Getting app store approval is the final hurdle between your finished product and your users, and it trips up more teams than you would expect. Apple rejects roughly 30-40% of first time submissions. Google Play is more lenient but still enforces strict policies that catch developers off guard.
The good news: most rejections are entirely avoidable. We have been through the process multiple times, including with Traderly, which was rejected on its first submission and approved on its second. This guide covers the most common reasons apps get rejected and exactly how to avoid them.
The Most Common Rejection Reasons
Apple publishes its App Review Guidelines, but reading 150+ pages of legalese is not most founders' idea of a good time. Here are the rejections we see most often:
Guideline 4.3, Spam / Copycat Apps. If your app looks like a reskinned template or duplicates functionality without meaningful differentiation, Apple will reject it. Your app needs a clear reason to exist.
Guideline 3.1.1, In App Purchase Requirements. If your app sells digital goods or services, you must use Apple's In App Purchase system (and pay their 30% commission). We will cover this in detail below.
Guideline 2.1, Performance (Crashes and Bugs). If your app crashes during review, it is an automatic rejection. Apple tests on real devices, not simulators. They will also reject apps with broken links, placeholder content, or features that do not work.
Guideline 2.3, Accurate Metadata. Your screenshots, description, and app name must accurately represent what the app does. Do not show features in screenshots that are not in the app.
Guideline 5.1.1, Data Collection and Privacy. Apple requires a privacy policy, accurate privacy nutrition labels, and compliance with App Tracking Transparency.
In App Purchases: The 30% Tax
Guideline 3.1.1 is the most financially significant rule Apple enforces. If your app sells digital content, subscriptions, virtual currency, premium features, you must use Apple's IAP system and pay the 30% commission (15% for small businesses under $1M revenue).
But not everything requires IAP. You can use Stripe or your own payment processor for:
- Physical goods and services, e commerce, food delivery, ride sharing
- Peer to peer transactions, marketplace apps where users transact with each other
- Reader apps, apps that let users access content purchased elsewhere
- Real world services, booking a hotel, hiring a contractor
This distinction matters enormously for your business model. When we built Traderly, Apple initially rejected the app because they classified item trades as digital goods purchases. Our solution: we restructured the flow to emphasize the peer to peer marketplace model and processed real money transactions through Stripe. Apple approved it on the second submission.
If you are building a marketplace or SaaS product, get your payment model right before you write a single line of code. The 30% cut can make or break your unit economics. For a full breakdown of app costs including these fees, see our mobile app cost guide.
Privacy and Data Collection
Apple's privacy requirements have gotten significantly stricter and they are not slowing down.
App Tracking Transparency (ATT). If your app tracks users across other apps or websites, you must show the ATT prompt and get explicit permission. Most users decline. Build your analytics strategy around this reality.
Privacy Nutrition Labels. Before submission, you must declare every type of data your app collects. Apple checks these declarations against your app's actual behavior. If you collect data you did not disclose, you will be rejected.
Our recommendation: audit every third party SDK in your app before submission. Ad networks, analytics tools, and social login libraries all collect data. You are responsible for disclosing what they collect, even if you did not write the code.
The Submission Checklist
Before you click Submit for Review:
- Screenshots for every required device size, iPhone 6.7", 6.5", 5.5" at minimum
- App description and subtitle, clear, accurate, no keyword stuffing
- Privacy policy URL, must be a live, accessible URL
- Age rating questionnaire, answer honestly
- Export compliance, if your app uses encryption (HTTPS counts), declare it
- Test account credentials, provide Apple a demo account with full access
- Review notes, explain anything non obvious, especially your payment model
If you are building with React Native, the compiled output is a standard native binary, Apple treats it identically to Swift or Kotlin apps. There are no additional approval hurdles for cross platform frameworks. We cover the full trade offs in our React Native vs native comparison.
When You Get Rejected
Do not panic. Most apps get approved within 1-2 iterations.
Read the Resolution Center notes carefully. Apple's reviewers tell you exactly which guideline you violated and usually what to fix.
Reply with a detailed explanation. If you think the rejection is wrong, write a clear, professional response explaining your reasoning. Reference specific guidelines.
Do not resubmit without fixing the issue. Resubmitting the same binary without changes will get you rejected again and may flag your account.
You can appeal. If the initial reviewer misunderstood your app's business model, use the App Review Board appeal process. We have seen appeals succeed.
Ship With Confidence
The app store approval process is not a mystery, it is a checklist. Know the guidelines, build your payment model correctly, handle privacy properly, and prepare your submission materials before you submit.
We have shipped multiple apps through both Apple and Google's review processes. If you are building a mobile app and want a team that has been through the review process before,tell us about your project →