Rejection guides

Why your app got rejected — and how to clear it

Rejection notices are written in guideline numbers and boilerplate. These pages translate each one into what actually went wrong, the fixes reviewers accept, and a reply you can send today.

Apple App Store 26

Review Guidelines

1.1
Objectionable Content
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 1.1. What counts as objectionable, why user-generated content triggers it, and the moderation features review expects.
1.2
User-Generated Content
If users can post, message or upload, Apple requires a specific set of safety controls — and it checks that they exist, not that you intend to add them.
2.1
App Completeness
The reviewer could not get through your app. Either they could not sign in, something crashed, or they found content that was not finished. It is the most common rejection there is, and almost always the cheapest to fix.
2.2
Beta, demo and trial versions
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 2.2 for beta or demo language. Every place the word hides, what free trial wording is still allowed, and how to reply.
2.3
Accurate Metadata
Your listing promises something the app does not show. Apple treats the product page as part of the product: screenshots must be real screens, the description must describe what ships today, and nothing may point at Android.
2.3.1
Hidden or undocumented features
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 2.3.1 for hidden or undocumented features. What reviewers find, why remote config triggers it, and how to fix it.
2.3.10
Mentions of other platforms
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 2.3.10 for naming another platform. Where Android and Google Play mentions hide, and exactly what to remove.
2.5.1
Private APIs and Software Requirements
Static analysis found a symbol that belongs to a private framework. Usually it is not your code at all — it is an SDK you embed.
2.5.2
Downloading executable code
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 2.5.2. What counts as executable code, why JavaScript bundles are treated differently, and where the line actually sits.
2.5.4
Background modes
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 2.5.4 for a background mode with no real use. Which entitlements trigger it, how to remove them, and when to defend one.
3.1.1
In-App Purchase
Digital content used inside your app has to be bought through in-app purchase. A link out to your own checkout for the same thing is what triggers this.
3.1.2
Subscriptions
Apple rejected your subscription under Guideline 3.1.2. The exact disclosures your paywall needs, where the Terms and Privacy links go, and how to fix restore.
3.1.3
Other Purchase Methods
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 3.1.3. What the reader app, multiplatform and person-to-person exceptions really permit, and how to reply.
4.0
Design
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 4.0 and named nothing. How to make the reviewer specific, what actually triggers it, and the fixes in order.
4.1
Copycats
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 4.1 for resembling another app. What Apple is comparing, how to change your identity, and how to reply if it is wrong.
4.2
Minimum Functionality
The app does too little, or it is a website in a shell. Apple expects native value: something a browser tab cannot do as well.
4.3
Spam and Duplicate Apps
Apple believes your app is one of many near-identical apps, or too close to something you or someone else already publishes. This is one of the hardest rejections to clear because it is a judgement about your concept, not a bug.
4.3(a)
Design Spam
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 4.3(a) as spam, a reskin, a template build, or too close to an existing app. What Apple compares, and what actually clears it.
4.8
Login Services
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 4.8 over third-party login. When Sign in with Apple is required, what counts as an equivalent option, and what exempts you.
5.1.1
Data Collection and Storage
Something about how you collect data does not meet Apple's rules: you asked too early, you asked without explaining, or you made leaving harder than joining.
5.1.1(v)
Account Deletion
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 5.1.1(v) because there is no way to delete an account inside the app. What counts as deletion, and the traps that fail review.
5.1.2
App Tracking Transparency
Your app tracks users across apps or websites and either does not ask, asks in a way the reviewer could not find, or asks while the privacy labels say you do not track.
5.1.5
Location Services
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 5.1.5. How to write a purpose string that passes, when Always is justified, and why to ask for When In Use first.
5.2
Intellectual Property
Your app uses a name, logo, artwork or data that belongs to someone else, and Apple has no evidence you are allowed to.
5.3
Gaming, Gambling and Lotteries
Apple rejected your app under Guideline 5.3. What contests, real-money gaming and loot boxes each require, licences, geo-restriction, odds disclosure.
5.6
Developer Code of Conduct
Apple cited Guideline 5.6 against your app or account. What counts as review manipulation, why this one is account level, and how to answer it properly.

Google Play 20

Developer Program Policy

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The decoder takes the exact message Apple or Google sent, tells you in plain English what triggered it, writes the fix plan for your app specifically, and drafts the reply to App Review. It knows your listing, your build and your history, so the plan is not generic advice.

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