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.

Hi everyone, I submitted an update to my existing app. The app has been in "Waiting for Review" for over 6 days, and it hasn't moved to the "In Review" stage yet. This is not a new app submission—it's an update to an existing app that has already been approved previously. Has anyone else experienced similar delays recently? Is this within the normal review timeline, or is there anything I should do besides waiting? I've already contacted Apple Developer Support to ask about the status. Any recent experiences or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hey, I’m working on a notes app and thinking about letting people keep a note visible with Picture-in-Picture while they use other apps. For example, floating a todo list while shopping with Safari or scrolling socials... It would only start if they tap something like “Float Note”, never automatic. They can stop it anytime. Would be using the usual public PiP APIs (AVPictureInPictureController + AVSampleBufferDisplayLayer), similar to some existing note/PiP apps already on the Store. Would App Review be okay with that as an optional, user-started feature in a notes app? Thanks.

I'm stuck on what looks like a backend / account-level TestFlight issue and want to ask if anyone has seen the same pattern. Symptoms (reproduced across three consecutive builds) App Store Connect ingests and processes each build successfully; it shows as "Testing" in TestFlight with no compliance warnings. Internal TestFlight install fails instantly on every tester device with: ▎ "The requested app is not available or does not exist." Device console (itunesstored) at install time: FAILED: TFBundleInstallation serverFailureReason="Error Downloading Install Data" userFailureReason="Requested app not available or does not exist" buildGroup=(null) phase=Failed previousPhaseDescription=ProcessingInstallInitiateResponse serverCode 200 Submitting the same build for external Beta App Review returns: 422 ENTITY_UNPROCESSABLE code: BETA_CONTRACT_MISSING buildGroup=(null) for builds that visibly show as "Testing", plus a persistent BETA_CONTRACT_MISSING, suggests the beta-contract / build-group record for the app is missing or corrupted on the backend. Already verified clean on the developer side Distribution certificate and provisioning profile valid; entitlements match the binary; codesign --verify --deep --strict passes. Free and Paid Apps Agreements both Active; no pending tasks (Banking, Tax complete). App Information, Pricing & Availability, Age Rating, Content Rights, Test Information all complete; build page shows no warnings. Reproduced with multiple testers on multiple iOS 17+ devices, in a fresh internal testing group, after device-side cleanup (sign-out / reinstall TestFlight). Re-uploading a fresh build does not clear it — so it is not bound to a specific binary. Questions Has anyone seen Error Downloading Install Data + buildGroup=(null) + BETA_CONTRACT_MISSING together on a single app? How did you resolve it? 2. Why does ProcessingInstallInitiateResponse return serverCode 200 while still failing with "app not available", for a build that shows as "Testing"? 3. Is there a documented path to request that engineering regenerate a corrupted beta-contract / build-group record, beyond a standard support case? Any pointers appreciated — happy to share device logs / sysdiagnose if useful.

My app has been stuck in the “Waiting for review” 8th circle of hell for 6 days now. No response from Apple support either when I submitted a ticket about this. And all this for a simple incremental feature update I wanted to push. Anyone else dealing with ridiculous wait times? Any strategies for getting someone to actually look at your submission? Not even sure how to proceed at this point so posting here.

We are releasing new app, and review process is like day for day for over 20 days, and each response after submit is sometimes more than 24 hours. On each rejection there is some different issues, that can be reviewed before, we fix them some times in 20 min and then wait for a day. So process is taking to much time. We respect process, but is little bit frustrating to do it repeatedly, and then get reports that something not working which is explained in video, etc.

My iOS app's first submission (ThymeBlock, Apple ID 6779269775) was rejected under 2.3.2 solely over the OPTIONAL promotional images on my two auto-renewable subscriptions. The required fix, deleting the images, was impossible: both subscription records were locked in "Waiting for Review" and the image field disabled. My reply in the submission thread went unanswered for 48+ hours, so I cancelled the submission (standard advice). The cancel completed, no submission exists anymore, and both subscriptions REMAIN locked in "Waiting for Review", held by nothing. I cannot edit them and cannot delete the flagged images, so resubmitting the app version cannot satisfy the rejection: the change App Review required is impossible to make. Developer Program Support has so far responded with unrelated information, and on a call suggested the subscriptions are in review due to "pending charges from July 18", which seems impossible since the app has never been released and has zero customers. This matches threads 705460 and 717024 (same lock; resolved only by Apple server-side). Case number: 20000117635283. Could App Review or App Store Connect staff release my two subscription records to an editable state, or remove the two promotional image as the rejection requested?

