In this post, we'll share tips to help you submit apps that deliver original ideas to your users. When working on your app, focus on creating interesting, unique experiences that aren't already available. Apps that actively try to copy other apps won't pass review, and accounts that repeatedly submit copycat apps or attempt to impersonate a service will be closed. The rules that prevent copycat and impersonator apps from being distributed on the App Store are described in App Review Guideline 4.1: 4.1 Copycats (a) Come up with your own ideas. We know you have them, so make yours come to life. Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own. In addition to risking an intellectual property infringement claim, it makes the App Store harder to navigate and just isn’t fair to your fellow developers. (b) Submitting apps which impersonate other apps or services is considered a violation of the Developer Code of Conduct and may result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.(c) You cannot use another developer’s icon, brand, or product name in your app’s icon or name, without approval from the developer. These requirements help make the App Store both a safe place for people to discover apps and a platform for all developers to be successful. Best Practices Here are three best practices that will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1: 1. Submit apps with unique content and features. People want apps that provide unique experiences. Find areas that aren't currently being served and build compelling apps for those audiences. Do: Create apps that provide a new experience or a unique spin on an existing concept. Design original, delightful interfaces that elegantly meet your user's needs. Don't: Don’t imitate the features and functionality of other apps. Don’t copy the look and feel of other apps, such as using an identical user interface design. 2. Make sure App Store metadata only contains relevant information and content you either own or have permission to use. The metadata provided in App Store Connect is used to populate your app's product page on the App Store. People rely on this metadata to learn about your app and what it has to offer. Leveraging the popularity of another brand or app, either by including irrelevant references or protected content, is misleading and won't help your app succeed. Do: Use engaging, descriptive language to describe your unique app. Create original content that best represents your app, such as screenshots showing the actual app in use. Don't: Don't use protected material you do not have the necessary permission to use, such as app icons that are similar to icons of a popular app. Don’t include irrelevant references, such as popular app names or trademarked terms, in any metadata fields. 3. Provide information that is authentic and verifiable. People want to know the developers behind their favorite apps are who they say they are. It's important to continually review and provide up-to-date information, including the developer or company name listed on your Apple Developer Program account, the Support URL listed on your app's product page, and other helpful information. This will enable your users to contact you when they need help and it will also hinder people who may try to impersonate you, your app, or your service. Do: Make sure all information, resources, and documentation related to your account and apps are current and accurate. Don't: Don’t provide inaccurate information or resources, such as directing people to outdated support pages. Don’t provide fraudulent documentation. Accounts that submit fraudulent documentation will be removed from the Apple Developer Program. Support Incorporating these best practices into your app's development will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1. If you need additional assistance, consider taking advantage of one of the following support options available from App Review: If your submission has been rejected, reply to the message from App Review in App Store Connect and request clarification. Request an App Review Appointment to discuss the results of our review. Appointments are subject to availability, and take place during local business hours in your region on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you believe your app follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board. Resources Learn about foundational design principles from Apple designers and the developer community. Learn how to create engaging App Store product pages. Note that apps that violate intellectual property rights are subject to removal through the App Store Content Dispute process. If you believe an app on the App Store violates your intellectual property rights, you can submit a claim.

