A rejection is not a verdict on your idea; it is a message that something does not meet a published rule, or that the reviewer could not verify it. The guidelines are public and specific.
Frequent causes
- Reviewer access. No working demo account, or features the reviewer cannot reach.
- Bugs and crashes, placeholder content, or links that do not work.
- Privacy. No privacy policy link, no explanation for why you need permissions, or declared data practices that do not match the app.
- Accounts. Apps that let users create an account must also let them start deleting it from within the app.
- Payments. Selling digital content or features must generally use the platform’s in-app purchase, with specific exceptions described in the guidelines.
- User-generated content. Apps where users post or connect with others need ways to report content, block abusive users and handle complaints.
- Minimum functionality. An app that is little more than a website in a wrapper.
- Misleading metadata. Screenshots or descriptions that claim what the app does not do.
How to prepare
- Read the guidelines sections that apply to your type of app before you design.
- Test the app on a clean device and with a fresh account.
- Give clear review notes and a demo login.
- Reply quickly and specifically when the reviewer asks a question.
Rejections happen to experienced developers too. The skill is in making the next submission precise, not in hoping the first goes through.