An ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest rejection email looks as follows: ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest- Your app includes "<path/to/SDK>", which includes , an SDK that was identified in the documentation as a privacy-impacting third-party SDK. Starting February 12, 2025, if a new app includes a privacy-impacting SDK, or an app update adds a new privacy-impacting SDK, the SDK must include a privacy manifest file. Please contact the provider of the SDK that includes this file to get an updated SDK version with a privacy manifest. For more details about this policy, including a list of SDKs that are required to include signatures and manifests, visit: https://developer.apple.com/support/third-party-SDK-requirements. Glossary ITMS-91061: Missing privacy manifest: An email that includes the name and path of privacy-impacting SDK(s) with no privacy manifest files in your app bundle. For more information, see https://developer.apple.com/support/third-party-SDK-requirements. : The specified privacy-impacting SDK that doesn't include a privacy manifest file. If you are the developer of the rejected app, gather the name of the SDK from the email you received from Apple, then contact the SDK's provider for an updated version that includes a valid privacy manifest. After receiving an updated version of the SDK, verify the SDK includes a valid privacy manifest file at the expected location. For more information, see Adding a privacy manifest to your app or third-party SDK. If your app includes a privacy manifest file, make sure the file only describes the privacy practices of your app. Do not add the privacy practices of the SDK to your app's privacy manifest. If the email lists multiple SDKs, repeat the above process for all of them. If you are the developer of an SDK listed in the email, publish an updated version of your SDK that includes a privacy manifest file with valid keys and values. Every privacy-impacting SDK must contain a privacy manifest file that only describes its privacy practices. To learn how to add a valid privacy manifest to your SDK, see the Additional resources section below. Additional resources Privacy manifest files Describing data use in privacy manifests Describing use of required reason API Adding a privacy manifest to your app or third-party SDK TN3182: Adding privacy tracking keys to your privacy manifest TN3183: Adding required reason API entries to your privacy manifest TN3184: Adding data collection details to your privacy manifest TN3181: Debugging an invalid privacy manifest

In this post, we'll share tips to help you submit apps that deliver original ideas to your users. When working on your app, focus on creating interesting, unique experiences that aren't already available. Apps that actively try to copy other apps won't pass review, and accounts that repeatedly submit copycat apps or attempt to impersonate a service will be closed. The rules that prevent copycat and impersonator apps from being distributed on the App Store are described in App Review Guideline 4.1: 4.1 Copycats (a) Come up with your own ideas. We know you have them, so make yours come to life. Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own. In addition to risking an intellectual property infringement claim, it makes the App Store harder to navigate and just isn’t fair to your fellow developers. (b) Submitting apps which impersonate other apps or services is considered a violation of the Developer Code of Conduct and may result in removal from the Apple Developer Program.(c) You cannot use another developer’s icon, brand, or product name in your app’s icon or name, without approval from the developer. These requirements help make the App Store both a safe place for people to discover apps and a platform for all developers to be successful. Best Practices Here are three best practices that will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1: 1. Submit apps with unique content and features. People want apps that provide unique experiences. Find areas that aren't currently being served and build compelling apps for those audiences. Do: Create apps that provide a new experience or a unique spin on an existing concept. Design original, delightful interfaces that elegantly meet your user's needs. Don't: Don’t imitate the features and functionality of other apps. Don’t copy the look and feel of other apps, such as using an identical user interface design. 2. Make sure App Store metadata only contains relevant information and content you either own or have permission to use. The metadata provided in App Store Connect is used to populate your app's product page on the App Store. People rely on this metadata to learn about your app and what it has to offer. Leveraging the popularity of another brand or app, either by including irrelevant references or protected content, is misleading and won't help your app succeed. Do: Use engaging, descriptive language to describe your unique app. Create original content that best represents your app, such as screenshots showing the actual app in use. Don't: Don't use protected material you do not have the necessary permission to use, such as app icons that are similar to icons of a popular app. Don’t include irrelevant references, such as popular app names or trademarked terms, in any metadata fields. 3. Provide information that is authentic and verifiable. People want to know the developers behind their favorite apps are who they say they are. It's important to continually review and provide up-to-date information, including the developer or company name listed on your Apple Developer Program account, the Support URL listed on your app's product page, and other helpful information. This will enable your users to contact you when they need help and it will also hinder people who may try to impersonate you, your app, or your service. Do: Make sure all information, resources, and documentation related to your account and apps are current and accurate. Don't: Don’t provide inaccurate information or resources, such as directing people to outdated support pages. Don’t provide fraudulent documentation. Accounts that submit fraudulent documentation will be removed from the Apple Developer Program. Support Incorporating these best practices into your app's development will help you submit apps that follow App Review Guideline 4.1. If you need additional assistance, consider taking advantage of one of the following support options available from App Review: If your submission has been rejected, reply to the message from App Review in App Store Connect and request clarification. Request an App Review Appointment to discuss the results of our review. Appointments are subject to availability, and take place during local business hours in your region on Tuesdays and Thursdays. If you believe your app follows the App Review Guidelines, consider submitting an appeal to the App Review Board. Resources Learn about foundational design principles from Apple designers and the developer community. Learn how to create engaging App Store product pages. Note that apps that violate intellectual property rights are subject to removal through the App Store Content Dispute process. If you believe an app on the App Store violates your intellectual property rights, you can submit a claim.