Here are some tips from App Review for a smooth review experience. We’ve split them into two categories: Before You Submit and After You Submit. We’ve also made an easy-to-follow Submission Guide you can save and reference at any point on your App Store journey. Before You Submit Tips Enable a complete review. Make sure you’ve provided demo accounts or implemented an account demonstration mode before you submit. We’ll need to review the entire app experience, both with and without an account. Provide up-to-date demo account login credentials in the App Review Information section on the app version page in App Store Connect. If your app has multiple account types (such as admin and general users), use the Notes field to provide additional demo account credentials for each account type. If your app requires an authentication code in addition to the login credentials, provide the code in advance in the Notes field. Otherwise, a call may be required to complete the review. Apps that handle sensitive user information, or operate in highly regulated industries, can implement demonstration modes that exhibit full features and functionality while using demonstration data. Use the Notes field in App Store Connect to provide information to App Review. The App Review Information section of App Store Connect includes a Notes field. Provide any information that could be relevant to your submission’s review: Submitting a new app? Tell us about your app's concept, business model, and if your app is designed to only operate in certain locations. Submitting an update? Tell us about what’s changed and where to locate significant new content or features. Connecting to hardware? Attach a video, not a screen recording, that shows both the hardware and the app running on a physical Apple device as they pair and interact. Test your app on physical devices before submitting for review. Use TestFlight to distribute your app for beta testing. App Review evaluates apps the way your users will use them: installed on real devices and connected to networks with real-world conditions. Make sure your pre-submission testing includes running the app on each device platform where it could be used. Users expect the app to function on all the devices where it’s available. TestFlight will help you do quality assurance and beta testing on real devices. Share your beta app with internal testers on your Apple Developer Program account or to external users via an email invite or public link. Configure In-App Purchases for review in the sandbox environment. App Review assesses In-App Purchases in the same sandbox environment Apple provides for testing them. The sandbox lets us use real product data and server-to-server transactions, without incurring any financial charges. Take these steps to prepare your In-App Purchases for review: Accept the Paid Applications Agreement in App Store Connect. Submit the In-App Purchases in App Store Connect that you’d like reviewed. Follow the steps in TN3186: Troubleshooting In-App Purchases availability in the sandbox if your app fails to display your In-App Purchases. Note: In-App Purchases don’t need prior approval from App Review to function in review. Join a Meet with Apple event if you need assistance before you submit for review. Request an App Review appointment through Meet with Apple to chat with an App Review expert about how to prepare for review, ask questions about specific guidelines, and discuss other topics related to the review process. Appointments are subject to availability during your local business hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. After You Submit Tips Contact App Review if you need assistance with an ongoing submission. If your submission doesn’t pass review and you have questions, contact App Review directly by clicking Reply to App Review in App Store Connect. You’ll receive a reply from a review specialist who’s familiar with your app. You can also use the Reply to App Review message window to request a call with an Apple representative. Include your preferred time and language for the call and we’ll do our best to accommodate your requests. Use the Bug Fix Submissions process to quickly deliver bug fixes and resolve other issues on the next submission. If an update includes bug fixes and is rejected, you will be given the option to resolve the issues on your next submission, as long as there are no legal or safety concerns. App Review will let you know if your submission is eligible by including this note at the top of the rejection message: Bug Fix Submissions The issues we've identified below are eligible to be resolved on your next update. To accept this offer, simply reply to the rejection message in App Store Connect and let App Review know you’ll resolve the issues on the next submission. Share ideas with Apple about how to improve or clarify the App Review Guidelines by submitting guideline feedback. Just as the App Store is always changing and improving to keep up with the needs of customers, the App Review Guidelines may be revised to provide new and updated guidance. If you have ideas for improving or clarifying our requirements you can suggest guideline changes. If your submission was rejected but you believe it follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board. If your submission didn’t pass review but you have reason to believe it follows the App Review Guidelines, you can submit an appeal to the App Review Board. You can also file an appeal if you think we misunderstood your app or the review was unfair. The App Review Board will contact you as soon as they complete their investigation.