I paid the $99 annual Apple Developer Program fee and submitted my first iOS app with the understanding that App Review would normally take approximately one or two days. It has now been six days, and the submission is still sitting in “Waiting for Review.” There has been no review, no request for additional information, no explanation, and no indication that anyone has looked at it. I understand that review times can vary, especially for a first submission, but six days without even entering review seems excessive. Developers are required to pay Apple before they can distribute an app, yet there appears to be no meaningful service-time commitment or communication when a submission remains untouched. Is this currently normal for first-time app submissions? At what point is a developer supposed to conclude that the submission is stuck rather than merely delayed? At this point, I am also wondering whether I should request a refund of the $99 membership fee, since the primary service I paid to access has not been provided within anything resembling the expected timeframe.

[Foxify] Version 1.1.1 (13) Review Hello Apple Support Team, My app's new app version and In-App Purchase appear to be stuck in the review process, and I'd like to check whether there might be an issue with the submission. App Information App Name: Foxify AI - Make Your Own Song. Apple ID: 6761515837. Items for Review: New App Version and New Consumable In-App Purchase. Timeline Submitted: July 21, 2026, at 10:57 AM. As of today (July 27), both the app version and the In-App Purchase have remained in "Waiting for Review" for 7 days. Context We submitted a new app version after addressing the issues raised during the previous review. At the same time, we submitted our first new consumable In-App Purchase, which requires the binary build to test the purchase flow, which has also been stuck for a while and has been rejected a few times due to build rejections and the item itself without a clear reason, so the Apple Review team could test the updated purchase flow together with the new IAP. Normally, both our app updates and In-App Purchases are reviewed within 1–2 days, so this delay seems unusual. Please kindly review the submission. Any guidance or assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and support.

Hello. I submitted a new version of my app, Currency++ (DCAvg), for review several days ago. The review process is usually quite fast, but this time it's taking unusually long. Could you please look into the status of my submission?

Hello, My app Phonema: English Pronunciation (Apple ID: 6791111822, iOS, version 1.0) has been in "Waiting for Review" since July 18, 2026. As of today, July 27, that is nine calendar days without moving to "In Review". Timeline: July 15, 2026 — Prepare for Submission July 18, 2026, 17:50 — Ready for Review July 18, 2026, 17:51 — Waiting for Review July 27, 2026 — still Waiting for Review There are no messages in the Resolution Center, no requests for additional information, and no email from App Review. All required metadata was accepted at submission (export compliance, age rating, privacy details, screenshots). This is not a new developer account. I have another app already live on the App Store, submitted and approved without incident. Could you confirm whether the submission is simply in the queue, or whether there is anything blocking it that requires action on my side? Thank you.

Hi all, Does anyone have the solution,; my app is not available in the EU, where I am based, due to the "La législation sur les services numériques" and the verification of it. I gave all the information the 23/7 and no news. Impossible to know if the app will be soon available in the EU what's problematic cause we want to start to provide it to students (it is a free education app with no in app purchase).

Hi everyone, Looking for advice or visibility from anyone who has faced a similar pattern. My app “Dance with Lorenzo Tahiti” was reviewed normally on June 5–6 (reached “In Review,” got rejected with feedback, fixed and resubmitted on June 7, reached “In Review” again). Since June 21, every submission has gone straight to “Waiting for Review” and never progressed to “In Review” again — not on June 21, not on July 7, not on July 14 (tried resubmitting 3 times that day alone). Each time I cancelled and resubmitted hoping to reset the queue, but the pattern repeats. Current build: version 1.0.13 (28), submitted July 14, still “Waiting for Review” 13 days later. Also opened a support case with Apple Developer Program Support (case ID 102949355152) — received only an automated acknowledgment so far, no human response yet. Has anyone experienced submissions falling out of the reviewer-assignment pipeline like this after a cancel/resubmit cycle? Did filing a Feedback Assistant ticket, or a completely new version number, help unblock it? Any guidance appreciated — this is affecting real students waiting on scheduled content.

