---
title: "Guideline 2.3 Accurate Metadata Rejection: Fixes (2026)"
canonical: "https://asoitis.com/app-review/guideline-2-3-accurate-metadata"
description: "Metadata Rejected under App Store Guideline 2.3? Screenshot, app name, keyword and other-platform rules quoted from Apple, plus which fixes need no new build."
kind: "reference-library/app-review"
published: "2026-10-02"
lastUpdated: "2026-10-02"
verifiedAgainst: "Apple's App Review Guidelines (last updated June 8, 2026) and App Store Connect help on statuses and replying to App Review, on Oct 2, 2026"
author: "Ahmed Gagan (https://asoitis.com/about)"
---

# Guideline 2.3 Accurate Metadata: where ASO tricks turn into App Review rejections

> Guideline 2.3 requires your name, subtitle, keywords, screenshots, previews and description to reflect what the app actually does. Common rejections: screenshots that don't show the app in use, names or keywords stuffed with competitor names or pricing words, and references to Android or Google Play. If only metadata is at fault, you can edit it and resubmit the same build.

The only rejection you can usually fix without uploading a new build — and the one most often caused by bad ASO advice.

Guideline: [2.3 — Accurate Metadata](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#accurate-metadata) (2. Performance; Apple text last updated June 8, 2026)

## Key facts

- **Sub-points:** 13 — 2.3.1 through 2.3.13
- **New build needed:** Usually no — If only metadata is at fault
- **Name and subtitle:** 30 chars each — No prices, no other apps' names
- **Screenshots must show:** The app in use — Not title art or a login screen

## What 2.3 covers

> Customers should know what they're getting when they download or buy your app, so make sure all your app metadata, including privacy information, your app description, screenshots, and previews accurately reflect the app's core experience and remember to keep them up-to-date with new versions.
>
> — [App Store Review Guidelines, 2.3](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#accurate-metadata)

**The sub-points indie apps trip over**

| Sub-point | In short | Typical trigger |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2.3.1 | No hidden or undocumented features; no misleading marketing | A feature flag reviewers can't see; vague review notes |
| 2.3.2 | Say clearly when featured items need extra purchases | Screenshots show premium features with no hint they're paid |
| 2.3.3 | Screenshots show the app in use | Marketing art, splash screens, a login page |
| 2.3.4 | Previews use screen captures of the app itself | Lifestyle footage or rendered animations |
| 2.3.7 | Unique name, accurate keywords, no trademarks, competitor names or pricing | "Free", "#1", or another app's name in the name, subtitle or keywords |
| 2.3.8 | All metadata suitable for a 4+ audience | A mature screenshot on a 17+ app; "For Kids" outside the Kids Category |
| 2.3.10 | No other platforms or marketplaces in the app or metadata | "Also on Android", a Google Play badge, an Android status bar in a screenshot |

_The rest are narrower: category choice (2.3.5), honest age rating answers (2.3.6), rights to materials (2.3.9), pre-orders (2.3.11), What's New text (2.3.12) and in-app events (2.3.13)._

## Screenshots and previews (2.3.3, 2.3.4)

> Screenshots should show the app in use, and not merely the title art, login page, or splash screen. They may also include text and image overlays (e.g. to demonstrate input mechanisms, such as an animated touch point or Apple Pencil) and show extended functionality on device, such as Touch Bar.
>
> — [App Store Review Guidelines, 2.3.3](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#accurate-metadata)

Captions and framing are allowed — the rule is that the app's real interface is what the screenshot is about. A typical rejection reads: "We noticed that your screenshots do not sufficiently reflect your app in use." The usual causes:

- **The first screenshot is a poster.** A headline and an illustration, with no interface. Lead with a real screen and put the headline above it.
- **The wrong device.** Screenshots in a frame that doesn't match the size class they were uploaded for.
- **Features that aren't in the build.** If the screenshot shows it, the reviewer will look for it.
- **Previews that aren't screen recordings.** 2.3.4 says previews "may only use video screen captures of the app itself". Narration and text overlays are fine.

