Why Is Apple Rejecting Your iOS App

Oct 13, 2022

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Making apps is a fun task that offers satisfaction, especially when the efforts end up being spread and appreciated by many people. However, it can get very frustrating at times, especially when confronted with Apple’s new guidelines on publishing an app.
It may happen that in the phase of publication on the Apple marketplace (App Store), your app is rejected by Apple’s reviewers. But why is Apple rejecting iOS apps? What are the guidelines for avoiding it? This article aims to explain the most common reasons why an app can be rejected by the App Store.

Here, the surprise you don’t want to receive is a message from Apple informing you that your app has been rejected. Don’t feel grief because of this. Being rejected can happen to both newbies and those who have experience with the production and distribution of apps.

Do not panic. It is a problem that can be solved, but first, you must ascertain the reason that led to the exclusion of your application.
The publication of an app in the Apple store is not at all obvious, as it must instead pass a specific review and evaluation process. Unfortunately, often the result of the revision is negative; it is therefore a good idea to carefully follow the list of causes that can lead to a refusal of the application.

The main reasons apps are banned from the app store are:

  • In the absence of certain necessary information (metadata rejected).
  • The presence of bugs.
  • The presence of names, screenshots, and previews that are not relevant or not relevant to the functionality of the application.
  • The presence of names, icons, or images that resemble those of other apps leads to confusion.
  • Non-compliance with the IOS Developer Program License Agreement.

In any case, Apple sends you an email confirming the transposition or rejection of the app but does not provide any explanation for the non-transposition.

You must then go into your iTunes Connect and check the Resolution Center (from the Version page of your app). In this way, it is possible to learn more about the reasons that led to the block, as well as some attachments that clarify the reasons.

It is a copy of a website

Many customers ask us to develop apps that are nothing more than the reproduction of functionality (or the contents of a website). These apps are no longer accepted by Apple as they lack the so-called minimum functionality required.

Here are a few examples

  • A business app that features a product catalog, news list, and business contact page? Rejected!
  • Is there an app for a restaurant that provides information on the menu, opening hours, and a form for requesting reservations? Rejected!
  • An app of a start-up that provides a demo of the functioning of the service and allows some users to test some functions: Rejected!

It is too simple an app

If your app is too simple, then it doesn’t deserve the name “app”. It may sound a bit cryptic, but it is! If your app only plays a song or video, displays a brochure or advertisement, offers too limited of an experience, and is considered too simple for the App Store. In essence, apps shouldn’t be primarily marketing materials, advertisements, web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection of links.

It is a copy of an existing app

If the app you are trying to make is a copy of another app in the App Store, then you have a good chance of being branded as a spammer. It can often happen unintentionally as well. For example, are you trying to duplicate an existing app to change its name? This could lead to a duplicate issue and your app could be rejected. Once your app is marked as a duplicate, the problem could be quite annoying. Once Apple considers your app a duplicate copy, it’s hard to fix without making major changes to your app’s functionality.

Too limited an audience

We often encounter this problem with corporate apps. Lately, all the business apps that we have presented have been rejected by Apple as they are aimed at an audience that is too small. Apple justifies this position by saying that the apps present in the store should interest the general public, while the corporate apps should follow a different path, namely the publication at the enterprise level. The problem is particularly thorny because Apple has not recently issued the Enterprise certificate for organizations with fewer than 100 employees. This creates a vacuum for all those small and medium-sized companies (which in Italy are the majority), who want to have a company app but cannot publish it.

Missing data and incorrect information

The lack of information necessary for the evaluation is one of the main reasons behind the app’s rejection. If this is the problem, simply provide the missing metadata to resume the review. Likewise, incorrect information can lead to the exclusion of the app. The images taken must be relevant to the characteristics of the application, so the icon must be compatible with the functions of the app in question.

Bug presence and performance issues

The presence of bugs and crashes is another big problem that limits the possibilities of being included in the Apple store. You must therefore make sure that you properly test your applications before submitting them for application. If app testers run into such problems, it’s almost certain they won’t approve the app. Special consideration must also be given to the performance of the application. If the application takes too long to load or does not live up to the standards required by users, this could also lead to rejection.

User’s privacy and APN issues

Each application must then adhere to strict privacy parameters by Apple’s guidelines. If an app does not provide sufficient guarantees about users’ privacy, the app store will reject the app from getting published.
Besides, the push notification system used on your app must be registered with the Apple Push Notification (APN) service.
There are a few scenarios that you must review before submitting your app to the app store. In case, you still face rejection, you can contact BainsLabs iOS developers for assistance. We can get it done on your behalf of you. Being a mobile app development and digital marketing company in Toronto, our mobile application developers and digital marketers are helping startups, SMEs, and enterprises. If you are looking for expert advice regarding your mobile app development project or digital marketing, feel free to contact us.