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, I’m seeking help regarding an App Review situation that has become increasingly difficult to resolve. Our app has been in review since July 29, and despite multiple rounds of communication, detailed explanations, updated builds, and full implementation of all required changes, the review process continues to stall without clear feedback. Most recently, we received new review questions regarding the External Purchase entitlement and the “Notify Me When Open” feature. We provided a detailed explanation addressing each point, including clarification that: All digital purchases, including Online Groups, use the StoreKit External Purchase API. The External Purchase Modal Sheet appears before every purchase flow. The “Notify Me When Open” feature does not initiate or bypass a payment flow; it only notifies users when a time-scheduled course becomes available, after which the user proceeds through the standard StoreKit External Purchase Modal Sheet. After submitting these explanations, our app returned to the “In Review” state. However, it has now remained there for five consecutive days, again with no further questions or updates. When combined with the previous review cycles, the total delay is approaching five months. This extended review period is causing significant challenges for our service, as users have been unable to access essential updates and continue facing issues in the outdated version of the app. Has anyone experienced a similar situation where the review remains stuck even after addressing all feedback and providing the required materials? Is there any additional way to escalate or request deeper assistance beyond the standard channels? Any guidance or shared experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Hi all, Our app has been in review since November 1st, and the process has been very slow. We often wait several days between responses, and we keep receiving questions we’ve already answered - even when we point this out in our replies. We’ve contacted Developer Support by email, but the only reply we received was that they’re sorry for the delay and will look into it. We’re unsure whether requesting a phone call might help or if it could pause or reset the review process, and since we’re hoping the next response will finally approve the app, we’ve hesitated to use that option. Has anyone experienced something similar, or does anyone know whether requesting a call has any impact on the current review status? Thanks for any guidance.

The review team rejected our application wrinting this : We have started our review, but we need additional information to continue. Specifically, it appears your app may access or include paid digital content or services, and we want to understand your business model before completing our review. Our app is free and doesn't include any payement package or page But we are coupled to another application for the login. And this other application has a trial period and effectively needs payment after. Do i need to explain in my app all the payment process of the other app ?

I submitted my app for review on November 12, but I still haven’t received any response. It’s now November 25, and the review is still pending. Android is much faster with reviews, it took them 2 days. Could someone from the App Review Team please check my submission? Thank you very much! 🙏 Apple Id: 6753878193

Hello, I’m contacting you for assistance regarding an App Review issue that our company is currently facing. Background Several months ago, a former employee submitted an early prototype of our app using his personal Apple Developer account. That submission was never approved, and after the employee left the company, he removed the app from his account. It is no longer available on the App Store and no longer listed under that account. Recently, we rebuilt the product completely — new UI, new codebase, and a fully updated design — and submitted it under our company’s official Apple Developer account. Issue Our recent submission was rejected with 4.3 – Spam, indicating that our app is considered a duplicate of another existing app. However, the only similar app is the old prototype submitted several months ago by the former employee, which was removed and never published. It seems likely that our submission is being linked to that previous prototype, even though it no longer exists and was submitted under a different personal account. Appeal Status We submitted an Appeal right after receiving the 4.3 rejection. It has now been one week, and we have not received any update or confirmation: No email response No status change in App Review The Appeal does not appear in the Resolution Center The app remains unable to move forward in the review process Request for Assistance Could you please help us with the following? Could you confirm whether our Appeal was successfully received? What is the typical response time for Appeals in cases like this? Is any additional information required from us to continue the review? If the previous submission under the former employee’s personal account is influencing the review, how can we resolve this issue permanently? Is there a recommended way to escalate this situation, given that this app is critical for our company? We sincerely appreciate your time and assistance. Thank you, and we look forward to your guidance.

Hello everyone, I’m looking for guidance regarding my app review timeline, as things seem unusually delayed compared to previous submissions. My iOS app was rejected on November 19th due to AI-related policy questions. I immediately responded to the reviewer with detailed explanations covering: Model used (Gemini Flash 2.0 / 2.5 Lite) How the AI only generates neutral, non-directive reflective questions How the system prevents any diagnosis, therapy-like behavior or recommendations Crisis-handling limitations Safety safeguards at generation and UI level Internal red-team testing and results Data retention, privacy, and non-use of data for model training After sending the requested information, I resubmitted the build on November 19th at 14:40. Since then: November 20th (7:30) → Status changed to In Review. November 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th → No movement, still In Review. My open case on App Store Connect is still pending without updates. Because of the previous rejection, I expected a short delay, but this is now 5 days total and 3 business days with no progress, which feels longer than usual for my past submissions. I’m not sure whether: My app is in a secondary review queue due to the AI-related rejection, The reviewer is waiting for internal clarification, Or if something is stuck and needs to be escalated. I don’t want to resubmit a new build unless necessary, since that would restart the queue. Could someone from the community (or Apple, if possible) confirm whether this waiting time is normal after an AI-policy rejection? And is there anything I should do besides waiting — for example, contacting Developer Support again or requesting a follow-up? Thank you very much for your help. I appreciate any insight from others who have experienced similar delays.