> **A change is coming.** In August 2026 Apple announced new creative assets for product page headers and search results that let you "go beyond in-use visuals", planned for the fall launch. As of Oct 2, 2026 the text of 2.3.3 is unchanged, so standard screenshots still have to show the app in use.

## Names, subtitles and keywords (2.3.7)

> Choose a unique app name, assign keywords that accurately describe your app, and don't try to pack any of your metadata with trademarked terms, popular app names, pricing information, or other irrelevant phrases just to game the system.
>
> — [App Store Review Guidelines, 2.3.7](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#accurate-metadata)

This is the sub-point where common ASO advice collides with App Review. Several widely repeated tactics are exactly what the guideline names:

**Gets rejected**
- A competitor's name in your keyword field — Apple's reference says names of other apps or companies aren't allowed
- "Free", "50% off" or a price in the name, subtitle or screenshots
- "#1" or "best" in the subtitle — subtitles may not "make unverifiable product claims"
- Keywords for things the app doesn't do

**Works, and passes**
- Brand plus the category phrase, within 30 characters
- A subtitle that names the audience or the outcome
- Keywords for features and use cases you actually have
- Proof — awards, user counts — in [promotional text](https://asoitis.com/glossary/promotional-text), where Apple suggests accolades go

Apple also reserves the right to change things for you: it "may modify inappropriate keywords at any time". For what top apps do inside these limits, see the listing snapshots for [calorie trackers](https://asoitis.com/aso/calorie-tracking-apps) and [habit trackers](https://asoitis.com/aso/habit-tracker-apps).

## Mentions of other platforms (2.3.10)

2.3.10 tells you not to include "names, icons, or imagery of other mobile platforms or alternative app marketplaces in your app or metadata". It's an easy one to trip in a cross-platform app, because the offending content is often inside the app rather than the listing.

**Search your app and listing for**

- [ ] "Android", "Google Play", "Play Store" in the description, What's New, and in-app text
- [ ] Store badges on a website shown in a web view, or on a 'share the app' screen
- [ ] Screenshots taken on an Android device or showing a non-iOS status bar
- [ ] Onboarding or settings copy shared with the Android build
- [ ] Device mock-ups in screenshots that aren't Apple devices

A real example: "Revise the app's home page to remove Google Play references." When the reference is inside the app, the fix needs a new build — the one case where a 2.3 rejection isn't metadata-only.

## Paid features and hidden features (2.3.1, 2.3.2)

- **Flag what's paid.** 2.3.2 asks that your description, screenshots and previews "clearly indicate whether any featured items, levels, subscriptions, etc. require additional purchases". If screenshot three shows a premium feature, say so in the caption or description.
- **Describe new features in review notes.** 2.3.1 requires new features and changes to be "described with specificity in the Notes for Review section", and warns that "generic descriptions will be rejected".
- **No dormant features.** A feature kept out of the reviewer's sight and switched on after approval is what 2.3.1 prohibits. Egregious or repeated cases are grounds for removal from the Developer Program.
- **Don't promise what isn't there.** Marketing a capability the app doesn't have, or a false price, on or off the App Store, is grounds for removal.

> **The Review Check ($49).** Before you submit, we check your listing and build against 2.3 and the other guidelines that reject indie apps — $49, two business days. https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NmV5JBcX1kDqIGUTko9k?quantity=1&redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Fasoitis.com%2Fcheckout%2Fsuccess%3Fplan%3Dreview

## Fixing a "Metadata Rejected" status

> App Review didn't accept your metadata. Read the message from App Review, edit the metadata to resolve the issue, and reply to the message from App Review.
>
> — [App Store Connect Help — Metadata Rejected status](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-and-submission-statuses)

1. **Read which field is named** — The message usually names the element — screenshots for a device size, the app name, the description.
2. **Edit it in App Store Connect** — Fix every locale, not only the one quoted — the same problem in another localization can be flagged on the next submission.
3. **Reply, don't re-upload** — Apple's help says: "If your app was rejected for a metadata issue, you can resubmit the same build after resolving the issue."
4. **Check the app for the same problem** — If the offending text or image also appears inside the app, a metadata edit won't be enough — ship a new build.

