UK Marketing Reasons Why Your App Rejected: Tips to Avoid Having Your App Rejected by the App Store

 

You've created your first awesome app and you're ready to publish it. Are you worried your submission might be rejected from the app stores? If your app is for iOS, you probably know that you face some strict guidelines from the app Store. And even if Google Play will be easier on your submission, bugs or non-compliant design features may still block your approval. Plus, as you can imagine, having to re-submit your app for approval can be time consuming and expensive.

According to this report, 60,000 apps are added to the App Store every month. That means, on an average 2,000 apps go live each day. A lot of these go through the pain of having their app rejected. Sometimes, it's an oversight, but oftentimes, it's to do with compliance or the lack of their guidelines.

So, why do apps get rejected from the App Store? In this article we're going to give you tips to help you avoid the top reasons your app might get rejected.



Click "Learn More" to drive your apps & games business with ASO World app promotion service now.

Reasons why your app could be rejected

Navigating the app submission process can be tricky. If you are planning to launch an app, you may have heard stories about the difficult app submission process on the App Store or Google Play. For some, the process can seem confusing and frustrating. We aim to avoid this roller coaster of emotions by ensuring our apps are submission proof.

There are some other common larger issues that often result in app rejections. This brief overview should help you understand these and help ensure a higher success rate when submitting your apps to the App Store or Google Play.

Your app doesn't work, or is incomplete

An app that demonstrates unstable performance in general due to bugs will most definitely be rejected. Regardless of the high quality of the UI on your app, the app must run fluidly without causing the user frustration due to crashes and a buggy UX. This is why we run extensive tests on our clients' apps with multiple circulations of user testing to ensure that no bugs slip the net.

Both the AppStore and Google Play have cracked down on their app submission privacy policy requirements, particularly in light of recent GDPR laws. Apps must be linked with a privacy policy and have secure storage of user data. Privacy policy statements are required with an explanation of data retention policies. The app must also allow users to withdraw their consent for you to collect their data.

App submissions that do not comply will be rejected. Not only that but existing apps are warned to update their privacy policies or risk being removed from the marketplace.

Name & design of the app

Apple's design sensibility is all about simplicity, subtlety, and minimalism. The design of your app needs to be intuitive, and simple while being aesthetically appealing to the user. The name of your app is the identity that you are going to build for your app. Make sure that you spell the name correctly and consistently in all the columns where it is mentioned. If the app name on the app itself and the app name on iTunes do not match, it leads to inconsistencies and inaccuracies. This inconsistency would not be tolerated by Apple and they will reject the app.

Your app description Is incomplete

Any quality institution would not want to put out any information that is inaccurate and Apple is no different here. While we talked about filling the content and details earlier, here we emphasize on the accuracy of information on your app. Take care that all the information you provided is not just accurate but relevant as well. If the app needs to be signed into, then the developer must make sure that the username and password is provided. In addition to this, if there is a particularly special or unique way to use the app, it must be mentioned as well in the submission process. If there is a need for proper instructional guide, or a tutorial then it must be enclosed or attached along with it.

All other details including the contact details of the app developer should be accurate. It is important that you take care not to include any web content or web links in the app. Apple doesn't want an app on their store that just has web pages in it. They need to know that your app has been designed for iOS and brings in value to the users. Scrutinize and go through the entire submission with a fine-tooth comb in order to ensure not only that all the details are filled out, but that it is filled out with accurate and relevant content.

Similar apps are bound to be rejected

Apple promotes unique ideas, hence, if you try and submit a new app by simply renewing the old one, Apple is probably going to reject it. Apart from multiple similar apps submitted by the same developer, if an app is attempting to ride to the top by unethically (in some cases illegally) emulating the popular apps, Apple is going to catch on to it and reject such apps. It is important that your app name or description do not mislead a potential user into thinking it as something that it is not. Refrain from picking a name for your app that sounds similar to any other popular app but has no connection with it. Additionally, in case you offer functions and features that are similar to a popular app, make sure that you build a completely different identity for yours with an original name and design.

You abused downloading

Continuing on the development side of things, don't download content or scripts at runtime. Apple states that "Apps that download code in any way or form will be rejected". I admit, that is a pretty vague statement but consider it this way, if you download Javascript at runtime that effectively changes how the app operates, it could now be viewed as a different app from what the reviewer reviewed.

