App Store Review Rejection Cases
We’d like to inform you about the cases of review rejections that often occur in App Store during app review period.
Please understand that the reasons for refusal of App Store review are so diverse that we cannot cover all screening cases.
*Problems often occur within the app content, and since App is reviewed by researchers themselves, a lot of subjective factors are applied depending on who is in charge of the review.
Therefore, there can be dozens of reasons for rejection!
After creating the app with Swing2App, those who applied for an app store upload agency will be informed of the measures that meet the reasons for rejection of the review.
You don’t have to worry because we will continue to review until the app is released on the store.
Please check the reasons (cases) that often occur in the App Store:
Case1: App sign-in account information
-Refusal reason: Not submitting login account information properly.
If your app has a login function, you must submit a test login account (ID, password).
The app created with Swing2App also provides membership registration and login functions.
If you have a login function in the WebView or push app that connects the website, you must provide the demo account.
Apple team uses this account to log in directly into your app and to check, review all the menus of the app.
So you need to submit an account that can actually log in.
Please submit with a user account that does not have administrator privileges.
You can sign up using a test account and provide that test account for store upload team testing process.
Case2: Apple Login Feature Settings
-Refusal reason: No Apple login function
*This case only applies to web apps (apps created by connected website url) – WebView and push apps.
In addition to the general login function, social login – Kakao Talk, Facebook, Google, Naver, etc. are often used by including simple login functions.
Web apps that uses other websites login feature must also have the “Sign in with Apple” feature enabled.
While providing a social login feature, if you do not have the Apple login function, you will for sure get rejected from the screening.
Therefore, if you provide other login options along with basic login function on your website, you need to set up an additional Apple login before submitting the app.
Apple Login is applied to your website and has nothing to do with app functionality.
If it is difficult to set up the Apple login feature, you should remove all different login features during the review and provide only the basic login function on the website.
Case3: Apps that are marketing materials or ads are not eligible for the App Store.
-Refusal reason: There is no feature for users to use and participate in.
When creating an app, Swing2App provides several user-engaging features.
This is a case where the function is not applied, only pages that provide simple information, pages listed only as articles and + promotional images, etc. are applied.
Example) Link all menus to the promotion page of a specific homepage
If you have applied various app functions, but there are no functions that users can participate in, such as bulletin boards, shopping malls, chats, etc.
This policy is the No. 1 case of app review rejection in WebView and push apps.
Only promotional images and informational texts are listed on the website, and users often can’t use any features in the app.
Web apps that link to these websites are very likely to be rejected by the App Store.
Note) Adding the push function does not solve the problem.
We need a bulletin board function, etc. that allows users to write posts and enter comments.
*Apps related to News or Newspaper categories are not related to this content.
Case4: Membership withdrawal (account deletion) function
-Refusal case: If the membership withdrawal function is not provided on My Page feature after logging in the app.
This is one of the things that has been happening a lot in recent rejection cases.
Apps that provide login functions must have membership withdrawal (account deletion) function.
Case5: Submitting incomplete content such as testing, maintenance, preparation, demo, beta, etc.
– We do not accept terms such as test, demo, beta, test, etc. (If there is an intention to submit a test app, the review will be rejected)
-If there is no user community, user app function use, etc. the review will be rejected. Make sure your app has features that allow users to join.
-Simple marketing, informational web apps are more likely to be rejected during screening.
If there is an intention to submit a test app, it will be rejected for review
Please avoid the above words when submitting content so that the complete content can be submitted.
Case6: User-generated content – reporting function
Refusal case: When the report function is not provided in the bulletin board function
*Community – Apps that provide the ability to create and comment on boards must provide reporting functionality in accordance with the User Content Policy.
*User Policy: You must provide these features : Report posts, report users, and block users.
When a user is reported, the post must be deleted immediately, and the reported user must also be blocked (removed) from the web.
In the swing2app general prototype, the report function is set and provided on the bulletin board, so users do not need to do anything extra.
Web app connected to website – Push, web view app users, please check if the website you connected to the app has a report function.
If you don’t have a reporting function, you’ll need to provide both report/block functionality as described above.
*The same applies to the Google Play Store.
Case7: Use of content such as corona and monkey pox
-Refusal case: If there is a COVID-19 reference in the app, it will not be approved.
If there is any content related to COVID-19, please remove it.
Disease content, such as corona and monkeypox, has been amended by law so that only state-approved government agencies can handle it.
Both the App Store and the Play Store have issued the same policy, which was implemented to prevent inaccurate and indiscriminate misuse of information.
Therefore, you cannot submit an app with this content.
Even if the app does not cover the content, you may also be refused to include relevant content in the app introduction or description.
Case8: Specific company, specific group use
-Rejection case: Distributing an app for internal company use only by certain users, or for beta testing.
Apps that are only available to employees of certain companies cannot be officially released on the App Store.
The app store’s app release policy states, “The app store must be available to all users without restrictions”
Therefore, the content of the app itself is about a specific school, a specific company, or This applies to cases where there are restrictions on admission, such as having to enter a company employee’s number when running the app.
These apps must be distributed as test-flight or enterprise, not officially released on the App Store.