Our app — a screen-time / focus app — has had no App Review activity for two weeks, and we believe the trigger was an automated Guideline 2.5.1 check that froze an otherwise actively progressing review. (This forum account is linked to the developer account in question; we can provide the App ID, bundle IDs, submission IDs, and support case numbers through any private channel on request.) Context: Jul 2–5: Our first submission (Version 1.0.0) was under active review. We went through several ordinary metadata / paywall-related iterations, and the reviewer responded within roughly 24 hours each time. Nothing related to Screen Time was raised in these human reviews of builds 9 and 10. Jul 8: After we submitted build 11 — which addressed the remaining human-review feedback — we received an automated Guideline 2.5.1 (Performance: Software Requirements) message stating that the app uses the Screen Time API but has not been submitted with the Family Controls entitlement, and that review of the submission cannot proceed. All reviewer activity stopped at that point, and there has been none since. What we verified: The Family Controls (Distribution) entitlement is granted to our account and assigned to all four bundle IDs (the main app plus its DeviceActivityMonitor, ShieldAction, and ShieldConfiguration extensions). We verified with codesign that com.apple.developer.family-controls = true is present in the code signature and embedded provisioning profile of every one of the four executables in the submitted IPA — so the entitlement named in the automated message is present in the flagged build. For context: builds 9 and 10, with an identical Screen Time API surface and identical entitlements (verified at the binary level with nm against the submitted artifacts), had been human-reviewed on Jul 2–5 with no Screen Time-related objection. We recognize those builds may simply not have reached the automated analysis stage before being superseded, so we do not draw firm conclusions from that. What we did anyway (build 12, submitted Jul 9): In case the automated check actually concerns the separate com.apple.developer.family-controls.app-and-website-usage entitlement (which we do not request and do not need), we removed every reference from our main app to the APIs associated with it: AuthorizationStatus.approvedWithDataAccess, ManagedSettings.Application.bundleIdentifier, ManagedSettings.Application.localizedDisplayName, ManagedSettings.ActivityCategory.localizedDisplayName, and ManagedSettings.WebDomain.domain. We verified with nm that none of the four executables in the build 12 IPA reference these APIs. The app does not use FamilyActivityData, DeviceActivityReport, app usage events, web usage events, or App and Website Usage data access. No automated message has appeared for build 12. What has happened since: Jul 9–14: No reviewer activity on build 12. We filed an expedited review request and opened two Developer Support cases (Jul 8 and Jul 14). No response to any of them. Around Jul 15: Hoping to clear the frozen state, we cancelled and resubmitted the same Version 1.0.0 / build 12. Around Jul 17: Filed a second expedited review request for the new submission. Jul 22 (today): The new submission has been in "Waiting for Review" since Jul 15, with no reviewer activity and no reply to either support case or either expedite request. What we are asking: Could someone check whether the Jul 8 automated flag is still attached to the app record and blocking reviewer assignment, and help get the current submission assigned to a reviewer? If the automated check flags build 12 again, could the message specify which entitlement and which binary / API references triggered it, so we can address it precisely? We can provide codesign output, entitlement plists, provisioning profile dumps, and nm symbol listings on request. Thank you.

I'm looking to distribute multiple versions of an iOS app, each customized with different branding for various clients. I understand that for public App Store submissions, guideline 4.3(a) prohibits multiple Bundle IDs of the same app to prevent spam. My question: Do these same restrictions apply to Custom App Distribution (unlisted apps)? Is it permissible to submit multiple white-labeled versions of the same core app through Custom App Distribution? I've reviewed the Custom Apps documentation but couldn't find clear guidance on this specific scenario. Any insights from developers who have experience with similar situations would be appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Hello Apple Developer Community and App Review Team, I received a Pending Termination Notice regarding Section 4.3 (Spam) for my games (Scream Bird and Hopscotch). I submitted a formal appeal 7 days ago detailing the technical context, but I have not yet received an automated confirmation email or a case tracking number. Full Context of My Situation: I had previously published a game called "Scream Bird" on this account, and that was the first time I received a 4.3 Spam error. It was the first time I'd encountered this error, as all my games and applications are designed by me, from the buttons to the characters and gameplay. When I received that error, I tried to understand and modify my game a bit, thinking it might have overlapped with an existing game. But that build continued to receive the 4.3 Spam error. This time, I really didn't know what to do. I intended to keep the gameplay but redesign everything. Strangely, while I was trying to redesign and change my game, I received an email saying that Apple was reviewing my app (the one that had just been rejected), and just minutes later, my game was approved and ready for distribution. This was the first time I'd encountered something like this. I thought the review team had re-evaluated my game and changed their minds. And since the game was approved, I didn't know what else to do and just continued working on other projects. Shortly after, Google AdMob approved it (because the game was already live on the store), so ads started appearing on the game (I think this was the issue, causing the system to automatically think my game had been flagged for content changes, but the content was already there; it was just that I had set a production ID for the ads at the time, so they weren't showing – that was partly my fault). But the problems didn't end there. Recently, I published a new game called "Hopscotch" and encountered the 4.3 Spam issue again. It was then that I really looked back at the binary files I built for my games and was shocked to realize that this might be the reason the automated system incorrectly flagged my games as spam. Technical Explanation (Godot Framework & Shared Native Libraries): I build all my games myself using Godot (3.x and 4.x). Regardless of the version, I write supporting libraries (mainly to call simple native features). Therefore, all my games will have files like: notch.a, share.a, haptics.a, local-notification.a, inappstore.a... You can check it out on my GitHub page; most of it is public. https://github.com/kyoz/godot-notch https://github.com/kyoz/godot-share https://github.com/kyoz/godot-local-notification https://github.com/kyoz/godot-haptics https://github.com/kyoz/godot-leaderboard https://github.com/kyoz/godot-native-rating https://github.com/kyoz/godot-flashlight etc... However, the entire game, from images, models, scenes... almost everything I designed myself, was packed into a single [game].pck file by Godot. This makes my Godot-built games look very similar in terms of binary, but in terms of content and gameplay, they are completely unrelated. My Commitment: I've been on my Apple journey for over five years now, and I've published 20 apps/games. The journey so far hasn't been easy. But I promise I've always complied with Apple's policies. I have never engaged in subscription scams, fake reviews, bait-and-switch tactics, or any of the fraudulent conduct described in the termination notice. I am respectfully requesting: Confirmation if my appeal submitted 7 days ago is actively under review by the App Review Board. A status update or Case Reference Number for tracking. I am fully cooperative and ready to provide full source code, Godot project files, or any documentation needed. Thank you so much for your time and assistance! Best regards, Phan Minh Cuong

