After months of hard work developing an app with unique mechanics and a distinct user experience, we recently faced a rejection under Guideline 4.3(b) (Spam/Saturated Category). The feedback we received stated that there are "already enough of these apps on the App Store." While we completely understand Apple's need to filter out low-quality clones, it feels like this guideline sometimes overlooks genuine originality. The most frustrating part for independent developers is that the category you fall into seems to matter more than the actual value your app provides. Whether the app is positioned in lifestyle, entertainment, or productivity, a rigid "category quota" can prevent reviewers from truly seeing the unique features we built. This creates a significant hurdle for new entrants and makes it incredibly difficult for fresh ideas to break into established categories. It feels less about the quality of the application and more about timing—as if early arrivers have a permanent advantage over newcomers, regardless of how much innovation the new app brings to the table. Ultimately, we believe this limits consumer choice. Users deserve the opportunity to discover and decide between new, modern alternatives, rather than having their options restricted by a pre-determined saturation limit. We hope Apple reconsiders how 4.3(b) is applied, ensuring that the App Store remains a place where truly innovative apps, regardless of their category, have a fair chance to be evaluated on their own merits.

I have been in a rejection loop due to not being able to link the subscription item to the app for months, connect reviewers don't seem to understand my issue So I finally got the IAP /sub section to appear in the version after deleting the first rejected sub product. It linked, the IAP and app were in a 'ready to submit' state as advised from this forum post. I have deleted the sub product twice, got it to link twice but each time I submit the sub is removed from the build and doesn't get reviewed, as the sub product doesn't get approved the build gets rejected. You can clearly see the sub product linked in the attached image below, when I navigate away or refresh the page the sub product is gone and the reviewer can't see the sub product. I have advised the review team numerous times but just get the generic go to the forums etc etc. responses How do I appeal a review? or just some actual help from apple? I basically said all this in my latest reply to review and they said contact help, is that the best route? Sub ID b80d3cf0-ba67-4e6c-83af-28e6bebb973d

Hello, I’m having an issue with my first subscription for my app WealthSlices, where the subscription appears correctly when testing locally from Xcode, but App Store reviewers appear unable to retrieve the product. Symptoms When I run the app from Xcode on my iPhone using the Sandbox environment: The subscription loads successfully. The purchase sheet appears. I can complete a sandbox purchase. However, when App Review tests the app, the paywall fails to load products and the app shows the following message: "No Products found. Purchases are temporarily unavailable on this device." Environment App: WealthSlices Platform: iOS Testing locally via Xcode → Sandbox Apple ID Subscription type: Auto-renewable subscription Product: WealthSlices Basic ($9.99/month) StoreKit: StoreKit 2 Current build: 1.0.7 (Build 32) What works locally When running via Xcode: StoreKit successfully fetches products. The subscription sheet appears with the correct pricing. Sandbox purchase flow completes normally. What appears to happen during App Review It appears that Product.products(for:) returns an empty list when the reviewers test the app. Things I have already verified The subscription is created in App Store Connect. It is attached to the current app version under In-App Purchases and Subscriptions. The subscription has pricing and localization configured. The subscription is in Ready to Submit status. The bundle ID and product ID match the code. Paid Apps Agreement is active. I uploaded a new build after creating the subscription. Question Is there something specific required for first-time subscription submissions that might cause the product not to appear during App Review but still work in local sandbox testing? Is there a known delay or propagation requirement for subscriptions before they can be fetched by Product.products(for:) in TestFlight/App Review environments? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. also there doesn't seem to be an option to select the subscription over at https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/apps/6754225986/distribution/ios/version/inflight but there is no option to add it Thank you!

