Guide · Rules and requirements

App Store approval: how to get your app through review

The short answer: Apple reviews every app and every update manually against its App Review Guidelines, and a normal review typically takes one to two days. Google Play uses a combination of automated and manual checks, and new personal developer accounts must first run a closed test with testers for 14 days. Most rejections come down to a few recurring mistakes that good preparation avoids. Here is the list.

11 min read · Updated 1 October 2026

The launch is planned for a Monday. The press release is written, the newsletter is ready, and on Friday afternoon an email arrives from Apple: “Guideline 2.1 – Performance – App Completeness”. The reviewer could not log in, because the demo account required an SMS code sent to a phone sitting in the office. The weekend goes on fixing, resubmitting and waiting. It is one of the most common reasons for rejection, and it is entirely avoidable. App Store approval is rarely hard. It simply requires knowing the rules and preparing.

We build apps in React Native, so one codebase is published in both the App Store and Google Play. This guide describes the process in both stores, the rejections we see most often and a timeline you can plan around. The stores’ rules change continuously, so always check Apple’s App Review Guidelines and Google’s Developer Program Policies for the current wording.

How does App Store review work?

Once the app is built and tested, it is uploaded through App Store Connect along with its name, description, screenshots, privacy details, age rating and notes for the reviewer. It then waits in the queue until someone at Apple installs it, tries it and assesses it against the guidelines. The guidelines are divided into five areas: safety, performance, business, design and legal. If the app is approved, you can release it immediately or at a chosen time. If it is rejected, you get a message referring to the specific guideline, and you can reply, fix and resubmit.

Account and agreements

Organisation account in the company’s name, D-U-N-S number, agreements and banking details if you sell in the app.

TestFlight

Internal testing and optionally an external beta, which needs a lighter review by Apple.

Store listing

Name, description, screenshots, App Privacy, age rating and support URL.

Submit for review

With a demo account and notes explaining features that are not obvious.

Approved and released

Release manually, automatically or in stages to part of your users.

The path from finished app to App Store release.

Why do apps get rejected in the App Store?

Rejections follow a pattern. Most happen because something is missing from the submission, or because the app hits a rule the developers did not know about. The table shows the typical reasons we see and how to avoid them. The numbers refer to Apple’s guidelines as they are typically cited in rejection messages.

Typical App Store rejection reasons. Wording and numbering may change, so check Apple’s current guidelines.

Guideline	Typical problem	How to avoid it
2.1 App Completeness	Crashes, dead links, placeholder text, reviewer cannot log in	Test on real devices, and provide a demo account that works without an SMS code
2.3 Accurate Metadata	Screenshots or description do not match the app	Use real screenshots of the submitted version
4.2 Minimum Functionality	The app is a wrapped website with no added value	Use native features such as push, camera, offline or login where they make sense
5.1.1 Data Collection and Storage	Missing privacy policy, unclear permissions, no account deletion	Explain every permission, link to the policy and let users delete their account in the app
3.1.1 In-App Purchase	Digital content is sold with your own payment, bypassing Apple	Use Apple’s purchasing for digital goods, and ordinary payments for physical services
4.8 Login Services	Login via Google or Facebook without a privacy-friendly alternative	Offer Sign in with Apple or an equivalent alternative under the current rules

Account deletion and permissions

Two requirements surprise many. The first is that an app that lets users create an account must also let them delete it inside the app. Writing “send us an email” is not enough. Google has a similar requirement, and there deletion must also be requestable through a web page. The second is that every permission the app asks for, such as camera, location or contacts, needs a text explaining exactly why it is needed. “The app needs your location” gets rejected. “We use your location to show the nearest stores” gets approved. Both tie closely into GDPR for websites and apps.

When is an app “just a website”?

Guideline 4.2 targets apps that are in practice a website wrapped in an app shell. Apple wants an app to offer something a website does not: push notifications, offline access, camera, Apple Pay, Face ID login or an experience built for the phone. If your needs are covered by a good mobile website, a progressive web app can be a better and cheaper choice. We go through the trade-off in our guide to web app vs native app.

How long does App Store and Google Play approval take?

What takes time is usually the preparation around the review. A new organisation account, a D-U-N-S number and Google’s closed test for new personal accounts can together take several weeks if you start late. The table shows a realistic plan for a first release.

Typical timeline for a first release. Times vary, and the stores give no guarantees.

Step	Typical time	Tip
D-U-N-S number and organisation accounts	Days to a couple of weeks	Start as soon as the project is decided
Closed test on Google Play (new personal accounts)	At least 14 days	Use an organisation account, or recruit testers early
Store listing, screenshots and privacy details	1–3 days	Prepare copy in parallel with development
App Store review	Typically 1–2 days	Submit a complete version with a demo account
Google Play review	Hours to several days, often longer for new accounts	Fill in Data safety and target audience carefully
Fix after rejection	1–5 days	Build in a week’s buffer before a fixed launch date

Our advice is simple: never set a launch date less than a week after the first submission. Submit the app for review early and choose manual release, so it sits approved and ready until you press the button. We cover the full timeline for building an app in our guide how long does it take to build an app.

What is the difference between the App Store and Google Play?