Hello, my first submission for a new app has been in "Waiting for Review" for 12 days, with no status change and no message in App Store Connect. Details: App Apple ID: 6790097966 Version: 1.0 (build 7) Submitted: August 2, 2026 Submission ID: ea22d38a-1444-450e-b335-83d4628d6829 Current status: Waiting for Review (never moved to In Review) There is no rejection, no request for additional information, and nothing in the Resolution Center. Review notes include everything needed to test the app. I also completed an outstanding Digital Services Act trader declaration on my account on 12 August, in case that was blocking the submission although is a free app, but there has been no change since. Is there anything on my side that could be holding this submission in the queue, or is this the current backlog? Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi all, Like others my app submission has been stuck in “waiting for review” for weeks. I know initial app reviews take longer than updates, but this has been delayed far too long and makes me concerned about repeating the process in the future. I submitted this app for review back on Feb 10. It was initially rejected for a minor issue, which I resolved and resubmitted the same day. After that, the build remained in “Waiting for Review” for about two weeks with no further communication. At that point I canceled the submission and resubmitted the build, thinking it may have been stuck in the queue (I now know not to do this next time). Unfortunately the new submission has also been waiting for review for another 9 days now with no messages or updates. I’ve contacted app review support as well (case ID- 102826632729). I understand review times can vary, but delays like this make it difficult for developers to plan launches or push updates when the review process is the only path to distributing apps. As paying members of the Apple Developer Program, we rely heavily on this pipeline functioning reliably. Hoping this post will reach someone from Apple who can help move the process along. If any other devs have suggestions/tips that have worked for them, please share so others in this position can become unblocked. Thanks in advance.

Hi all, My app has been stuck in the "Waiting for Review" status since August 13 (US Time), and today is August 23. It has been 10 days without any status updates or messages from the App Review team. App ID: 6800282515 Submission Date: Aug 13, 2026 Developer Support Request Submitted: Aug 19 (No response yet) Expedited Review Requested: Aug 20 (No response yet) Current Status: Waiting for Review Since both support inquiries and expedited requests haven't received a reply after several days, I am concerned there might be an internal system hold or communication breakdown regarding this submission. Could someone from Apple please look into this or advise if any additional documentation/action is needed from my side? Thanks for your help!

