Wewillneverspamyouorgiveyouremailtoothers.
September18,2024
Thecompletesetofchangescanbeseenbelow:
IntroductionTheguidingprincipleoftheAppStoreissimple—wewanttoprovideasafeexperienceforuserstogetappsandagreatopportunityforalldeveloperstobesuccessful.WedothisbyofferingahighlycuratedAppStorewhereeveryappisreviewedbyexpertsandaneditorialteamhelpsusersdiscovernewappseveryday.Wealsoscaneachappformalwareandothersoftwarethatmayimpactusersafety,security,andprivacy.TheseeffortshavemadeApple’splatformsthesafestforconsumersaroundtheworld.
ForeverythingelsethereisalwaystheopenInternet.IftheAppStoremodelandguidelinesoralternativeappmarketplacesandNotarizationforiOSandiPadOSappsarenotbestforyourapporbusinessideathat’sokay,weprovideSafariforagreatwebexperiencetoo.
WhenpeopleinstallanappfromtheAppStore,theywanttofeelconfidentthatit’ssafetodoso—thattheappdoesn’tcontainupsettingoroffensivecontent,won’tdamagetheirdevice,andisn’tlikelytocausephysicalharmfromitsuse.We’veoutlinedthemajorpitfallsbelow,butifyou’relookingtoshockandoffendpeople,theAppStoreisn’ttherightplaceforyourapp.SomeoftheserulesarealsoincludedinNotarizationforiOSandiPadOSapps.
August08,2024
IntroductionAfewotherpointstokeepinmindaboutdistributingyourapponourplatforms:
DevelopmentGuidelinesDeveloperDocumentation
April10,2024
March08,2024
AppStoreReviewGuidelinesAppsarechangingtheworld,enrichingpeople’slives,andenablingdeveloperslikeyoutoinnovatelikeneverbefore.Asaresult,theAppStorehasgrownintoanexcitingandvibrantecosystemformillionsofdevelopersandmorethanabillionusers.Whetheryouareafirst-timedeveloperoralargeteamofexperiencedprogrammers,weareexcitedthatyouarecreatingappsfortheAppStoreourplatforms,andwanttohelpyouunderstandourguidelinessoyoucanbeconfidentyourappwillgetthroughthereviewprocessquickly.
TheguidingprincipleoftheAppStoreissimple—wewanttoprovideasafeexperienceforuserstogetappsandagreatopportunityforalldeveloperstobesuccessful.WedothisbyofferingahighlycuratedAppStorewhereeveryappisreviewedbyexpertsandaneditorialteamhelpsusersdiscovernewappseveryday.Wealsoscaneachappformalwareandothersoftwarethatmayimpactusersafety,security,andprivacy.TheseeffortshavemadeApple’splatformsthesafestforconsumersaroundtheworld.
ForeverythingelsethereisalwaystheopenInternet.IftheAppStoremodelandguidelinesoralternativeappmarketplacesandNotarizationforiOSappsarenotbestforyourapporbusinessideathat’sokay,weprovideSafariforagreatwebexperiencetoo.
Onthefollowingpagesyouwillfindourlatestguidelinesarrangedintofiveclearsections:Safety,Performance,Business,Design,andLegal.TheAppStoreisalwayschangingandimprovingtokeepupwiththeneedsofourcustomersandourproducts.YourappsshouldchangeandimproveaswellinordertostayontheAppStore.
Afewotherpointstokeepinmind:mindaboutdistributingyourapponourplatforms:
WehopetheseguidelineshelpyousailthroughtheAppReviewreviewprocess,andthatapprovalsandrejectionsremainconsistentacrosstheboard.Thisisalivingdocument;newappspresentingnewquestionsmayresultinnewrulesatanytime.Perhapsyourappwilltriggerthis.Welovethisstufftoo,andhonorwhatyoudo.We’rereallytryingourbesttocreatethebestplatformintheworldforyoutoexpressyourtalentsandmakealiving,too.
WhenpeopleinstallanappfromtheAppStore,theywanttofeelconfidentthatit’ssafetodoso—thattheappdoesn’tcontainupsettingoroffensivecontent,won’tdamagetheirdevice,andisn’tlikelytocausephysicalharmfromitsuse.We’veoutlinedthemajorpitfallsbelow,butifyou’relookingtoshockandoffendpeople,theAppStoreisn’ttherightplaceforyourapp.SomeoftheserulesarealsoincludedinNotarizationforiOSapps.
Auser’sprimaryaccountistheaccounttheyinteractestablishwithyourappAuser’sprimaryaccountistheaccounttheyestablishwithyourappforthepurposesofidentifyingthemselves,signingin,andaccessingyourfeaturesandassociatedservices.
Anotherloginserviceisnotrequiredif:
January29,2024
Asyouwillseeinthechanges,AppleisnowindicatingwhichguidelinesapplytoNotarizationwithasmallkeyicon.Tobetterunderstandthecontext,weareshowingthefullguidelinesforasectionthathasakeyicon,eventhoughtheguidelinesthemselvesnaynothavechanged.
ForsectionswhereonlysomeguidelinesapplyforNotarization,onlythoseguidelineshavebeenincluded,unlesstheyhavechangedinsomeotherway.Forexample,guideline2.5.15isnotincluded,sinceitisdoesnotapplyforNotarizationeventhoughsomeoftheotherguidelinesundersection2.5do.