Apple platforms make it easy to distribute your app to a variety of compatible devices, so it’s important to maximize your app experience on each platform you support. Here are some tips from App Review to help you understand how device compatibility impacts your app’s distribution — and how to make sure your apps shine on every platform they’re on. Understand device compatibility There are many ways an app built for one Apple device can run on other Apple devices: Apps designed for iPhone can run on iPad devices in compatibility mode if there are no dependencies on iPhone device capabilities. Compatible iPhone and iPad apps can run unmodified on Macs with Apple Silicon. Compatible iPhone and iPad apps can run unmodified on Apple Vision Pro. Xcode provides options to configure settings for apps on multiple platforms. You can specify which platforms your app’s target supports in the Supported Destination field. However, it’s important to note: People may still be able to run your app on a device even if you remove it or don't include it as a Supported Destination in Xcode. For example, as long as an app designed for iPhone doesn’t depend on a capability that’s only available on iPhone, it can be downloaded from the App Store onto iPad. Adding or removing iPad as a Supported Destination in Xcode won’t change that app’s availability on iPad. To view examples of cases where it's appropriate to restrict availability, see Restrict device distribution below. Follow compatibility best practices 1. Plan and test for compatibility modes so your app works on every device where it can be downloaded. Do: Use Xcode simulators to verify basic functionality across different device types. Leverage TestFlight with external testers who have access to a wide range of Apple devices. Don't: Don’t submit for review without testing your app’s behavior in compatibility modes. Don’t assume removing a supported destination in Xcode prevents distribution to that device type. 2. Build adaptive interfaces that work across device variations. Do: Build interfaces that respond to different screen sizes and orientations. Adapt features based on available hardware, providing alternatives for a consistent experience. Don't: Don’t design rigid interfaces that assume only one type of device or input method. Don’t let your app crash or become unusable when optional hardware is unavailable. Restrict device distribution Wherever possible, it’s best to make your app available on multiple platforms to increase its reach and provide people with a consistent experience across devices. But there are cases where it does makes sense to restrict an app’s availability. For example: iPhone apps that rely on iPhone-specific hardware won’t function as expected on iPad. Use the UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities key in the information property list file to specify hardware dependencies. Note: Apps should only use the UIRequiredDeviceCapabilities key for genuine hardware dependencies, not to indicate distribution preferences. Navigation- or camera-based apps are not well suited for visionOS. Learn more about managing availability of iPhone and iPad apps on Apple Vision Pro. Apps that rely heavily on touch inputs that can’t be replicated on a keyboard are not well suited for macOS. Learn more about restricting distribution to Apple Silicon devices. Learn more about how to configure multiplatform apps in Xcode. Support If you need more assistance, explore these support options: If your submission has been rejected, reply to the message from App Review in App Store Connect and request clarification. Request an App Review appointment through Meet with Apple. Appointments are available during local business hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you believe your app follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board.

Hello! I recall guidance for Alternate App Icons used to be under 4.6 and stated that: each change is initiated by the user and the app includes settings to revert to the original icon. However, I see that section 4.6 was removed on June 10, 2024, and now shows up as "Intentionally omitted". Does this mean that under the current guidance an app is now allowed to trigger an icon change without the user input, and does not need to provide the option to revert it back? Thanks!

Hello, My app has been in “Waiting for Review” since Feb 13. I’ve contacted Apple Support via Contact Us but received no response. Any advice on how to escalate would be appreciated. Thank you!

My app has been in "Waiting for Review" since February 19, 2026. It has been over 10 days with no status change. Submission ID: 4577f492-606e-4615-9cc5-05c35da79ff9 There are no rejection notices and no messages in Resolution Center. I have contacted Developer Support but received no resolution. The average review time is 24-48 hours. Could someone please look into this? Thank you.

Hi everyone, I am writing this out of pure desperation because I honestly don't know what else to do or where to turn. My app has been stuck in the review process since February 9th (almost 3 weeks now), and I feel like I am completely trapped in a black box. I have tried every official channel available to get at least some information: I submitted requests for an expedited review. I opened 3 separate tickets with Developer Support, but received absolutely zero response. Just complete, deafening silence. I finally called the developer hotline. The representative was polite but completely unhelpful. I was basically told that "everything is fine, this timeline is normal, we can't do anything to help you, just keep waiting." Just to put this wait time into perspective, while sitting in this Apple "black box" waiting for a single message, I have managed to do the following: Registered a Google Play Developer account and fully verified my identity. Almost completely rewrote my entire app from scratch, translating it from Swift to Kotlin. Uploaded the Android version, got it approved, and I am already on Day 8 of closed testing in Google Play! Meanwhile, in App Store Connect, absolutely nothing has changed. No status updates, no rejections, no questions from the reviewers, no replies to my tickets. Just an absolute void. Has anyone else experienced this kind of extreme delay and complete lack of communication recently? For context, here are my details: Submission ID: db1ffb72-8f0f-49bc-b215-179e1e179b7d Apple ID: 6756239914 Any advice or shared experiences would be deeply appreciated. Thank you.

