A Practical Guide to Avoiding App Store Rejections: The Human Factor

1. Introduction: "My App is Spam?"

With high hopes for my first app launch, I clicked the 'Submit' button. A week later, I received an email from Apple.

Guideline 4.3 - Design - Spam

"Spam? I spent months building this!" I was mentally shattered by feedback that treated my hard work like a cloned shell app. Googling revealed I wasn't alone. Countless developers were raging against "Apple's tyranny."

But thinking calmly, I realized I was trying to open a street stall in a Luxury Department Store (App Store) without knowing the rules. I wanted the prestige of a department store but displayed my goods at the entrance like a flea market vendor.

This note summarizes "The Standards of Apple/Google", "How to Avoid Rejections", and "The Human Factor", learned through over 10 painful rejections.

2. Mindset: Department Store vs. Flea Market

This analogy is key to understanding the App Store and Google Play.

• Web: Flea Market. Anyone can set up a spot anywhere and sell whatever. Few rules.
• App Store: Luxury Department Store. Strict entry screening. If the interior (UI/UX) is bad, you're out. Counterfeits (Copyright infringement) are banned. Payments must be made at the store counter (In-App Purchase), and they take a commission.

Apple wants its store to remain a "Premium Space." That's why they pathologically hate apps that "harm UX," "don't make money," or "have legal risks." Adopting this mental model makes the guidelines easy to understand.

3. Top 5 Reasons for Rejection & Solutions

Here are the top 5 rejection reasons and concrete solutions.

1) Guideline 4.3 - Design - Spam

• Situation: "This app just wraps a website in a WebView. It lacks app-specific features."
• Reason: Apple hates apps that could simply be websites. They see them as lowering the store's quality.
• Solution:
  • Native Features: Add Push Notifications, Camera integration, Haptic Feedback, or Location-based features to argue "This MUST be an app."
  • Improve UX: Use a bottom Tab Bar instead of a hamburger menu. Implement native loading spinners instead of web loaders. This small native feel makes a huge difference.

2) Guideline 5.1.1 - Data Collection (Privacy)

• Situation: "Why do you collect phone numbers at signup? It's irrelevant to the feature."
• Reason: Collect only what is absolutely necessary. It's stricter since GDPR.
• Solution:
  • Permission Purpose strings: When requesting Camera permission, explicitly state "Required to register profile picture" in Info.plist. Just saying "Camera Access" is a rejection.
  • Privacy Manifest (New): Since Spring 2024, this is mandatory. You must list what data your third-party libraries (Alamofire, Firebase, Realm) collect in a PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy file. Without this, the submit button won't even enable.

3) Guideline 3.1.1 - In-App Purchase (IAP)

• Situation: "You sell digital content (e-books, lectures) but pop up a third-party payment gate? Trying to avoid the 30% fee?"
• The Rule: Digital goods MUST use Apple IAP. No exceptions.
• The Trap (Donations): Even a "Buy me a coffee" button is considered digital content (gratitude) and requires IAP.
• Exception: Selling Physical Goods (like Amazon, Uber Eats) allows (and requires) third-party payments.

4) Guideline 2.1 - App Completeness

• Situation: "I clicked a button and it said 'Coming Soon'. Do beta testing on TestFlight."
• Reason: Unfinished apps lower the store's quality.
• Solution:
  • Hide "Coming Soon" menus entirely. Comment out the code.
  • Demo Account: Always provide a test ID/PW. If the reviewer tries to sign up and the OTP doesn't arrive, it's an instant rejection.

5) Guideline 5.2 - Intellectual Property

• Situation: "Your icon looks like a famous brand logo" or "You used copyrighted music."
• Solution:
  • Fan apps without permission are rejections.
  • YouTube Embedding: If you enable background playback for embedded YouTube videos, it's rejected as "Bypassing YouTube Premium." Check your AVAudioSession settings.

4. Google Play Changes: "20 Testers Mandatory"

Google used to be known as "Pay $25 registration fee and free pass." Not anymore.

• 20 Closed Testers: For personal developer accounts created after Nov 2023, you must recruit 20+ testers and run a closed test for 14 continuous days before applying for production access.
• Reason: Raised the bar to filter out low-quality apps.
• Response: You need to find 20 friends or join "Tester Exchange" communities. The era of "Solo dev -> Instant Launch" is over on Android.

5. The Hidden Truth: It's Humans, Not Bots

Many believe app review is automated. While static analysis is done by bots, the final decision is made by an Apple employee holding an iPad. Knowing this changes your strategy.

1. Write a Letter: In the App Review Information > Notes section, write a polite letter. "This app is for the visually impaired, so the UI is simple." or "Please use this account to login." Detail helps immensely.
2. Attach a Video: If your feature is complex, record a demo video and leave a YouTube link (Unlisted). If the reviewer is tired of reading, they might just watch the video, see it works, and hit Approve.
3. Reply Politely: If rejected, reply in the Resolution Center politely. "I fixed what you asked" or "Please see this video to clarify." They are surprisingly reasonable.

6. Performance Management: Android Vitals & ANR

Launching isn't the end. Google monitors "Android Vitals".

• ANR (Application Not Responding): When the app freezes for 5+ seconds.
• Crash Rate: The percentage of times the app crashes.

If these metrics are poor, your search ranking on Google Play drops to the abyss. They might even block downloads on specific devices (e.g., low-end Galaxy phones) citing "compatibility issues." Using monitoring tools like Firebase Crashlytics is mandatory post-launch.

7. Pre-Submission Checklist

Better to check for 10 minutes than wait a week for a rejection.

1. Login Test: Does the demo account work? (Turn off 2FA).
2. Privacy Policy URL: Is the link accessible? (Even a Notion page works).
3. Screenshots: Do they match the actual app? (No false advertising).
4. iPad Check: If you checked "Support iPad," the UI shouldn't break on iPad.
5. Version Notes: Don't just say "Bug Fixes." Be specific. Reviewers like comprehensive notes.

8. Conclusion: Rejection is "Feedback," not "Denial"

Rejections hurt, but often they are right. "Users might be confused" or "Too much data collection" is essentially free consulting to improve your product.

Apple and Google aren't enemies. Think of them as "Strict Curators who want to display your app in a Luxury Department Store." Meeting their standards will eventually elevate your app to 'Luxury' status.