I have reached out to support and they simply tell me they are unable to help me, first redirecting me to generic Apple support, after following up they provided the explanation that they only handle administrative tasks and to post on the forums. I am unable to change my App Tracking Transparency it provides no real error, though network traffic shows a 409 HTTP response from the backend API when trying to save. Here is a screenshot of the result when trying to save. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get this resolved? I've commented back to the reviewers and they simply provided help documentation. I have a technical issue and am unable to get anyone to help resolve this.

Getting early traction can be challenging for a retail app. Beyond running ads, work on improving your App Store and Play Store presence through better screenshots, descriptions and keyword choices. You can also promote the app directly to existing customers with in store QR codes, social media and small influencer partnerships to get your first new users.

Responding to reviews helps ASO because it encourages better user sentiment, improves rating recovery, and builds trust for new users checking your app. Converting negative reviews into positive ones has a strong impact on ranking. Engaging consistently with users is one of the simplest ways to strengthen overall ASO performance.

My account has been active and in good standing for the past 2 years, and during this time I have never received any warnings or issues. Recently, after Apple reviewed my account, I received a notification about possible termination. After carefully reviewing the situation myself, I realized what may have caused this: I originally registered my Apple Developer account as an Individual Developer Account, However, the bank account used for App Store payments belongs to my registered company, At the time, I was not aware that the legal entity of the bank account must match the Apple Developer account registration. This was not done with any intention to misrepresent or misuse the platform. It was simply a misunderstanding of the account requirements. We have never deceived our users or the Apple Review Team in any way. For us as developers, providing an excellent user experience has always been our top priority, and we have always aimed to follow Apple’s review and compliance standards closely. We sincerely hope that, given our situation, the Apple Review Team could grant us an opportunity to correct these issues.

Hello I am trying to release an app, dealing with storing, delivering, and maintaining outdoor activity euqipememts. On web, I used widget provided by TOSS, which is a Korean banking application. Due to lack of time I have use lazy method User taps the “Pay” button ↓ Backend generates a payment URL (Toss Payments) ↓ Open the payment page in an external browser (Safari) ↓ User completes the payment in Safari ↓ Return to the app via deep link (borini://payment/success) ↓ Call the payment approval API ↓ Display the payment completion page I have hear such method is possible for our type of service which deals with real life goods. So I would love to know if it is actually possible or will I have to make a new payment method using apple provided payment method in order to pass APP Store Connect review before releasing application

I developed a mobile game which is a shooter/endless waves type of game. I submitted a few months ago and got rejected under guideline 4.3.0 -design spam. I went and redesigned the while thing, ADDED A COMPLETE MULTIPLAYER functionality where you can battle other real players. Submitted it again last Friday, week ago. Got the same rejection reason 4.3.0 - design spam. After explaining the features I added they wrote me back saying that the issue is resolved and then rejected due to some technical error I did when filling out the age rating settings. Fixed that and AGAIN they rejected under guideline 4.3.0 - design spam!! Even after attaching them a screenshot of the message that CLEARLY shows they resolved that issue, they keep on rejecting under 4.3.0 it’s like they are not even looking at the screenshot, or even looking in the message history. Does this make any sense to anyone? That 2 days ago they said 4.3.0 was resolved, then not? the app was developed entirely from scratch, no free assets, no templates, I have adobe files to prove it. please advise, I am loosing my mind.

Can multiple apps be published under the same organization that use the same logo and the same app name, but are intended for different regions? Each app will target a specific country or region, and the core functionality will be similar. I could not find any specific App Store Review Guideline stating whether it is allowed to have the same app name and branding for different regional versions. Is it necessary to differentiate the branding or name for each regional version to get approval during App Review?

Its been 4 days now and apparently it is unusual for it to take more than 48 hour? Any advice on who to contact to get this looked at?