我首次在2.0.0版本新增 App 内购买项目。此前将 2.0.0 版本连同全套内购一并提交审核，后续 App 版本审核被拒。 当前所有内购项目状态均为【准备提交 Ready to Submit】，App 版本 2.0.0 处于准备提交状态，已正常上传并选中构建包；付费协议、税务、银行信息全部生效。 但是版本详情页面完全缺失【App 内购买项目与订阅】板块， 官方老拿没用的话糊弄我，请问这个问题怎么解决？

我首次在2.0.0版本新增 App 内购买项目。此前将 2.0.0 版本连同全套内购一并提交审核，后续 App 版本审核被拒。 当前所有内购项目状态均为【准备提交 Ready to Submit】，App 版本 2.0.0 处于准备提交状态，已正常上传并选中构建包；付费协议、税务、银行信息全部生效。 但是版本详情页面完全缺失【App 内购买项目与订阅】板块， 官方老拿没用的话糊弄我，请问这个问题怎么解决？

Hi everyone, My app E-Forward (v4.4.10) has been in Waiting for Review for a week now, which is longer than the usual turnaround I've seen. I haven't received any messages requesting more information, and everything in App Store Connect looks complete on my end. Has anyone experienced a similar delay recently? And if any Apple staff happen to see this — I'd greatly appreciate any guidance on the status or on what I can do to help move things along. Thank you!

Hello, I'm experiencing a very unusual issue with App Store Connect and would appreciate any advice. Timeline: I submitted version 1.1.2 of my macOS app "Wallpets" for review. I received the notification that the app status changed to "In Review". Shortly after that, App Store Connect became completely inaccessible. A few minutes later, I received another notification that the app was "Rejected". However, App Store Connect is still unusable. Submission ID: 956a336e-1862-4abe-9bbd-c700a654f3df Current symptoms: • On the App Store Connect website, the Apps page displays: "Sorry, something went wrong. Try your request again." and it incorrectly shows "No Apps", even though my app has existed for some time. • The App Store Connect iOS app displays: "App Store Connect is currently unavailable." • TestFlight on macOS also reports: "TestFlight is currently unavailable." • The "View in App Store Connect" link from the rejection email also fails because App Store Connect cannot load. I can still log into my Apple Developer account and the Apple Developer website works normally. The issue only affects App Store Connect and TestFlight. Has anyone experienced this before? Is this likely to be: a temporary App Store Connect backend issue, an account-specific problem, or something that can happen after an app review rejection? I've attached screenshots showing: The review status notifications. The App Store Connect website error ("No Apps"). The App Store Connect iOS error. The TestFlight unavailable error. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Update: This issue started immediately after my app entered review, before I received the rejection notification. Additional information: I can successfully sign in to developer.apple.com. Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles are all accessible. The issue only affects App Store Connect and TestFlight.

Hello, Our app FlowCast (Apple ID: 6790962652, iOS, version 1.0) was submitted on July 17, 2026 and has remained in "Waiting for Review" for ten days. It has never moved to "In Review". There are no messages in the Resolution Center and no requests for additional information. This is the first App Store submission for this app. All required metadata, assets, permissions and compliance information were provided at submission. On July 24, 2026 we completed an outstanding DSA trader status declaration on the account, in case that was blocking the submission; there has been no change since. An expedited review request was submitted on July 26, 2026. Could you please confirm whether the submission is progressing normally, or whether there is an issue on our side that we need to resolve? Thank you.