Apple wants to ensure that the app they approved is the app that is distributed to the user. Also, don't abuse the file system. That is to say, don't download any files without the users permission. You need to make sure that your app actually works in some way when there is no network either. Even if it is just a page to say that an internet connection is needed, Apple need that form of functionality. A good way to test this is by switching your device onto Airplane Mode and see what happens when testing.

You violated Apple's guidelines

If your app allows users to make in-app purchases then these transactions will have to be processed using Apple or Google Play. It may seem attractive to use a different payment provider such as Stripe, to avoid Apple and Google's 30% payment fees. However, the only exceptions to this rule are if the user is paying for a physical product or service, and Apple and Google Play are both on the ball with checking this.

For subscription platforms which are available across browser and other mediums, users can sign up and pay via a website to bypass these fees, so long as users are not encouraged to sign up within the app.

What to do if your app is rejected?

Apple keeps a stringent scrutinization process in place so that the apps on their app store are free of bugs, crashes or any other performance issues, thus providing a great user experience. They reject apps with solid reasons as they want to maintain a certain quality standard for all parties involved.

Since you have put in a lot of time, efforts, and money into creating an app, it is natural that you would want to see it published on the Apple App Store without having to go through the hassle of rejection. Make sure that your app offers something with value, is unique, and functions smoothly. If your app finds its way to the Resolution Center, it's there for a reason which will be detailed for you.

What you need to do is carefully review the reason for rejection, and fix the issue. Google is your friend, if you just put the rejection reason there you should find a thread somewhere explaining it in more depth.

Terms and conditions

It is more of an automated, mechanical response that we have for any kind of ‘Terms & Conditions' we might encounter while trying to work on anything. You will definitely be presented with a set of terms & conditions or guidelines from Apple as well, if you are trying to publish an app on the App Store. At this stage, it can be tempting to just skip past the terms & conditions in the developer agreement and move on to the fun part and begin the process of submitting your app without any delay.

However, doing so might actually backfire and lengthen out the whole process as your app might get rejected because you were not aware of a certain condition that you missed out because you gave in to the temptation. It is therefore, important that you carefully go through and read the Apple Developer Program License Agreement in detail before going ahead with the process of submission. Doing so would help you discover any elements of your app that might not be in compliance with the prescribed guidelines or terms & conditions. This gives you a chance to rectify these issues and save you from the hassle of rejection and re-submission.

If Apple became lenient in its rules and allowed buggy, spammy, or misleading apps into the store, how long do you think its users would continue to trust the store's ability to provide high-quality apps for their devices? Needless to say, there's a valid reason behind each app store rejection from Apple.

That's why you should invest more time and energy in making your app. If you can spare yourself the hassle of being rejected by Apple, you can start reaping the benefits of having an app in the iOS store right away. We hope that this guide will help you avoid app store rejection when you go to publish your own mobile app.

Apple are sometimes a hard company to work with. We should know, we've published over 1000 apps to the App Store. If you're looking to build apps – from your existing site – check out our solutions. We specialise in turning news websites, web apps, WordPress sites, eCommerce stores and membership platforms into both Android and iOS apps.

What's better – you don't need to worry about Apple or the approval process at all. We prepare the apps 100%, making sure they satisfy all of Apple's criteria, and we submit the apps to the App Store and Google Play for you (under your own developer account). If there are any problems, we work directly with Apple or Google to get them resolved.

Apple keeps a stringent scrutinization process in place so that the apps on their app store are free of bugs, crashes or any other performance issues, thus providing a great user experience. They reject apps with solid reasons as they want to maintain a certain quality standard for all parties involved.

Since you have put in a lot of time, efforts, and money into creating an app, it is natural that you would want to see it published on the Apple App Store without having to go through the hassle of rejection. Make sure that your app offers something with value, is unique, and functions smoothly.

Make sure all the information is accurate

Any quality institution would not want to put out any information that is inaccurate and Apple is no different here! While we talked about filling the content and details earlier, here we emphasize on the accuracy of information on your app. Take care that all the information you provided is not just accurate but relevant as well. If the app needs to be signed into, then the developer must make sure that the username and password is provided. In addition to this, if there is a particularly special or unique way to use the app, it must be mentioned as well in the submission process. If there is a need for proper instructional guide, or a tutorial then it must be enclosed or attached along with it.

All other details including the contact details of the app developer should be accurate. It is important that you take care not to include any web content or web links in the app. Apple doesn't want an app on their store that just has web pages in it. They need to know that your app has been designed for iOS and brings in value to the users. Scrutinize and go through the entire submission with a fine-tooth comb in order to ensure not only that all the details are filled out, but that it is filled out with accurate and relevant content.