Apple App Store

Manual review of every app and update
Developer account USD 99 per year
TestFlight for beta testing
Strict requirements on design, login and in-app purchases
App Privacy details on the store page

Google Play

Automated and manual checks, varying time
Developer account USD 25 one-off
Closed test with testers for 14 days for new personal accounts
Yearly requirements to target a newer Android version
Data safety form on the store page

The two stores ask for many of the same things, in different ways.

Google’s closed testing requirement is worth knowing. If you have a new personal developer account, the app must sit in a closed test with a minimum number of testers who have been opted in for 14 consecutive days before you can apply for production access. The required number of testers has changed over time, so check Google’s current requirement. For companies, the easiest route is usually an organisation account, where the requirement typically does not apply in the same way. Either way, testing with real users before launch is a good idea.

Checklist before you submit your app for review

The app is tested on real iPhones and Android phones, including older models and small screens.
There is no placeholder text, dead buttons or “coming soon” pages.
The reviewer has a demo account with data that works without an SMS code or MitID.
Reviewer notes explain features that require special hardware, location or payment.
The privacy policy is linked from the store page and from the app.
App Privacy and Data safety match the app’s own code and every SDK.
Every permission has a concrete explanation of why it is used.
Users can delete their account inside the app and through a web page.
Digital goods are sold through the stores’ purchasing, physical services through ordinary payments.
Screenshots show the submitted version in the required sizes.
Trader status and EU contact details are filled in.
The launch date is at least a week after the first submission.

What happens when your app is rejected?

Do not panic. A rejection is part of the process and happens to most apps at some point. Read the message carefully, find the guideline it refers to and assess whether the reviewer is right. If they are, fix the issue and resubmit with a short explanation. If they have misunderstood the app, you can reply in the Resolution Center with an explanation, screenshots or a video, and the matter is often resolved that way. If you still disagree, you can appeal to Apple’s App Review Board. With Google, it happens through the Play Console, where you can fix and submit a new version or request a new assessment.

An example: a service company has a booking app built where customers can order and pay for cleaning. The first submission is rejected under 5.1.1, because account deletion was only possible by email. The button is added to the profile, and deletion is wired to the backend so data also disappears from the newsletter tool. The new submission is approved the next day. Payment for the cleaning goes through ordinary card payments, because the service is delivered in the physical world, so there is no commission to Apple. In a process like this, getting from first submission to approval typically takes a few days, and with a week’s buffer the launch date does not move.

What does it cost to get an app published and approved?

The stores themselves are cheap: USD 99 a year for Apple and a one-off USD 25 for Google. What costs money is building the app so it meets the requirements, and keeping it updated as Apple and Google release new operating system versions and introduce new rules. See typical market prices in our guide how much does an app cost. With us, an app for both iOS and Android starts at DKK 28,000 plus DKK 1,200 a month, and the monthly price covers hosting, maintenance, updates, support, security and backups. Read more about React Native app development, or get a fixed price within 24 hours.

Questions about App Store and Google Play approval

Does every update need approval again?

Yes. Every new version uploaded to the App Store or Google Play goes through a new review, even if it only fixes a small bug. Updates are typically faster than the first release, but an update can be rejected for something that was approved before, because the rules change or because a different reviewer sees it differently. Changes to text and content fetched from your own server, on the other hand, do not require a new version. That is a good reason to build the app so content and configuration can be managed from an admin panel.

What does it cost to be in the stores?

Apple charges USD 99 a year for a developer account, and Google charges USD 25 once. If you sell digital goods or subscriptions inside the app, the stores take a commission, typically 15–30 % depending on the programme and revenue. Physical goods and services delivered outside the app, such as a cleaning job, a ticket to a physical event or a webshop order, are paid with ordinary payment methods such as card or MobilePay without a store commission. On top of that come running costs and updates for the app itself.

Who should own the developer account?

You should. The app is published under the account’s name, and whoever owns the account controls the app, the reviews and the users. Create an organisation account in your company’s name with both Apple and Google, and give your developer access as a user with the permissions they need. An organisation account requires a D-U-N-S number, which is free but can take some time to obtain, so start early. If a previous supplier published the app under their own account, it can usually be transferred, but that requires cooperation from both sides.

Can we get a faster review?

Apple offers a way to request an expedited review when there is a critical bug to fix or a time-bound event. It should be used rarely and with a good reason, and there is no guarantee. Google has no equivalent button, but for updates you can use a staged rollout so only part of your users get the new version first. The best way to be fast is to avoid rejections: a complete submission with a demo account, clear notes for the reviewer and a privacy policy that matches the app.

What is a privacy label, and what should we write?

Both Apple and Google require you to state which data the app collects, what it is used for and whether it is shared. Apple calls it App Privacy and Google calls it Data safety. The information is shown on the app’s store page. It must cover both your own code and the SDKs you use, for example for analytics, crash reports or ads. Incorrect information can lead to rejection or to the app being removed later. Use your data map from the GDPR work as the basis, so everything is consistent.

Will our name and address be shown in the store?

Yes, for most companies. Following the EU’s Digital Services Act, developers distributing apps in the EU must declare whether they are traders. If you are, contact details such as address, phone and email are shown on the app’s store page in the EU. This applies to both Apple and Google. Think about which address and phone number to use, so it does not end up being an employee’s private number. Check the stores’ current guidance, as requirements and display may change.

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