Hello, I’m experiencing a delay with the App Store review process and wanted to check if this is normal. My app was initially approved very quickly (within a few hours after submission). However, shortly after that I noticed a few minor UI bugs, so I fixed them and submitted a new build. The new version has now been waiting for review for about 5 days, and there has been no update since submission. I also want to mention that I have already contacted Apple Developer Support twice about this issue but have not yet received any response. Previously the review happened very quickly, so I’m wondering if something might be wrong with the submission or if this delay is expected.

I’m looking for some guidance on my first public iOS submission, which is currently in Waiting for Review. I submitted the app two weeks ago, and this is now my fifth round of back and forth with the App Review team solving one concern at a time. The previous reviews were responded to in a couple days, but this one has already taken about twice as long. What’s confusing is that I expected this review to be fairly straightforward. The previous issue was a 5.6 guideline related to a feature of the paywall, and rather than modify it and potentially going through another round of review, I decided to remove that paywall feature entirely. I also included a video with the submission showing that the feature is removed. Submission ID: 20261ce3-65a0-41c8-8e2f-db622795a475 Apple ID: 6762278821 I also submitted an expedited review request about two days ago using Apple’s official form. The timing is important because I planned the app’s launch with the start of the school year, and each additional day in review pushes it further past that window. Is there a way to confirm whether the expedited review request is actually on file? I was under the impression that expedited reviews normally required some kind of justification, so I’m not sure if my request went through correctly. I’ve also tried reaching out to Apple by both phone and email regarding the submission, but so far I haven’t been able to get any assistance. If someone from the App Review team is able to take a look at the submission, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you.

I submitted my first app for review on August 8, 2026 at 10pm BKK. Since, then it took close to 11 days to change to status from "waiting for review" to "in review" (status changed to "in review" on August 19, 4:30pm BKK). I have raised support requests with apple but did not hear back anything from the team. I have been patiently waiting all this while but I have started to lose patience now seeing that its taking extremely long time and no response from apple on the support queries. Please suggest what can I do in this situation. Thank you!

App: AI RunCoach — App ID 6782097197, bundle ID com.airuncoach.app, Team ID 4N3X74Y2LF When adding a new build to our External Testing group, TestFlight shows: "Before you can use TestFlight to distribute beta builds of your app, you must renew your Apple Developer Program membership." Our membership is not expired: the Membership Details page shows renewal date 20 June 2027, auto-renew ON, and the €99 fee already paid. We've also checked Agreements, Tax, and Banking — nothing shows as pending or requiring action anywhere. In the meantime, our app has been stuck in "In Review" status since August 3, and TestFlight installations also seem to be blocked. A request for an expedited review produced no result, and a request for a phone consultation did not lead to any contact either. Did anyone else experience this, and could someone advise on how to contact Apple about this? Thanks in advance for any pointers.

I’ve been waiting over a week regarding an issue that had already been resolved previously, but for which I never received any further clarification. I’ve sent multiple messages to the App Review team, but haven’t received any response. These waiting times are honestly insane. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hello, I apologise for posting here. I know this forum is not a support channel, and I would not have posted if I had another way to reach App Review. Apple ID: 6759336435 Submission ID: 59a73f4a-e83b-4fa4-96dc-4c4b6a0ebcc4 Version reviewed: 1.0 (3) In review since: August 10, 2026 Rejection received: August 20, 2026 Our first submission was rejected under Guideline 4.3(a), on the basis that the app shares a similar binary, metadata or concept with apps previously submitted by a terminated Apple Developer Program account. We have no connection to any terminated developer account. RocketIO is not related to any other app, including the other apps on our own account. It is a separate product that we have been designing and writing for several years, on a different technical foundation: 114,817 lines of Dart across 139 files in Flutter, plus the Swift we wrote for the iOS tunnel host and the Network Extension, 187 tests, and 32 fully translated languages. We believe the binary match is a false positive. RocketIO statically links a publicly available open-source proxy core, as every app in this category does. That core is the largest part of the compiled binary, so any two apps linking the same open-source library will share a large amount of identical compiled code no matter how different their own source is — exactly as apps linking OpenVPN or WireGuard do. We cannot remove it, because it is the reason the app exists. RocketIO is also a bring-your-own-configuration client rather than a VPN service. It ships with an empty server list and does nothing until the user supplies a configuration for infrastructure they already own. We operate no servers, sell no subscriptions and carry no traffic. Among the protocols we have implemented are several that very few clients support on any platform, including DNSTT (DNS tunnelling), AnyTLS, ShadowQUIC, Mieru and Juicity, some of them added only recently. We replied in Resolution Center with all of this in detail, and asked which app or account the similarity was matched against, so that we could respond to the specific finding rather than guess. We are still waiting for a response. We have deliberately not resubmitted. We did not want to place another submission in the queue while this conversation is open, and we did not want to send back something that could reasonably be read as unchanged. We have been waiting since August 10, and we will be honest that it has been a difficult wait. We put years of work into this app and we have users who are looking forward to it, and at the moment we cannot tell them anything, because we do not know what specifically we are being asked to change. Could someone from App Review please reply to us there? We are glad to provide our source repository and its full commit history, to take a call at any time convenient to you in English, and to demonstrate the app live. Thank you for your time.

