Reference library · App Review
App Store rejection fixes, guideline by guideline
Each page takes one App Store Review Guideline, quotes Apple's current wording, explains what reviewers actually object to, and gives a fix you can ship plus the reply to send in App Store Connect. Start with the guideline number in your rejection message — it tells you which page to read.
- Pages
- 2
- Last checked
- Sep 30, 2026
A rejection message is short on purpose. It names a guideline, quotes a sentence, and leaves you to work out which part of your build or listing triggered it. The pages below do that work for the guidelines that hit indie developers hardest, starting with Guideline 2.1, which Apple says accounts for more than 40% of unresolved issues, and Guideline 4.3, which Apple rewrote in June 2026.
Every page quotes the guideline verbatim from Apple's site, dates the check, and separates what Apple says from what we've seen in practice. Where a claim comes from developer forums rather than Apple, we say so.
If you'd rather not find out from App Review at all, the Review Check reads your TestFlight build against these guidelines before you submit.
In this library
More added weekly
- Guideline 2.12. PerformanceGuideline 2.1 App Completeness: fix the crash, the login or the missing purchaseThe most common rejection is also the most preventable. Nearly every 2.1 is a reviewer who couldn't finish something a user would try.6 min · updated Sep 30, 2026
- Guideline 4.34. DesignGuideline 4.3 spam rejection: which half you got, and how to get approved4.3 is two different rejections sharing one number. Work out which one you got before you change a line of code.8 min · updated Sep 30, 2026
How to use this library
Find the number
Your rejection names a guideline like
4.3(a)or2.1. The letter matters — the two halves of 4.3 need completely different fixes.Match the wording
Each page lists the wording reviewers typically use. If your message matches, the fix section applies directly.
Fix, then reply
Ship the change, then reply in App Store Connect using the page's template. Appeal to the App Review Board only when you believe the reviewer misread the app.
Questions
How long does App Review take after I fix a rejection?
Apple says that on average 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. A clean resubmission usually costs about a day; an expedited review is reserved for critical bug fixes and time-sensitive events.
Should I reply or resubmit?
If the reviewer misunderstood the app, reply in App Store Connect with specifics first. If the issue is real, fix it and resubmit with a note explaining exactly what changed.
Are these pages official Apple guidance?
No. They're written by an independent agency and quote Apple's published guidelines, which are the only authority. We link to Apple's text on every page so you can check it yourself.