Starting today, we have been seeing this error message. This is a blocker for my team and any help is appreciated Things I've investigated: Testflight Apple status page is green Our signing certificate is valid/ unexpired Provisioning profile is valid/ unexpired There are no pending Apple account agreements Doesn't seem to matter if user also is a member of my company's Apple Business Manager developer team Cellular data is turned off Date/ time is correct User was unable to install app using a personal gmail account and unregistered device User was able to use Testflight to install a third-party app outside of our corporate account Uninstalling/ reinstalling Testflight didn't help

Hello, I created an app using the latest version of Xcode (16.2), and I'm having a problem testing this app on my iPhones. I created this app just like all the others I've made for my clients, including one on (03/24/25), but when I went to upload another App to App Store Connect on (03/26/25) I couldn't test it on my phone. Points to consider: The app runs perfectly on the Emulator. All my terms and agreements with Apple are up to date. I tried to download the apps through Testflight on 2 different devices, iPhone 7 Plus (iOS 15.8.1) and iPhone 15 Pro Max (iOS 18.3.2), and I was unsuccessful in neither attempt. I can send my app to the internal testers, but when I click download, the following message appears: Could not install [APP NAME]. The requested App is not available or doesn't exist. I imagine this problem is with Apple itself, I have already contacted support, but I need to resolve this urgently for my customers. Has anyone experienced this and resolved it?

All my business documents are in an active state, including the Part XX of the Income Tax Act (necessary for Canadians), but app.store connect won't let me bundle subcriptions or in-store payements with my app or let me submit it b/c is says I'm not in compliance. It's incredibly frustrating b/c it must be an internal error. anyone else having this issue?

Re. APP ID 6758894172 This app was submitted on February 16, and since then it has been showing as waiting for review. I have contacted the support email multiple times as well as requesting the review to be expedited, but no response and no change in app status. Could you please investigate this matter and let me know what the issue is?

Hello, My app “DeepTone” has been fully approved and is marked as Ready for Distribution in App Store Connect. However, the app is not available in EU countries due to Digital Services Act (DSA) compliance still showing “In Review”. details: DSA verification was submitted and confirmed as completed by Apple Developer Support (case ID available). App Review has already approved the app. The app is currently live in non-EU regions but blocked in the EU. App Store Connect still shows: Digital Services Act (DSA) compliance – In Review Encryption Self-Declaration (France) – In Review This appears to be a backend compliance status issue rather than an app review issue. Has anyone experienced a similar situation where DSA compliance remained “In Review” after approval? Is there a known escalation path or expected resolution timeframe for this? Thank you for any guidance.

Summary I am unable to link my In-App Purchases and Subscriptions to my app version in App Store Connect. The "In-App Purchases and Subscriptions" section described in Apple's documentation is not visible on my version preparation page, making it impossible to associate IAPs with my build before submission. Steps to Reproduce Open App Store Connect → My Apps → [App Name] Navigate to the app version in "Prepare for Submission" state Scroll through the entire version page The "In-App Purchases and Subscriptions" section is not present anywhere on the page Expected Behavior According to Apple's documentation and the note shown on the Subscriptions page itself: ▎ "Your first subscription must be submitted with a new app version. Create your subscription, then select it in the 'In-App Purchases or Subscriptions' section of the app's version page before submitting the version for review." The section should be visible and allow me to select my configured subscriptions. Actual Behavior The section does not appear on the version page at all. My subscriptions (monthly, yearly, lifetime) are all in "Ready to Submit" state and correctly configured, but there is no way to link them to the build. Account & Contracts Status All prerequisites are in place: All contracts (Paid Apps Agreement) are signed and active — nothing pending under "Business" / "Agreements, Tax, and Banking" Banking and tax information is fully set up No open items or warnings under the Business section in App Store Connect Despite all account requirements being fulfilled, the IAP linking section remains absent from the version page. Impact This is blocking my app from being approved. Apple's reviewer rejected my submission with Guideline 2.1(a) stating the subscription screen showed no available plans. The reviewer cannot see the IAPs because they were never linked to the version — which I cannot do due to this missing UI section. Environment App Store Connect via browser (Safari + Chrome, both tested) App status: "Prepare for Submission" IAP status: All three products "Ready to Submit" First-time submission (new app, never been approved before) Workaround None found. This appears to be a UI bug in the current version of App Store Connect. Has anyone else encountered this? Is there a way to link IAPs to a build via the API or any other workaround?

When tryin to create a new app, I keep getting the error saying I need to accept the new Apple Developer Program License Agreement, which I did over 12 hours ago now. I even have the email showing that it has been accepted. Why am I still seeing this? Also, I just left my old company's team on App Store Connect and now when I login to Apple Developer it's only showing their account, not my personal account. This is frustrating/sad how terrible this flow is.