Need Clarification on Pending Termination Notice for “Ethereum Cloud Miner Sim” App Hello Apple Developer Community, My developer account recently received a Pending Termination Notice, stating that my account may have been used for dishonest or fraudulent activity. I am very concerned and would like clear guidance on how to properly resolve this situation. My app is “Ethereum Cloud Miner Sim”, which is a simulation-only app, not real mining. To avoid misunderstanding, I clearly included: “Sim” in the app name A full disclaimer in the description No external payments, no misleading claims, no incentives, and no financial functionality Despite this, the app was removed and my account received the termination warning. I want to understand: What specific part of my app or metadata was interpreted as dishonest or fraudulent? How can I correct the issue so my account is not terminated? Is there any additional clarification or documentation I should provide? Does Apple consider simulation apps (non-functional mining simulations) as violating Guideline 5.6? My intention has always been to follow Apple's guidelines carefully, and I am ready to make any changes required. I kindly request direction from Apple or anyone in the community who has experienced a similar issue. Thank you for your time and guidance.

Hello everyone, I hope you are all doing well. I’m opening this discussion because we’ve encountered a repeated Guideline 4.3 rejection for an update, despite having previously addressed the same concern with the App Review team and reaching a resolution. Several weeks ago, we went through a detailed review process regarding Guideline 4.3. We provided full technical explanations, clarified our development structure, redesigned parts of the UI, and made all adjustments requested by the App Review team. That update was ultimately approved, and the app has been live on the App Store since then without any issues. However, our new submission—which includes only a critical bug fix—is now being rejected again for the same 4.3 reason. No changes have been made to the concept, design, or core functionality since the previously approved version. The update is not introducing new features or new UI; it simply resolves a performance bug affecting downloads and uploads, which users are already experiencing in the live version. We operate a single developer account, and our apps are entirely built in-house. Although we use open-source VPN cores (such as Xray-core and Clash), these frameworks are publicly available on GitHub and are commonly used by many developers. Our implementations, configurations, and UI are fully custom and not shared with any other apps. This was already reviewed and confirmed in our previous submission. We have already sent clear and detailed technical explanations through the Resolution Center—similar to what was accepted in our earlier approval—but unfortunately, it hasn’t resolved the issue this time. This situation is becoming difficult for us because: The current live version has a performance bug that users are already affected by. We are in the middle of ongoing campaigns, meaning delays can lead to financial impact. Negative user feedback due to this unresolved bug could permanently damage the app’s reputation. Since this exact concern was previously reviewed, discussed, and resolved with App Review, we are unsure why the same guideline is suddenly being applied to a simple bug-fix update. So I wanted to ask the community: Has anyone faced a similar situation where a previously resolved 4.3 issue resurfaced on later updates? Are there any specific details or approaches that helped clarify the situation for the review team? Is there anything additional we should highlight to prevent misunderstanding on automated or manual review? Any insights or shared experiences from other developers would be extremely valuable. Thank you in advance for your time and support.

Our app was just rejected by Apple because they say the subscription management sheet never loads. It just spins indefinitely. We're using StoreKit's manageSubscriptionsSheet view modifier to present the sheet, and it's always worked for us when testing in SandBox. Has anyone else had this problem? Given that it's Apple's own code that got us rejected, what's our path forward?

Consistent user signals are more important than metadata; they promote favourable reviews, strong retention, and frequent updates to improve ranking. To determine what actually converts on your App Store product page, combine these with A/B testing.

Our app (app1) was recently transferred from Team A to Team B. While reviewing the Apple login implementation, we discovered that "Sign in with Apple" had been incorrectly set up to use the Service ID and App ID of another app (app2) — specifically, it was using app2.service as the Service ID and app2 as the App ID. In other words, app1’s users were authenticated through app2’s credentials due to a misconfiguration on our part. Now that app1 has been transferred to Team B, we’re trying to preserve those users. However, app2 is still in Team A, and we cannot maintain Team A anymore — meaning app2 must also be transferred to Team B if we want to retain access to the user data. One idea we considered is submitting app2 for App Review (even though it's non-functional) just to fulfill the transfer requirements, and then transferring it to Team B solely to retain the Apple login setup. Is this approach acceptable? Are there any recommended ways to handle this kind of misconfiguration while preserving existing Sign in with Apple users?

Hi everyone, I submitted an appeal to the App Review Board over 14 days ago, but I still haven’t received any update or acknowledgment. I’m now at a standstill, as this delay is blocking my app release and preventing me from moving forward. Is there a typical timeframe for ARB responses? And is there any recommended way to follow up or get the appeal looked at? Any insight from others who’ve been through the process would be appreciated. Thanks.