My app has been sitting in "Waiting For Review" for a month now, this coming week. I understand that it takes some time to review an app but I didn't realize it takes this long. I have deployed apps in the past and it took 1-2 days only. I just couldn't understand what's taking it that long this time. The app ID of the app I recently submitted is 6756655072. Please provide at least a specific timeframe of the review process so developers can also manage properly. It's really difficult to be patient in something that doesn't even respond properly. Please help and hope you see this post from a dev's point of view. Thank you.

We are an App Developer for past 16 years so have seen a lot happen with App Review over the years (even back when 2 month review times were the norm). However, we have all come to expect app review to take only 48 hours typically. We submitted several macOS Tahoe updates in Feb all approved within 24 to 48 hours, but 2 updates submitted on 25th Feb are stuck in 'waiting for review'. Very strange indeed and checking this forum, it seems many other devs are having the same issue, but from way earlier than us. Is this a known issue currently? I suspect their are different app review queues by region and maybe even app category and popularity of the app, but even accounting for all that, this is unusual. There seems to be no logic to which apps are approved same day vs those kept stuck in 'waiting for review'.

Hello everyone, I’m currently experiencing unusually long wait times for app reviews and wanted to check if others are seeing similar delays this week. Here is the current status of my submissions: App Store Update: Stuck in "Waiting for Review" much longer than the typical 24–48 hour window. New Version: A newly submitted version also seems to be stalled in the initial phase. TestFlight Processing: Even TestFlight builds are taking longer than usual to process. Expedited Review: I've attempted an expedited review request and direct communication, but the status remains unchanged so far. What’s confusing is that I see other apps in the same category receiving updates, so I’m unsure if this is a localized technical glitch or a broader delay affecting a specific group of developers. I’m not looking to escalate anything just yet; I’m simply trying to gauge if this is a widespread issue at the moment. I would greatly appreciate any insights into your recent experiences or if you've noticed similar patterns over the last few days. Thanks in advance, and good luck to everyone with pending submissions! 🙂

Hello everyone, I am desperately seeking guidance. My app has been stuck in the "Waiting for Review" status for over 17 days (since at least Feb 13). It hasn't even entered the "In Review" stage. I completely understand that review times can vary, but what's concerning is that we seem to be caught in a system loop. We have proactively contacted Apple Developer Support multiple times over the past few weeks. Specifically, we have open cases (Case ID: 102820493078 and Case ID: 102820491288) with messages sent on: Feb 13 Feb 18 Feb 23 Feb 24/25 Unfortunately, we have only received generic automated responses, and the status remains firmly stuck at "Waiting for Review". At this point, we are extremely worried that our binary might be caught in a system glitch or ghosted in the queue. Could any Apple Staff here kindly look into these Case IDs to see if there is a technical issue preventing our app from entering the review queue? Has any other developer experienced a similar >17 days wait time just to enter the queue recently? Any help to untangle this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hello, I am seeing sever delay in app review completion of my app. The version I submitted for review is pending since Feb 15th. This is the first time it happened like this as earlier it was quicker. I tried to contact apple through support email but have not received any update. Any suggestions on what I can do? Thank you.