Hello, I apologise for posting here. I know this forum is not a support channel, and I would not have posted if I had another way to reach App Review. Apple ID: 6799505220 Submission ID: 0a07b03d-56c9-45b4-b9b2-7ecbeb9ada0e Our submission was rejected under Guideline 4.3(a). We investigated and found the cause on our side: a server-side configuration fault meant the reviewed build was served the shared server pool used by our other apps, so it displayed a worldwide server list it was never designed to show. The finding was correct for that build. It was a defect, not the product. We have corrected it and verified the correction, and the corrected build is uploaded and attached to the version in App Store Connect. We have deliberately not pressed Submit for Review. We did not want to place another submission in the queue and take review time from other developers while this conversation is still open, and we did not want to send back something that could reasonably be read as unchanged. We would rather agree the right next step with App Review first. We replied in Resolution Center with all of this and are still waiting for a response. Could someone from App Review please reply to us there? Thank you for your time.

Hi everyone, I submitted my new dating app and requested an expedited review because we have a launch event planned in a couple of days. Apple accepted the expedited review request, but the app is still “Waiting for Review.” If it isn't reviewed in time, we'll unfortunately have to cancel or postpone the event. Does anyone know if there is a way to contact the App Review team or a reviewer directly, or an email/support channel I can reach out to about the status of an already-approved expedited review?£ Thanks!

Hi Apple Developer Support, My iOS app submission, version 1.0.23, has been Pending Review since August 14, 2026, and it has now been waiting for 7 days. I already requested an expedited review and opened Case ID 20000141752903. I have also tried both official support channels: I requested a phone call and spent approximately one hour on the line listening to hold music without being connected to anyone. I contacted App Review by email and have not received a response. I’m an independent developer, and my app already has paying subscribers. I’m trying to ship improvements and provide them with proper support, but at this point I have no information about what is causing the delay or whether there is anything I need to fix on my side. I understand that review times can vary, but after 7 days and no response through either official support channel, I’m not sure what else I can do. Could an Apple Staff member please help escalate or review Case ID 20000141752903 and the pending submission for version 1.0.23? If there is anything wrong with my submission, I would be more than happy to fix it immediately. Thank you.

Hello Apple Review Team, I am trying to submit an urgent app update to fix a critical issue, but I am blocked by the following error message: You’ve reached the maximum number of submissions allowed in review for this platform. To submit another, wait until one of your existing submissions has been reviewed or remove one from review. This is happening because I submitted two Custom Product Pages a few days ago, which are currently pending approval. Unfortunately, there is no option for me to cancel these submissions on my end. Here are the Submission IDs for the pending pages: Submission ID: 81a13cdc-1ea9-4fd1-a40f-31f3ae88f2bd Submission ID: 82732b38-ad4f-4e70-aeee-de7aef9459da Could someone please help clear, cancel, or expedite the review for these two Custom Product Pages? I need to submit my urgent app binary release as soon as possible to resolve the issue for my users. Thank you for your time and assistance.

