Submitting an app to the Apple App Store or Google Play Store can be an exciting milestone in your digital journey. However, many clients are surprised to learn that even well-functioning, professionally developed apps can be rejected — often for reasons that seem obscure or frustratingly minor. At Arpacore, we help our clients navigate this process with clarity and confidence, minimizing the risk of rejection through preparation, testing, and compliance strategy. This article breaks down the most common reasons apps are rejected and what we do to avoid them.
Before diving into specifics, it’s helpful to understand the review process itself. Both Apple and Google have teams that manually (and sometimes automatically) evaluate apps for quality, security, legal compliance, and adherence to their policies. Apple tends to be stricter and more conservative, while Google offers a slightly more flexible path — but both have detailed guidelines that evolve constantly.
The process includes reviewing your app's binary (the code), the functionality, metadata (title, description, screenshots), your use of APIs, your privacy practices, and the app's overall utility and user experience. Rejections can be swift, generic, or nuanced — and multiple rounds of submission are not uncommon.
Your app store listing — including title, description, keywords, screenshots, and promotional text — must clearly and truthfully represent your app. Misleading statements, exaggerated promises, or vague explanations can lead to immediate rejection. This includes:
How we help: At Arpacore, we assist with app store metadata creation and review. We ensure every word aligns with your app’s features, and we help craft clear, benefit-driven messaging that meets platform expectations.
If your app collects user data — even something as basic as email or location — a privacy policy is mandatory. You must explain:
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) requirements and Google’s data safety section require even more detail if your app uses third-party SDKs, analytics, advertising, or location services.
How we help: We generate privacy policy templates, perform data flow analysis, and integrate consent mechanisms (e.g., cookie banners, permission prompts) that meet current legal and platform requirements.
Users and reviewers are cautious of apps that request access to sensitive device features — such as camera, microphone, contacts, or background location — without clear justification. If your app doesn’t obviously need those permissions, expect pushback.
Common mistake: Apps using off-the-shelf templates or frameworks that request default permissions not actually used by the app. Even unused SDKs can trigger red flags.
How we help: We audit your app’s permission requests, strip unnecessary ones, and clearly document all others with in-app explanations and fallback options.
Even if your app works fine “on your phone,” it must meet broader quality standards:
Both Apple and Google consider UI/UX a core component of app quality. Glitches, clunky layouts, or confusing interactions will quickly result in rejection.
How we help: Our QA team tests across devices, screen sizes, operating systems, and accessibility standards. We also follow Material Design (for Android) and Human Interface Guidelines (for iOS) to ensure platform-native behavior.
Apple in particular has cracked down on apps that appear too simple, templated, or duplicative. Examples include:
Google is slightly more lenient but still rejects apps considered low-value or “non-actionable.”
How we help: We design every project with real user needs in mind. We ensure your app provides distinct, measurable value — and we consolidate features into single, flexible applications rather than submitting multiple variants.
If your app includes subscriptions, donations, digital content, or unlockable features, it must use Apple’s or Google’s in-app payment systems (with limited exceptions). Attempting to bypass this (e.g., linking to an external checkout) is a fast-track to rejection.
How we help: We structure payment flows that align with allowed models (in-app purchase, Stripe, external web app). We also clarify in your metadata how users pay and what they receive.
Apps involving user-generated content, location tracking, financial data, health services, children, or encryption are subject to additional scrutiny. Missing legal disclosures, unsafe data storage, or lack of encryption can result in not only rejection — but also removal or account suspension.
How we help: We include standard legal flows (age gates, encryption libraries, access controls, content moderation hooks) and help you register where necessary (e.g., HealthKit, COPPA, export regulations for cryptographic apps).
Your app may rely on external SDKs for analytics, ads, or functionality — but if any of those tools are outdated, misconfigured, or known to violate platform rules, your app could be blocked.
How we help: We curate all third-party dependencies, keep them updated, and check against platform advisories. We also sandbox SDKs where possible to reduce exposure.
Using Apple or Google trademarks in your metadata, copying another app’s visuals, or claiming unauthorized partnerships is grounds for rejection. Store listings must be original, accurate, and respectful of intellectual property.
How we help: We ensure your app’s visual identity is unique and compliant. We also advise on brand mentions, app naming, and promotional claims.
We don’t just build great apps — we get them approved. Our process includes:
We take responsibility for the app’s technical compliance and partner with you to ensure the functional and business aspects are aligned. When needed, we walk clients through resubmissions and dialogue with reviewers — even on tight deadlines.
App rejections happen — but they don’t need to derail your launch. Most rejections can be avoided with foresight, expertise, and an experienced team that speaks the language of app stores. At Arpacore, we help ensure your app doesn’t just work — it gets published, approved, and into users’ hands as quickly and smoothly as possible.
Ready to publish? Or already rejected and need help fixing the issues? Let’s talk. We’ve seen it all — and we’re here to help you through it.