Hello iOS developer community, I submitted an app on App Store Connect on February 4, 2026, but I don't understand why, as of today (March 2, 2026), its status is still "Waiting for Review." I have emailed Developer Support but only received the following automated reply: "Thanks for submitting your support request. We’ve received your support request and will get back to you as soon as possible. Your case ID is 102824763035." It has been over ten days, and I still haven’t received any official follow-up or updates from Apple regarding this issue. What should I do now? The email address I use for my Apple Developer account is

Hello iOS developer community, I submitted an app on App Store Connect on February 4, 2026, but I don't understand why, as of today (March 2, 2026), its status is still "Waiting for Review." I have emailed Developer Support but only received the following automated reply: "Thanks for submitting your support request. We’ve received your support request and will get back to you as soon as possible. Your case ID is 102824763035." It has been over ten days, and I still haven’t received any official follow-up or updates from Apple regarding this issue. What should I do now?

Our iOS & tvOS apps are stuck in Waiting for Review for several days. We have already submitted expedite review requests multiple times but received no response. This is a critical bug fix for production crash issues that affect all users. Submission IDs: iOS: 98a69297-4f1f-4a1a-80f1-6f9aa4e007bd tvOS: 4202becb-9eef-45ee-a333-de076f1bf66a Please help escalate to the App Review team. We need urgent review to fix user issues. Thank you very much.

Our app with Apple ID 6752634390 has been in status Waiting for Review since Feb 09 which has been more than 20 days. And we have sent email via Contact Us two times already but no progress yet. Any one has any idea if there is anything we can do to move on?

I am writing to formally inquire about the status of my app update (App ID: 1598115292), which has been in the “Waiting for Review” stage since February 12. This review period is longer than I have previously experienced, and I would greatly appreciate any clarification regarding the delay. I had also contacted support earlier regarding this matter but have not yet received a response. I kindly request that you provide an estimated timeframe for when the update is expected to be reviewed and made available on the App Store.

Hello everyone, I’m currently experiencing a very long review time and wanted to ask for your advice or hear about your experiences. I submitted my two apps for their initial release 23 days ago. Ever since then, they have been stuck in the "Waiting for Review" status. Yesterday, I realized that my "Paid Apps Agreement" and Tax Forms (W-8BEN, etc.) were incomplete in App Store Connect. I immediately filled them out, and now all my banking, tax, and agreement statuses are successfully marked as "Active". My questions to the community are: Since the agreements are now active, will my apps automatically fall into the review queue, or do I need to trigger something? I submitted an "App Review Status" contact form to Apple Support today. Should I just wait for their response, or is it better to "Remove from Review" and resubmit them? (I am afraid of losing my place in the queue). Any insights or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Best, Berkay

Hello everyone, I’m facing an unusually long app review delay and would appreciate any insight from the community. My app has been stuck in the "Waiting for Review" status since February 10, 2026, with no updates or feedback. App details: App ID: 6756574744 Case Number: 102824473424 During this time, I have: Submitted several support requests Filed multiple expedited review requests Tried contacting through email and the support section Attempted to follow up on the case status Despite all of these efforts, I have not received any response, acknowledgment, or update regarding its review progress. I understand that review times can vary, and delays sometimes happen. What concerns me more is the complete lack of communication. At this point, it feels like the app might be stuck in the queue. Has anyone else experienced long "Waiting for Review" times recently? Is there anything else I can do to get clarification or make sure the submission is not blocked for some reason? Thanks in advance for any insight!

Hello, I am writing to ask for assistance regarding two of my apps that have been stuck in “Waiting for Review” for an extended period. At the moment: App ID 6497716649 — Waiting for Review since Feb, 19 at 11:45 AM App ID 6743224713 — Waiting for Review since Feb, 15 at 10:26 PM There are no warnings, Resolution Center messages, or visible issues in App Store Connect. All Agreements, Tax, and Banking information are active and up to date. The builds were uploaded successfully, and no further action appears to be required on my side. Could you please help confirm: Whether there is any hidden blocker or account-related issue? Or if this delay is currently due to review queue processing times? If additional details are needed (bundle IDs, app category, sign-in requirements, encryption/export compliance, etc.), I will be happy to provide them immediately. Thank you very much for your time and support. Best regards,