I successfully registered an account a few days ago and tested the app internally, but when I published the link, the application automatically expired. When I submitted it again, I received the message: "There was an error processing your request. Please try again later." I have contacted support but have not received a response. Case ID: 102861441465

Hi, My app status is currently “Ready for Distribution”, but it still hasn’t appeared on the App Store and I’m not sure what is blocking the release. In App Store Connect, I have already completed: • Agreements, Tax, and Banking (all active) • Pricing and Availability (countries selected) • Automatic release is enabled However: • My Digital Services Act (DSA) status is still “In Review” • I am also in the process of changing my account from Individual to Organization At this point, I’m not sure if the delay is caused by DSA review, account type change, or something else. Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Is there anything else I should check or complete to make sure the app goes live? Apple ID: 6760753842 Thank you.

Hi all, I was wondering if someone could provide more information about the Digital Services Act review process. I haven’t been able to find any details online, and I haven’t received a response to my support requests (it has been 9 days so far). I submitted the requested Digital Services Act information on February 27, but I haven’t received any update or automated confirmation email. The request is still visible under business agreements in my Apple Store Connect account. Does anyone know how long this review typically takes? Or whether I should contact support through a different channel? Thank you in advance!

Hello, I am posting here to ask whether anyone has recently experienced a similar situation. My app has remained in “Waiting for Review” for an unusually long time. Timeline: The initial submission stayed in “Waiting for Review” for about 10 days I assumed it might be related to a temporary queue or system issue, so I canceled that submission and resubmitted The current submission was resubmitted on March 19, 2026 It is still showing “Waiting for Review” I have contacted Apple through multiple support cases regarding this issue. Some of those cases have not received a response, and despite these inquiries, there has still been no visible review activity. In addition, I submitted an expedited review request on March 17, 2026. Later, on March 31, 2026, I received a response from Apple Developer Support confirming that the expedited review request had been accepted and that the review should begin shortly. However, even after that response, the submission still remains in “Waiting for Review,” and there has been no visible change indicating that the actual review has started. For reference, the related support case IDs are: 102846840976 102853198849 I have also already reviewed and updated the relevant account-side items, including agreements/contracts and related App Store Connect requirements, and I do not see any visible issue on my side. Current status: No rejection No “In Review” status No visible error in App Store Connect At this point, I am trying to understand whether: this is currently a known review queue delay, it is normal for an accepted expedited review to remain in “Waiting for Review” for this long, or there may be some hidden submission or account issue that does not appear in App Store Connect. If anyone has experienced a similar situation recently, I would appreciate hearing whether the review eventually started on its own or whether any additional action was required. Thank you.

Hello, I am posting here to ask whether anyone has recently experienced a similar situation. My app has remained in “Waiting for Review” for an unusually long time. Timeline: The initial submission stayed in “Waiting for Review” for about 10 days I assumed it might be related to a temporary queue or system issue, so I canceled that submission and resubmitted The current submission was resubmitted on March 19, 2026 It is still showing “Waiting for Review” I have contacted Apple through multiple support cases regarding this issue. Some of those cases have not received a response, and despite these inquiries, there has still been no visible review activity. In addition, I submitted an expedited review request on March 17, 2026. Later, on March 31, 2026, I received a response from Apple Developer Support confirming that the expedited review request had been accepted and that the review should begin shortly. However, even after that response, the submission still remains in “Waiting for Review,” and there has been no visible change indicating that the actual review has started. For reference, the related support case IDs are: 102846840976 102853198849 I have also already reviewed and updated the relevant account-side items, including agreements/contracts and related App Store Connect requirements, and I do not see any visible issue on my side. Current status: No rejection No “In Review” status No visible error in App Store Connect At this point, I am trying to understand whether: this is currently a known review queue delay, it is normal for an accepted expedited review to remain in “Waiting for Review” for this long, or there may be some hidden submission or account issue that does not appear in App Store Connect. If anyone has experienced a similar situation recently, I would appreciate hearing whether the review eventually started on its own or whether any additional action was required. Thank you.

