What App Review looks at on a first release

Apple reviews every app before it appears on the App Store, and a first release is where most problems surface. The good news is that most rejections come from a short list of things you can check yourself before you press submit. These are the ones we check on every launch.

The app has to be finished

Reviewers reject apps that feel incomplete: placeholder text, empty screens, buttons that do nothing, or links to features that aren’t built yet. If a feature isn’t ready, take it out of this release rather than hiding it behind a label.

Crashes count too. Test on a real device, on the oldest iOS version you support, with a fresh install and a poor network connection.

Give the reviewer a way in

If your app needs an account, the reviewer needs one. Add a working demo account in App Store Connect, with any data it needs to show the app off. If the app depends on hardware, a location or a special setup, explain it in the review notes. A reviewer who can’t get past the login screen will reject the app.

Accounts need a way out

If people can create an account in your app, they must be able to start deleting it from inside the app too. A link to an email address isn’t enough on its own. Plan the deletion flow early, because it touches your backend: what is deleted, what must be kept by law, and how you confirm it.

Privacy, said the same way everywhere

Every app needs a privacy policy at a public URL, and an App Privacy section in App Store Connect describing what the app collects. Reviewers compare them with what the app actually does. If your app uses an analytics or advertising SDK, it collects data on your behalf, and that belongs in both places.

Ask for permissions (camera, location, contacts) only when the feature needs them, with a clear sentence explaining why.

Pay through the store for digital goods

Subscriptions, premium features and in-app currency generally have to use Apple’s in-app purchase system. Physical goods and real-world services, like a delivery or a booking, don’t. If you’re unsure which side of the line your product falls on, settle it before you build the payment flow.

The listing has to match the app

Screenshots must show the app as it is, not a concept. The name, subtitle and description shouldn’t promise features that aren’t there, or lean on other companies’ trademarks. Small mismatches here are a common and avoidable reason for a rejection.

When it’s rejected anyway

It happens. Read the message carefully, since it usually names the guideline. Fix the issue, or reply in App Store Connect if you think the reviewer missed something; polite, specific replies often resolve things quickly. A rejection on a first release is a delay, not a verdict.