Why Do Apps Get Rejected From the App Store?
Apps are most often rejected for being incomplete: crashes, bugs, placeholder content, broken links or no working demo account for reviewers. Apple says over 40% of unresolved issues fall under guideline 2.1, App Completeness. Other frequent causes are missing or inaccurate privacy information, misleading screenshots or metadata, minimal functionality such as a repackaged website, payment rules for digital goods, and missing account deletion. Google Play rejections center on policy violations, Data safety disclosures and target API level.
- Most rejections are preventable: test on real devices, remove placeholders and give reviewers a working login.
- Privacy is a major category: a privacy policy, accurate data disclosures and clear permission prompts are required.
- Apps that are just a website in a wrapper often fail Apple's minimum functionality rule.
- Digital goods usually must use the store's billing, subject to regional exceptions that have changed recently.
- A rejection is a fixable conversation; reply in App Store Connect or appeal if you believe the reviewer was wrong.
Incomplete or Unstable Apps
Apple's App Review page says that, on average, more than 40% of unresolved issues relate to guideline 2.1, App Completeness. This covers:
- Crashes and obvious bugs on the devices and OS versions reviewers use. Test on physical devices running the latest software, not just simulators.
- Placeholder content such as lorem ipsum text, test images or "coming soon" screens.
- Broken links, including the required support and privacy policy links.
- No reviewer access. If features require signing in, provide a working demo account (and keep the backend running), or an approved demo mode.
- Incomplete review notes. If the app needs special hardware, a QR code or a particular location to work, explain it in App Review Information.
Privacy and Data Problems
Privacy issues are the next big group, and both stores take them seriously.
- Privacy policy: every app needs one, linked in the store listing and accessible inside the app.
- Accurate disclosures: Apple's App Privacy details and Google Play's Data safety section must match what the app and its SDKs (analytics, ads, crash reporting) actually collect.
- Clear permission requests: purpose strings for camera, location, contacts and similar permissions must explain why the app needs access. Vague text like "we need your location" draws rejections.
- Account deletion: Apple requires apps that let people create an account to also let them start deleting it from within the app.
- Tracking: tracking users across other companies' apps and websites requires Apple's App Tracking Transparency permission.
- Sensitive categories: health, financial, children's and location data bring stricter rules. Apple also expects apps in regulated fields such as banking, healthcare and gambling to be submitted by the legal entity providing the service, not an individual developer.
Design, Functionality and Metadata
- Minimum functionality (guideline 4.2): Apple says an app should include features, content and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website. Wrapping your site in a web view with nothing else is a classic rejection.
- Spam and copycats (4.3): many near-identical apps from one developer, or apps that copy another product, are rejected.
- Inaccurate metadata (2.3): screenshots must show the app in use, descriptions must match real features, and names and keywords must not be stuffed with trademarks, competitor names or irrelevant terms.
- Login rules: if your app's main account uses a third-party social login, Apple generally requires an equivalent privacy-focused login option as well, and apps should not force a login for features that do not need an account.
- User-generated content: apps with posts or chat need filtering, reporting, blocking and published contact information.
Payment Rule Rejections
Selling digital content or features inside an iOS app generally requires Apple's in-app purchase, while physical goods and services consumed outside the app must use other payment methods such as Apple Pay or a card processor. Mixing these up, for example charging for a premium feature through Stripe inside the app, is a common rejection. The rules on linking to outside purchase options now differ by region: Apple's guidelines currently allow buttons and links to external purchasing in apps on the United States storefront, while other storefronts use specific entitlements or prohibit it. Because these rules have changed several times since 2024, confirm the current guideline text before you design checkout. Our page on how apps make money explains the fee side.
Google Play Rejections and Technical Requirements
Google Play reviews against its Developer Program Policies. Frequent issues include incomplete or inaccurate Data safety forms, requesting sensitive permissions (SMS, call log, background location, all-files access) without a qualifying core use, deceptive behavior, impersonation, and missing account deletion options. Technical gates also apply: as of 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36). New personal developer accounts must complete a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 consecutive days before production access.
On iOS, uploads must be built with current Xcode and SDK versions, which Apple announces on its Upcoming Requirements page.
What to Do After a Rejection
- Read the cited guideline and any screenshots the reviewer attached. Rejections usually point to a specific section.
- Fix and resubmit, or reply in App Store Connect if the reviewer misunderstood the app. Often a clearer review note or a working demo account is all it takes.
- Appeal if warranted. Apple's App Review Board accepts one appeal per rejected submission; give specific reasons the app complies.
- Prevent repeats with a pre-submission checklist. Our guides to publishing on the App Store and Google Play include one.
Sources and Further Reading
We link to the primary documentation so you can verify the details yourself.
- App Store Review Guidelines, Apple Developer
- App Review, Apple Developer
- App privacy details on the App Store, Apple Developer
- Developer Program Policy, Google Play
- Target API level requirements for Google Play apps, Google Play Console Help
- Upcoming Requirements, Apple Developer
Related Questions
How long does it take to get approved after a rejection?
Each resubmission goes through review again. Apple says it typically reviews 90% of submissions within 48 hours, so a simple fix can be approved within a day or two. Larger changes, appeals or repeated rejections take longer, which is why launch plans should include buffer time.
Can Apple remove an app that was already approved?
Yes. Approval is not permanent. Apps can be rejected on later updates or removed if they are found to violate the guidelines, stop working, or fall out of date with requirements. Apple also contacts developers of apps that have not been updated in a long time.
Will a hybrid or cross-platform app be rejected for not being native?
No. Apps built with React Native, Flutter or similar frameworks are reviewed like any other app. What matters is whether the app is stable, useful, app-like and follows the guidelines. A thin web view with no added functionality is the risk, not the framework.
Do AI features cause App Store rejections?
They can if the app generates objectionable content without safeguards, misleads users about what the AI does, or sends personal data to third-party AI services without clear disclosure and consent. Treat AI output like user-generated content: filter it, allow reporting and disclose data sharing accurately.