The Most Common Apple App Store Rejection Reasons — and How to Avoid Them
Apple's App Review team rejects a large share of first submissions for a short, predictable list of reasons. Here's what they are and how to fix them before you submit.
Key takeaways
- Most first-time rejections are guideline and metadata issues, not code bugs — broken flows, incomplete permission strings, and demo accounts that don't work during review.
- App Completeness (2.1) and Minimum Functionality (4.2) together account for a large share of rejections for simple or template-based apps.
- Every permission request needs a specific, honest purpose string — generic wording is an easy reject.
- If your app is rejected, Resolution Center lets you reply directly to the reviewer instead of blindly resubmitting.
App Completeness (Guideline 2.1)
This is the most common first-timer rejection: broken navigation flows, placeholder text or images left in, features that don't actually work, or the app crashing on launch on the reviewer's device.
A frequent, easily avoidable version of this: a demo or test account provided in App Review notes that no longer works by the time a reviewer tries it. Double-check it right before submitting, not when you first wrote the notes.
Minimum Functionality (Guideline 4.2)
Apple rejects apps that feel too thin to justify existing as a native app — a repackaged website with no added functionality, or an app that duplicates something already well-served by Safari or an existing app, without a clear reason to install it separately.
The fix isn't necessarily "add more features" — it's making sure the app does something that specifically benefits from being a native app: offline access, device integration, notifications, or a genuinely better experience than the web version.
Privacy & permissions
Every permission prompt (camera, location, notifications, contacts, tracking) needs a purpose string in Info.plist that explains specifically why your app needs it — "this app needs your location" is not specific enough.
Your App Privacy details in App Store Connect need to match what the app actually collects. Mismatches between the declared data and the app's real behavior are an increasingly common rejection reason as Apple's review tooling has gotten better at catching them.
Metadata & screenshots
- Screenshots must reflect the actual app UI — no mockups showing features or content that don't exist in the build.
- App name, subtitle, and description shouldn't reference other platforms, other apps by name, or make comparative claims.
- Keywords stuffed into the app name to game search ranking are a policy violation, not just a bad look.
What to do if you're rejected
Read the specific guideline number cited in the rejection message before changing anything — it tells you exactly which section to re-read. Resolution Center lets you reply directly to the reviewer if the reason is unclear or you believe it's a misunderstanding, rather than guessing and resubmitting blind.
Fix only what was cited, retest that exact flow, and note in your reply what changed — this shortens the next review cycle noticeably.