Hello, I’m looking for help with my Apple Developer Program enrollment. I was charged twice for the Apple Developer Program, but my membership is still not active. I have already contacted Apple Developer Support multiple times and have not received a response. Current support case IDs: 102858984144 102856097291 Timeline: First support requests were submitted on March 30, 2026 Another enrollment-related request was submitted on April 2, 2026 As of today, there has been no reply and my membership is still inactive What I need: Confirmation of the status of both payments Activation of my Apple Developer Program membership Refund of the duplicate charge if both payments were successfully captured I can provide masked order numbers and payment proof if needed. If anyone from Apple staff is able to review or escalate this case, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

Hi everyone, My app has been stuck in "In Review" status for over 20 days with no updates. I submitted the app on March 1, 2026, the status changed to "In Review" on March 4, 2026, and after that no changes. App ID: 6755649144 I also reached out to Apple Developer Support on March 15 but haven't received any response. Support Case ID: 102845096494 Could someone from App Review please take a look? Also any advice on how to move things forward would be appreciated. Thank you!

New member here, please be gentle :) I am getting ready for App Review for my first iOS app, and I am curious if ANY level of obfuscation is allowed? Say I had a drone controller App, I might have something like this: struct Drone{ var name : String var forwardVelocity : Double var lateralVelocity : Double var verticalVelocity : Double var receivedSignalStrength : Int var rssThreshhold : Int var gpsCoordinates : Data func reverseCourse(){ //do a 180 //... } } func onUpdateReceivedSignalStength(drone:Drone){ if drone.receivedSignalStrength < drone.rssThreshhold{ drone.reverseCourse() } } But I don't really want to make it easy for someone to pull the strings from the binaries and try and copy my work. I realize it's pretty much inevitable, but it seems sensible to protect my IP as much as I can. Is something like this acceptable? struct D{ //obfuscated Drone var parameter1 : String //name var parameter2 : Double //forwardVelocity var parameter3 : Double //lateralVelocity var parameter4 : Double //verticalVelocity var parameter5 : Int //receivedSignalStength var parameter6 : Int //rssThreshhold var parameter7 : Data //gpsCoordinates func funcSeven(){ //do a 180 //... } } func funcSix(d:D){ //check if signal strength requires a course reversal if d.parameter5 < d.parameter6{ // signal strength less than threshhold d.funcSeven() //reverse course } } The comments make it clear what the similarly-named parameters are doing, and what the functions do. I fully understand that something like the below is a no-no, just writing it made my eyes bleed: struct DDF{ var SXR : String var KYV : Double var GTC : Double var DKY : Double var ENY : Int var WKN : Int var DJV : Data func BDO(){ //do a 180 //... } } func PUL(KHY:DDF){ if KHY.ENY < KHY.WKN{ KHY.BDO() } } Is there any level of IP protection through obscurity that is acceptable? I realize that the more genericized the variable and function names are, the harder it is to debug, but that might be an acceptable trade-off against IP protection. To be clear, my app isn't anything to do with drones, this was just a vehicle to ask the question with. My code isn't currently at all obfuscated, everything is in clear terms, but I am wondering if I could/should obfuscate the critical parts before App Review and release? The reason for my concern is that a key feature of the app is something very novel, and I have filed a patent application for it. The patent (if granted) won't be granted for 18-24 months, so anything I can do to protect the IP seems like the right thing to do. As a complete newcomer to releasing Apps, I have no experience at all, so I would be grateful for any help/steers from those that do have experience in trying to protect their IP while not making life difficult for the App Review team. Thanks in advance! 6502A

I see a yellow banner on my App Store Connect page with the following message: Apple Developer Program License Agreement Updated The updated Apple Developer Program License Agreement needs to be reviewed. In order to update your existing apps and submit new apps to the App Store, the Account Holder must review and accept the updated agreement by signing in to their account on the Apple Developer website." I am the account owner and I don't see any option to accept the license agreement. I see that the last agreement was signed on 13th December 2021 and it is accepted. I don't see any other agreements anywhere. I am unable to release any apps due to this issue. Does anyone know how to resolve this?

Hello everyone, My app (ID: 6758741935) was submitted on Feb 15, 2026 at 3:51 PM, 2026, and has been stuck in "Waiting for Review" status for over 50 days. I contacted Developer Support and received confirmation that it's proceeding normally, but no update since. On average, Apple reviews 90 percent of apps within 24 hours. However, there might be cases that need more review time, but mine exceeds 50 days.. Any recent experiences with long queues? Thanks!