App Rejected by App Store or Play Store? Fixes

Description

Troubleshooting App rejected by the App Store or Play Store?

Read the rejection message first: it names the guideline or policy the reviewer applied. On Apple, the commonest group is App Completeness (guideline 2.1): crashes, placeholder content and a missing demo login. On Google Play, look at broken functionality, the privacy policy and Data safety form, permissions, and the target API level. Fix every issue named, then resubmit.

Get a technical assessment Last updated 2 October 2026

Start with the message

Both stores tell you which rule was applied. Apple's message in App Store Connect names a guideline number, such as 2.1 or 5.1.1. Google's email names the policy and explains how to appeal. Read the named rule in full before changing anything; the wording usually says exactly what the reviewer needs to see.

Everything below was read on Apple's and Google's own pages on 2 October 2026. Both sets of rules change, so check the linked source for the section you were given.

Apple: common reasons, with the guideline

Apple says that, on average, over 40% of unresolved review issues relate to guideline 2.1, so start there.

Reason

Guideline

Check before you resubmit

The app crashes, has placeholder text or dead links, or the reviewer could not log in

2.1 App Completeness

Install the exact build on a real phone. Give a working demo account in the review notes and keep the server switched on.

Screenshots or description do not match what the app does

2.3 Accurate Metadata

Screenshots must show the app in use, not only a splash or login screen (2.3.3).

Digital content or features sold without in-app purchase

3.1.1 In-App Purchase

List what users pay for. Digital items unlocked in the app need in-app purchase; physical goods and services must use another method (3.1.3(e)).

The app is a website in a wrapper, or does too little

4.2 Minimum Functionality

Ask what the app does that the website in a browser does not.

Google or Facebook login offered with no equivalent privacy-focused option

4.8 Login Services

The rule lists exceptions, including apps that use only the company's own account system.

No privacy policy link, or accounts can be created but not deleted in the app

5.1.1(i) and 5.1.1(v)

Find the privacy policy link inside the app, and delete a test account from inside the app.

Permissions asked for that the feature does not need, or tracking without the system prompt

5.1.1(iii), 5.1.1(iv), 5.1.2(i)

Deny each permission and confirm the app still works.

Users can post content, with no way to report or block

1.2 User-Generated Content

Look for filtering, a report button, a block button and published contact details.

Google Play: common reasons, with the policy

Policy

The app does not install, does not load or freezes

Broken Functionality

Install the release build on two or three different Android phones.

The app is static or has very little content

Limited Functionality and Content

Google's examples are text-only or PDF apps and single-wallpaper apps. Ask what a user can do in yours.

No privacy policy, an inaccurate Data safety form, or no account deletion

User Data

The policy link must be in Play Console and inside the app. The form must also cover data collected by third-party SDKs. Account deletion needs a path in the app and a web link.

Sensitive permissions without a core need: SMS, call log, background location, all-files access

Permissions and APIs that Access Sensitive Information

Remove every permission that a current, advertised feature does not use.

Title over 30 characters, emojis, or claims such as "#1" in the listing

Metadata

Read the listing as a reviewer would.

Digital goods sold without Google Play's billing system

Payments

Play billing is required for in-app digital features and may not be used for physical goods or services.

Two Play Console blocks are often mistaken for rejections:

Target API level. Since 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher, with an extension to 1 November 2026 available on request. An older build cannot be submitted.

Testing requirement. A personal developer account created after 13 November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 continuous days before it can apply for production access.

How to respond

Reproduce the problem the reviewer describes, on the same kind of device if they name one.

Fix everything named, and look for the same fault elsewhere. Google's guidance is not to resubmit until all violations are fixed.

Write to the reviewer. In the notes, say what changed and where to find it, and give demo login details. If a feature needs special hardware or a location, attach a short video.

Resubmit, then wait. Do not send several builds in a row.

Appeal only when you believe the app complies. Give the specific reason. Apple also accepts requests for an expedited review for a critical bug fix or an app tied to an event.

What you can fix without a developer

Metadata, screenshots, the privacy policy page, the demo account, the review notes and the Data safety form are all edited in App Store Connect or Play Console by whoever holds the account. That covers a large share of the reasons above. If the accounts are in a former developer's name, move them to your company first .

A developer is needed for crashes, in-app purchase, account deletion, login options, permissions and the target API level. Those are changes to the app itself.

When to get help

Get help when the same guideline comes back after two attempts, when the rejection concerns payments or personal data, or when nobody on your side can produce a new build. WavX handles App Store and Play Store launch and ongoing app maintenance and version updates. Bring the full rejection message, the build that was rejected and access to the store account. The app launch checklist and the guide to launching on the Play Store and App Store cover the checks to run before the first submission.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a re-review take?

Apple says that, on average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours, as of October 2026. Google does not publish a single figure on the pages cited here. Plan for more than one round: a second review can raise an issue the first did not.

Can I appeal a rejection?

Yes, on both stores. Apple lets you reply to the reviewer in App Store Connect or appeal to the App Review Board, with one appeal per rejected submission. Google sends appeal instructions in the enforcement email. Appeal only if you believe the app complies; if the reviewer is right, fixing is faster.

Does a rejection damage my developer account?

On Google Play a rejection does not affect the standing of the account; removals and suspensions are more serious, and suspensions count as strikes against the account. Google also advises against resubmitting a rejected app until every violation is fixed.

My app takes payments through Razorpay or UPI. Is that allowed?

For physical goods and services used outside the app, yes: Apple's guideline 3.1.3(e) requires a payment method other than in-app purchase for those, and Google Play's billing system may not be used for them. For digital content or features unlocked inside the app, both stores require their own billing, except where one of their alternative-payment programmes applies to your region and you have enrolled in it.

Can you promise the app will be approved?

No, and nobody can. The decision belongs to Apple and Google. What a developer can do is remove every known cause before submitting and answer the reviewer's questions precisely.

Sources

Apple: App Review Guidelines · read 2 October 2026

Apple: App Review (common issues, appeals, expedited reviews) · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Functionality, Content, and User Experience policy · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: User Data policy · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Provide information for the Data safety section · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Account deletion requirements · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Permissions and APIs that Access Sensitive Information · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Metadata policy · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Payments policy · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Target API level requirements · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: App testing requirements for new personal developer accounts · read 2 October 2026

Google Play: Enforcement process · read 2 October 2026

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