My app has been in "Waiting for Review" since August 8, 2026 — 15 days with no status change and no communication. App: Lift Access Apple ID: 6798906865 Platform: iOS, version 1.0, Submitted: August 8, 2026 This is a new, original app, written from scratch. Another app on the same account (iHike, Apple ID 6787736523) was reviewed and published on July 24, 2026, so the account is active and in good standing. I have not cancelled or resubmitted the build, and I am not asking for priority over anyone else. I would simply like to know whether something is blocking this submission, or whether it has not yet been picked up. If there is an issue on my side that I need to resolve, I am happy to address it — I just have no information to act on. Has anyone seen a submission sit this long recently, and did anything move it?

Hello, I’m looking for guidance regarding an unusually long App Review process for my app, Auto Deal. The app was originally submitted on July 2, 2026. It eventually entered “In Review,” but remained there for an unusually long period without any update or decision. After waiting for a long time with no progress, I deleted the submission and uploaded it again. On the second submission, we again experienced a long delay. The app was eventually reviewed and rejected because of an issue that occurred when tapping the “Confirm” button inside the app. I immediately fixed the exact issue identified by App Review and submitted the corrected build. The corrected submission then entered “In Review,” but once again remained there for a long period without any further feedback or decision. After waiting again with no progress, I deleted the submission and uploaded a new build. When the same prolonged delay continued, I deleted that submission and submitted another fresh build. I understand that deleting and resubmitting can restart the review process. However, I only took these steps after repeatedly experiencing unusually long periods in review without any decision or explanation. Throughout this entire process, I have contacted Apple Developer Support multiple times and submitted three expedited review requests, but the issue remains unresolved. The app is complete and already available on Google Play. We have customers waiting for the iOS version, and this prolonged review process has significantly delayed our business launch. I am not requesting another expedited review through this post. I am trying to understand why this keeps happening and whether there is an issue with the app submission, my developer account, or the review process that requires action from my side. If an Apple engineer or App Review representative can look into this situation or advise me on the appropriate next step, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Hello, My app, Pulse Blocks: Block Puzzle, iOS version 1.0, was submitted on August 14, 2026 at 12:52 PM and has remained in Waiting for Review for more than 6 days. It has never moved to “In Review”. I have not received any rejection, request for additional information, or indication that action is required from my side in App Store Connect. I have also contacted Apple Developer Support, but I have not received a response yet. Could someone from App Review please confirm whether this delay is expected or whether the submission may be stuck in the review queue? I’m happy to provide any additional information privately if required. Thank you.

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some advice regarding repeated rejections under Guideline 4.3(a) - Design - Spam. I’m a solo developer and have been making car simulator sandbox games since 2020. I already have an older game in the same genre on the App Store, and I’ve spent around 2 years developing its sequel. The new game is also available on Google Play, where it has passed 1M installs in its first month and currently has a 4.9 rating. The iOS version has now been rejected 5 times over the last 4 months. Attempt 1: Rejected under 4.3(a) with: "We noticed the app shares a similar binary, metadata, and/or concept..." I explained what makes the game different, filed an appeal, added a new feature, and submitted again. Attempt 2: Same rejection. I requested a phone call with App Review. During the call, I was told that their system had detected a "binary match" with another developer’s game in the same genre. The reviewer explained that similarities could come from game code, assets, shared engine code, ad SDKs, third-party libraries, etc. When I asked what I could change, the main advice was to change the code. Attempts 3 & 4: I removed unused code and libraries, changed dependencies, reorganized and refactored parts of the project, and also tried obfuscation. The result was still the same 4.3(a) rejection. After that, I spent around 3 months working on a major update. I updated Unity and dependencies, removed anything unnecessary, added new cars, reworked the physics, reorganized assemblies, changed and renamed large parts of the codebase, and did a substantial code refactor. Attempt 5: After 9 days in review, I received a different 4.3(a) message: "This app still exhibits an app with a spam like template that shows similarities in concept and look with apps already on the app store in a saturated category." This is where I’m confused. The previous feedback focused on binary similarity, while the latest rejection seems to focus on the concept and visual similarity instead. The game is not based on a template. It has hundreds of scripts written specifically for the project, a custom physics engine, custom UI, and many systems and features developed specifically for this game. There are also only a few comparable vehicle physics sandbox games on iOS. I have already used the Review Notes to explain what is new in the sequel and how it differs from both my previous game and other games in the genre. I also appealed the first rejection, but the decision was upheld. At this point, I’m not sure what else I can reasonably change or what exactly is triggering 4.3(a). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. App: Crash Test Simulator 3 Bundle ID: com.FozerGames.CrashTestSimulator3