**Reply in App Store Connect — Guideline 2.3**

```text
Hello App Review team,

Thank you for the feedback on Guideline 2.3.[sub-point].

Metadata changes (no new build):
- Replaced the first two 6.9-inch screenshots; both now show the app's
  [screen name] in use.
- Removed "[word]" from the app name and subtitle in all localizations.
- Removed the reference to [other platform] from the description.

The binary is unchanged. Please let us know if anything else needs attention.

Thank you,
[Name]
```

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need a new build to fix a metadata rejection?

Not if the problem is only in the listing. Apple says you can resubmit the same build after resolving a metadata issue. You do need a new build if the offending content also appears inside the app.

### Can I put a competitor's name in my keyword field?

No. 2.3.7 prohibits packing metadata with trademarked terms and popular app names, and Apple's keyword reference says names of other apps or companies aren't allowed. Apple may also modify keywords itself.

### Can my screenshots have text and device frames?

Yes. 2.3.3 allows text and image overlays. What's required is that the screenshots show the app in use rather than only title art, a login page or a splash screen.

### Can I say "free" in my app name or subtitle?

No. Under 2.3.7, names, subtitles, screenshots and previews should not include prices or terms that aren't specific to that metadata type. Pricing is already shown on the product page.

### Can I mention that my app is also on Android?

Not in the app or its App Store metadata. 2.3.10 bars names, icons or imagery of other mobile platforms or alternative marketplaces unless there's specific, approved interactive functionality.

## Sources

1. [App Store Review Guidelines — 2.3 Accurate Metadata](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#accurate-metadata) — Apple Developer
2. [App and submission statuses](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/app-and-submission-statuses) — App Store Connect Help
3. [Reply to App Review messages](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/manage-submissions-to-app-review/reply-to-app-review-messages) — App Store Connect Help
4. [Platform version information — keywords](https://developer.apple.com/help/app-store-connect/reference/platform-version-information) — App Store Connect Help
5. [New creative assets for the App Store (Aug 5, 2026)](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=kug6m2ea) — Apple Developer News
6. [Forum: screenshots don't reflect the app in use (2.3.3)](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/121432) — Apple Developer Forums
7. [Forum: third-party platform references (2.3.10)](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/748862) — Apple Developer Forums

## Related

- [Promotional text](https://asoitis.com/glossary/promotional-text) — The field for accolades and offers — and the one you can change without review.
- [ASO for indie iOS apps](https://asoitis.com/guides/aso-for-indie-ios) — Writing a name and subtitle that rank without breaking 2.3.7.
- [Guideline 4.3: Spam](https://asoitis.com/app-review/guideline-4-3-spam) — When a listing copied from the category leader triggers a different rejection.
- [The Review Check — $49](https://asoitis.com/fixes) — Your listing and build checked against the guidelines before you submit.
- [All app review fixes](https://asoitis.com/app-review)


## Have it done for you

**The Review Check — $49 one-time.** Send us your listing and TestFlight build before you submit. We check screenshots, name, keywords and the build itself against the guidelines that reject indie apps.

- Buy: https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NmV5JBcX1kDqIGUTko9k?quantity=1&redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Fasoitis.com%2Fcheckout%2Fsuccess%3Fplan%3Dreview
- 15-minute founder call: https://cal.com/ahmedgagan/asoitis-chat

## About ASOitis

ASOitis is a founder-run App Store Optimization (ASO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) agency for indie iOS apps. iOS only; organic ASO + GEO + funnel work, implemented for you. Reference library: https://asoitis.com/app-review, https://asoitis.com/reviews, https://asoitis.com/compare, https://asoitis.com/glossary, https://asoitis.com/aso