please check whether this submission is properly queued, or if it is stuck due to a system issue? Any guidance or an estimated timeline would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi, I submitted my review on May 28 and fixed my last comment requesting an expired user login. I shared with them and responded to their email on June 8, its still waiting in queue for review. is it same for everyone but Apple says they respond in 24 to 48 hours. I am worried. Thanks Vinny

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar. My app was already under review, and on June 10 I updated the metadata as requested and replied through the Resolution Center. Since then, the app has remained in “Waiting for Review” for 6 days with no status changes. I’ve already contacted Developer Support and submitted a follow-up request, but haven’t received any updates. Is this normal, or could the review have become stuck in the queue after a metadata update? I’d really appreciate any advice or if Apple Staff could help look into whether this behavior is expected.ID:6774445096 Thank you.

Hello, Our app Hook — Smart Message Assistant has been stuck in “Waiting for Review” since June 9, 2026 — 8 days after resubmission addressing all issues raised under Guideline 3.1.2(c) (Subscriptions). Timeline: • June 8: Rejected under Guideline 3.1.2(c) • June 9: Resubmitted with all issues resolved • June 9 onwards: Stuck in “Waiting for Review” with no movement We have submitted 3 expedited review requests, all approved. We contacted Developer Support via email and through App Store Connect messages with no response. We are a small team with an active marketing campaign dependent on this launch. Every day of delay has direct business impact. Could the App Review team please investigate this submission? Thank you, Eden