A Founder's Guide to App Store Review Guidelines
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App store rejections are rarely about the app's core concept - they're almost always about a specific, avoidable guideline issue. Here's what we check before every submission.
Apple's most common rejection reasons
Incomplete metadata, broken links in the app, and insufficient functionality beyond a simple website wrapper account for a large share of first-round rejections we've seen across client apps.
- Test every link and button before submission, not just the main flow
- Ensure the app offers meaningful functionality beyond a website in a wrapper
- Have privacy policy and data-use disclosures complete and accurate
Google Play's review focus
Play Store review tends to focus more heavily on permissions justification and data safety disclosures - apps requesting broad permissions without clear in-app justification are frequently flagged.
Plan for review time in your launch timeline
Even with a clean submission, review time varies. Building a buffer into your launch plan avoids a scramble if a resubmission is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Apple usually reviews within 24-48 hours; Google Play is often faster, sometimes within hours, though both can take longer during high-volume periods.
Read the specific guideline cited carefully, fix precisely that issue, and include a clear response note in the resubmission explaining the change.
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Glad it was useful, Jamie - happy to go deeper on that if you want to book a call.
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Really useful breakdown - the point about apple's most common rejection reasons matches exactly what we ran into last quarter.