[Test-flight User Manual]
https://support.swing2app.com/knowledgebase/appstore-testflight/
Case9: App name – installation name, app store impression name different
Rejection case: When the name of the authoring app and the app name of the app released on the store is different
This is the case when the app created by Swing2App and the app name submitted when applying for the App Store are different from each other.
The name entered in the basic information of the Swing2App is ‘App Production Name’, which is the name displayed when installing the mobile phone.
The name displayed in the app store is the name of the app that appears when you search in the app store.
As a rule, you should submit them identically, but it’s okay to add a little more word to your name.
For example)
-App production name: Swing2App
-App Store released App name: Apps create Swing2App
However, if the meaning or name is completely different, it will be rejected.
For example)
– App production name: Church
-App Store released App name: Christian Assembly
This is the case if you submit under a completely different name.
Therefore, please submit the name of the app to be released to the App Store as the same as the name of the app you created.
Case9: Use of famous brand names
-Rejection case: If the app is submitted by an organization other than the brand owner
Mentioning the name of an institution, such as the name of a hospital, government agency, or school, is all brand copyright content and is likely to be rejected in the review.
If you launch an app under the name of a specific organization, you may need to create and register a developer account under that organization’s name.
In order for it to be released, it must be submitted to a developer account with the corresponding institutional name.
If you register as a proxy with a Swing2App account, you may be required to provide supporting documentation of the relationship between Swing2App and the institution.
You can submit a contract to swing2app to the app that entrusted the production of the app and the launch of the app store.
We will help you submit these documents.
Case10: Screenshot image of your app
-Rejection case: Screenshot image of your app is of low resolution, if you submit an image that does not meet the policy.
When registering the App Store app, you will submit a screenshot image for the iPhone.
If the resolution is too low when submitting an image, and the image quality is poor, the review will also be rejected.
In addition, you need to submit an app launch screen for iPhone, but you can submit an image that is not related to the app & an image that displays the Android platform.
It will be rejected from App Store review.
You must submit a screenshot image in accordance with Apple’s image policy.
Case11: Google Play Store mentions
-Refusal case: In addition to the Apple platform, other OSs such as Google should not be mentioned.
Please check in advance that Google images, Android phone images, Google Play Store words, etc. are not displayed in the app content.
e.g. ‘Search for xyz app on Google Play Store’, ‘It has been released on Google Play Store’ etc. type of phrases are also not allowed.
For other App Store review policies, please refer to the following.
1) Apps that promote online gambling, such as online casinos, spot betting, lotteries, or gambling games offering cash or other prizes, are not allowed. (Not available)
2) Apps that sell alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, e-cigarettes, or contain related content are not allowed. (Not available)
3) Apps that contain or promote pornography such as pornography are not allowed. In general, content intended to provide sexual gratification is not allowed. Not available)
4) Apps such as gift certificates, mobile phone micropayment merchandising, and micropayment cashing are apps prohibited by Apple in relation to the Information and Communications Act and the Financial Services Act. Not available)
5) Prohibition of content such as imitation luxury sales, replica products, and sales of pirated products (not available)
6) Apps that sell financial products, financial consulting, lending, cryptocurrencies, binary options, or provide related products and services are not allowed.
7) Violation of copyright/intellectual property rights: Unauthorized use of intellectual property rights of third parties or other companies. In particular, we don’t allow apps that upload third-party content, videos, and generate ad revenue from the app.
*Important*
When making an app, apps created by prototype-WebView and push (web apps that connect websites such as homepages) must be reviewed to know whether they have been released.
Although it is a web app and will not be rejected for review, there are some apps that cannot be released due to this case. Swing2App will appeal as much as possible and help you launch the App Store.
* Web links of other brand ownership in addition to your own homepage (Naver, Daum, Instagram..) Connected apps cannot be approved.
* PC version of the web will be rejected instead of mobile web. The website must be linked to the mobile web.
*WebView apps that provide only promotion, simple marketing, and information without user participation are more likely to be rejected during review.
* Please note that even if the store launch is rejected, the cost of the voucher and upload ticket will not be refunded for apps that have been registered on the App Store.
9) Apps for internal use: Apps that are used only within the company (only used by company employees) or that are used only by specific users cannot be released on the App Store.
10) Apps that do not use the required functions in the app: Apps that only link external web links (URLs) or do not have the content of the app are not approved by Apple because it is judged that they do not use the app functions.
11) Collection of personal information: When the app asks for the user’s gender, contact information, and address, which is not required. (If the information is not necessary for using the app at the time of membership registration, the review will be rejected)
12) Sales of products other than physical products – Digital products, donations, sponsorships, subscriptions, etc. must be equipped with an Apple in-app payment module. Electronic payment modules such as general card payment are not available)
If Apple requires in-app purchases, you must register as required, otherwise you will not be able to launch. (If you don’t set up in-app, you need to remove all payment features)
*Go to Apple’s payment policy (15% in-app payment fee for 1 year sales of 1 billion or less, 30% fee for 1 billion or more)
☞ https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#in-app-purchase
The web app must be directly mounted on the user’s website, and the general prototype app can be worked with swing2app development, but the development cost varies depending on the volume inside the app. After consultation, we can guide you on the cost.