Why Apple Rejects Apps: The Most Common Reasons and How to Fix Each One (2026)

Short answer: most App Store rejections are not about your idea. They are about something missing: a demo login the reviewer couldn't use, a privacy policy link that goes nowhere, screenshots that don't show the app, or no way to delete an account. These are fixable in an afternoon.

The rejections that take real work are rarer: apps Apple sees as too thin, as copies of other apps, or as a website in a wrapper.

This guide goes through the guidelines that catch first-time developers most often, what the reviewer is really telling you each time, and what to change before you resubmit.

First, read the rejection properly

Apple's message names a guideline number, such as "Guideline 2.1 - Performance - App Completeness". That number is the most useful thing in the email. Look it up in the App Review Guidelines and read the whole section, not just the line quoted at you. Reviewers often attach a screenshot showing exactly where they got stuck. Look at it before you change anything.

A rejection is not a ban. You reply in App Store Connect, fix the issue, and submit again. Most apps that get rejected once are approved on the next try.

2.1 App Completeness: the reviewer couldn't use it

This is the most common rejection of all, and it covers anything that stopped the reviewer from using the app fully:

• It crashed or froze, often on a device or iOS version you didn't test.
• A sign-in wall with no demo account. If your app needs a login, give the reviewer working credentials in the App Review Information section. Check they still work on the day you submit.
• Placeholder content: "Lorem ipsum", empty screens, buttons that do nothing, links to pages that don't exist yet.
• Features that need hardware or setup the reviewer doesn't have, such as a paired device or an account at your business. Explain them in the review notes, and include a video if you can.

Apple also sends a 2.1 "Information Needed" message to many new developer accounts. It asks what the app is for, how to test it, which outside services it uses, which countries it's for, and often for a screen recording of the app running on a real device. Answer every question plainly and attach the recording. Missing one question means another round trip.

Fix it: test on a real iPhone, fill in the review notes as if the reviewer has never heard of you, and make sure every visible button does something.

2.3 Accurate Metadata: your listing doesn't match the app

• Screenshots must show the app in use. Marketing slides with a phone frame are fine, but a reviewer wants to recognise the real screens. Splash screens and login pages alone aren't enough.
• The description must describe this app, not features coming later.
• Don't mention other platforms like Android in your App Store text.
• Keywords and the app name shouldn't include competitors' names or unrelated popular terms.

Fix it: take screenshots from the current build, and read your description out loud while using the app. Anything you can't point at, remove.

4.2 Minimum Functionality: it isn't enough of an app

Apple rejects apps that feel like a website in a wrapper, a single static page, or something a web link would do just as well. If the reviewer can't see a reason this needs to be an app, they say so under 4.2.

Fix it: lean into what only a phone does well: offline use, the camera, notifications, widgets, a fast native interface, data that stays on the device. One feature that genuinely uses the iPhone is often enough to change the answer. We go deeper on this in web app vs native app.

4.3 Spam: it looks like a copy

4.3 is the one people dread. Apple uses it for apps that are near-duplicates of others, including several apps from the same developer that differ only in content, and for crowded categories where the app adds nothing new. Flashlights, fart apps, basic horoscope and simple quote apps are the classic examples.

Fix it: this one usually needs a product change, not a wording change. Combine several similar apps into one, or find the specific angle that makes yours different and make it obvious from the first screen and the first screenshot. Then explain that difference in the review notes.

5.1.1 Privacy: data, permissions and deleting accounts

Privacy rejections are frequent because there are several separate rules, and missing any one is enough:

• A privacy policy link in App Store Connect and inside the app, and it must load.
• Permission messages that explain why. When the app asks for the camera, location or photos, the message should say what it's for. "This app needs camera access" isn't enough. "Scan receipts to log expenses" is.
• Only ask for what you use. Requesting location in an app that never uses it gets flagged.
• Account deletion. If people can create an account in your app, they must be able to delete it from inside the app, not just by emailing you.
• The App Privacy label in App Store Connect must match what the app actually collects.

Newer apps that send personal data to an AI service should also tell users and get their agreement before sharing it. Apple has tightened its rules on this.

Fix it: go through every permission your app asks for and every piece of data it sends anywhere, and make sure each one is explained, needed and declared.

3.1.1 In-App Purchase: how you charge

If your app sells digital content or features, such as premium features, subscriptions or extra levels, it must use Apple's In-App Purchase. Linking out to pay on your website for those is the most common cause of a 3.1.1 rejection. Physical goods and real-world services, like a haircut or a delivered meal, are different and don't use In-App Purchase.

Subscriptions have extra rules. The paywall must show the price and billing period clearly, include links to your terms and privacy policy, and offer a way to restore purchases.

Fix it: put every digital purchase through In-App Purchase, and check your paywall against Apple's subscription rules before you submit.

4.8 Login Services: social sign-in needs a private option

If your app offers sign-in with a third-party account such as Google or Facebook, Apple expects you to also offer a login option with similar privacy protections, and Sign in with Apple is the usual answer. Apps that use only their own email and password, or a company's own login, are generally exempt.

2.5.2: apps that change themselves after review

Apple expects the app it reviews to be the app people get. Apps that download and run new code to change their features after approval fall under 2.5.2. This comes up a lot with AI-built apps, and we've written it up in detail in will Apple reject an AI-generated app?

How to respond and resubmit

1. Reply in App Store Connect. If the reviewer misunderstood something, say so politely with a short explanation and a screenshot or video. Sometimes that alone gets the app approved without a new build.
2. If you changed the app, upload a new build and tell the reviewer in the notes exactly what changed and where to find it.
3. Ask for an expedited review if you have a real reason, such as a launch date or a bug in the live version. Apple doesn't promise it, but it's often granted.
4. If you believe the decision is wrong, you can appeal to the App Review Board. Use it for genuine disagreements, not to skip the fix.

How Orchard helps

Orchard builds native Swift apps, which avoids the "website in a wrapper" problem from the start. Before it submits an app for you, it runs pre-flight checks covering the build, the listing, screenshots, the privacy and support links, the review contact and a demo login where the app needs one. It also writes review notes that answer Apple's usual questions up front. The App Privacy label is the one step Apple makes you do yourself, and Orchard shows you exactly what to select.

None of that guarantees approval. Nothing does. But it removes the most common reasons first-time apps bounce.

FAQ

How long does App Review take? Most reviews finish within a day or two. A first app from a new developer account can take longer, especially if Apple asks for more information.

Will a rejection hurt my developer account? No. Rejections are routine. Repeatedly submitting the same rejected app without changes, or trying to hide features from review, is what causes trouble.

Can I talk to the reviewer? Yes, by replying in App Store Connect. You can also request a call with App Review for complex issues.

Why was my update rejected when the first version was approved? Every submission is reviewed against the current guidelines, and a different reviewer may test different parts of the app. Fix the issue they raise rather than pointing to the earlier approval.

What's the fastest fix for a 2.1 rejection? Usually a working demo login, clear review notes and a short screen recording of the app running on a real iPhone.

Most rejections are a checklist, not a verdict

If your app was rejected, the reason is usually specific and fixable. Read the guideline, look at the reviewer's screenshot, fix what's missing and resubmit. Orchard builds real native iPhone apps and checks the common rejection causes before your app ever reaches Apple.

Next: Will Apple reject an AI-generated app?, How to build an iPhone app and get it on the App Store, and How to manage your iPhone app after it's live

Building your first app? Orchard turns a plain-English description into a real native iPhone app: no code, no Mac, free to try.