Why apps get rejected by the App Store and Google Play, and how to avoid it

Approval is the store's decision

Apple and Google review every app against their own published rules, and they decide. No developer can promise approval, and anyone who does is promising something they do not control. What a developer can do is prepare the app so that it meets the rules on the first submission, and fix and resubmit quickly if a reviewer asks for changes.

Rejections are normal and usually specific. The reviewer cites a guideline, explains what they saw, and the fix is often small.

The common reasons, and the fix for each

Apple-specific points

Apple's App Review Guidelines are public and worth skimming. A few sections cause most first-time rejections: app completeness (crashes, broken links, missing demo accounts), minimum functionality (apps that are only a website or a brochure), and privacy, which includes linking a privacy policy and letting users delete an account they created in the app.

If the app offers sign-in with a third-party service such as Google, Apple also asks for an equivalent login option that limits data collection. Sign in with Apple meets that requirement.

Google Play-specific points

Google Play asks every app to complete a Data safety form describing what data it collects and shares, and to target a recent Android version. New personal developer accounts also have to run a closed test with at least 12 testers for at least 14 days before they can publish to production, so plan that time into your launch date. Organisation accounts are not subject to that testing requirement.

Google's reviews are often faster than Apple's, but policy problems can still lead to rejection or removal later, so the Data safety answers should be accurate, not optimistic.

A pre-submission checklist

• Tested on real Android and iOS devices, including an older phone.
• No placeholder text, test images or debug screens.
• A demo account with sample data, written in the review notes.
• A privacy policy page online and linked in both store listings.
• Privacy labels and Data safety answers that match what the app actually does.
• Account deletion available inside the app if users can sign up.
• Screenshots and descriptions that show the real app, not a mockup.
• Contact details for the reviewer, in case they have a question.

How I handle store submission

Store publishing is included in all my app packages. I prepare the builds, the store listings and the review notes, publish under your own developer accounts, and if Apple or Google rejects the app I fix the issue and resubmit at no extra cost until it is approved. I cannot promise approval, because that is their decision, but I can make sure the app is ready for it.