Has anyone experienced Apple App Review being really slow lately? I already submitted an Expedited Review Request through Apple Developer Support, but it still seems to be moving really slowly. My app is still stuck on “Waiting for Review.” How long does it usually take after submitting an expedited review request? If the request has already been submitted through Developer Support, is there anything else I can do to get Apple to take a look at it sooner? Or is App Review just slower than usual right now and I basically just have to wait? 😭 Would really appreciate it if anyone who recently got an expedited review could share how long it took for them! My App ID is 6800172081

I paid the $99 annual Apple Developer Program membership fee and submitted my first iOS game, Pippin Plaza, for App Store review on July 21, 2026 at 9:54 PM. Apple publicly states that most app submissions are reviewed within approximately 24 to 48 hours. It has now been nearly 12 days, and my submission is still sitting in “Waiting for Review.” It has never entered “In Review.” There has been no request for additional information, no message from App Review, no explanation for the delay, and no indication that anyone has looked at the submission. I understand that review times can vary and that a first release may sometimes require additional time. However, nearly 12 days without even entering review is far beyond Apple’s publicly stated review timeframe and does not appear to be a normal delay. I contacted Apple Developer Support on July 29, 2026 through the App Review Status support category. Case ID: 20000122288868 Despite contacting support, I have still received no reply, no explanation, and no update regarding the submission. Developers are required to pay Apple $99 annually before they are allowed to distribute apps through the App Store. It is therefore reasonable to expect that a completed submission will at least enter the review process within a reasonable period, or that Apple will communicate when there is a significant delay. Is this currently considered normal for first-time app submissions? At what point should a developer conclude that a submission is stuck rather than merely delayed? Why has there been no response from Apple Developer Support since July 29, despite the submission already being delayed far beyond the stated review timeframe? I am not asking for special treatment, guaranteed approval, or an expedited review. I am asking for my completed submission to enter the review process, or for Apple to explain why it has remained untouched for nearly 12 days.

I'm getting the following error on every submission (Build 1 through 8), even after multiple clean rebuilds and manual verification of the raw manifest content: ITMS-91064: Invalid tracking information - A PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy file contains invalid tracking information at the following path: "PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy" and also "PlugIns/[WidgetName].appex/PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy" NSPrivacyTracking must be true if NSPrivacyTrackingDomains isn't empty. What I've verified locally (via plutil -p and raw cat on both the .xcarchive and the exported .ipa): Main app PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy: NSPrivacyTracking=false, NSPrivacyTrackingDomains=[] (empty) Widget PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy: same, false + empty No duplicate keys found in either file Generated an official "Privacy Report" from Xcode Organizer - no obvious conflict at the app or widget level was shown Updated GoogleMobileAds/UserMessagingPlatform SDKs to the latest version - issue persists Bundle version increments correctly with each build (confirmed via Info.plist inside the actual uploaded archive) Is there a known caching issue on the App Store Connect validation side, or something else I might be missing? Happy to share the Privacy Report PDF and archive details if helpful.