Theymustnot:
Auser’sprimaryaccountistheaccounttheyestablishwithyourappforthepurposesofidentifyingthemselves,signingin,andaccessingyourfeaturesandassociatedservices.
SigninwithAppleAnotherloginserviceisnotrequiredif:
Appsmustcomplywithalllegalrequirementsinanylocationwhereyoumakethemavailable(ifyou’renotsure,checkwithalawyer).Weknowthisstuffiscomplicated,butitisyourresponsibilitytounderstandandmakesureyourappconformswithalllocallaws,notjusttheguidelinesbelow.Andofcourse,appsthatsolicit,promote,orencouragecriminalorclearlyrecklessbehaviorwillberejected.Inextremecases,suchasappsthatarefoundtofacilitatehumantraffickingand/ortheexploitationofchildren,appropriateauthoritieswillbenotified.
January17,2024
June06,2023
October25,2022
BeforeYouSubmitMakesureyou:
SubmissionstoAppReview,includingappsyoumakeavailableforpre-order,shouldbefinalversionswithallnecessarymetadataandfullyfunctionalURLsincluded;placeholdertext,emptywebsites,andothertemporarycontentshouldbescrubbedbeforesubmission.Makesureyourapphasbeentestedon-deviceforbugsandstabilitybeforeyousubmitit,andincludedemoaccountinfo(andturnonyourback-endservice!)ifyourappincludesalogin.Ifyouareunabletoprovideademoaccountduetolegalorsecurityobligations,youmayincludeabuilt-indemomodeinlieuofademoaccountwithpriorapprovalbyApple.Ensurethedemomodeexhibitsyourapp’sfullfeaturesandfunctionality.Ifyouofferin-apppurchasesinyourapp,makesuretheyarecomplete,up-to-date,andvisibletothereviewer,orthatyouexplainwhynotinyourreviewnotes.Pleasedon’ttreatAppReviewasasoftwaretestingservice.Wewillrejectincompleteappbundlesandbinariesthatcrashorexhibitobvioustechnicalproblems.
June08,2022
AfterYouSubmitOnceyou’vesubmittedyourappandmetadatainAppStoreConnectandyou’reinthereviewprocess,herearesomethingstokeepinmind:
April05,2022
October25,2021
June07,2021
IntroductionAfewotherpointstokeepinmind:
Ifwefindthatyouhaveattemptedtomanipulatereviews,inflateyourchartrankingswithpaid,incentivized,filtered,orfakefeedback,orengagewiththird-partyservicestodosoonyourbehalf,wewilltakestepstopreservetheintegrityoftheAppStore,whichmayincludeexpellingyoufromtheAppleDeveloperProgram.
February02,2021
Remembertoassignthecorrectpurchasabilitytypeoryourappwillberejected.AfterYouSubmit
September11,2020
Mainly,ApplenowallowsforstreaminggameservicesaslongastheincludedgamescanbedownloadeddirectlyfromtheAppStore.Applehasalsoclarifiedthatso-called“Readerapps”,likeNetflix,canofferaccountcreationforfreetiers,andthey’venowmadeitmoreclearthathavinghidden,dormantorundocumentedfeaturesinappsarenotallowed,anobviousreferencetotheFortnitesituation.
Thecompletechangescanbeseenbelow:
March04,2020
Specifically,ApplenowallowsformarketingPushNotificationsiftheuserhasoptedintotheseandtheguidelinesrelatedtoSigninwithApplearenowclearer,Applehavingremoved“exclusively”,whichwasusedinawaythatmadeitsoundlikeyouwereonlyrequiredtoofferSigninwithAppleifyouexclusivelyusedthird-partyloginsystems,whichisnotthecase.
1.1ObjectionableContentAppsshouldnotincludecontentthatisoffensive,insensitive,upsetting,intendedtodisgust,inexceptionallypoortaste,orjustplaincreepy.Examplesofsuchcontentinclude:
Appswithuser-generatedcontentorservicesthatendupbeingusedprimarilyforpornographiccontent,Chatroulette-styleexperiences,objectificationofrealpeople(e.g.“hot-or-not”voting),makingphysicalthreats,orbullyingdonotbelongontheAppStoreandmayberemovedwithoutnotice.Ifyourappincludesuser-generatedcontentfromaweb-basedservice,itmaydisplayincidentalmature“NSFW”content,providedthatthecontentishiddenbydefaultandonlydisplayedwhentheuserturnsitonviayourwebsite.
Don’tcreatemultipleBundleIDsofthesameapp.Ifyourapphasdifferentversionsforspecificlocations,sportsteams,universities,etc.,considersubmittingasingleappandprovidethevariationsusingin-apppurchase.Alsoavoidpilingontoacategorythatisalreadysaturated;theAppStorehasenoughfart,burp,flashlight,fortunetelling,dating,andKamaSutraapps,etc.already.Wewillrejecttheseappsunlesstheyprovideaunique,high-qualityexperience.SpammingthestoremayleadtoyourremovalfromtheDeveloperProgram.
Appsthatexclusivelyuseathird-partyorsocialloginservice(suchasFacebookLogin,GoogleSign-In,SigninwithTwitter,SignInwithLinkedIn,LoginwithAmazon,orWeChatLogin)tosetuporauthenticatetheuser’sprimaryaccountwiththeappmustalsoofferSigninwithAppleasanequivalentoption.Auser’sprimaryaccountistheaccounttheyestablishwithyourappforthepurposesofidentifyingthemselves,signingin,andaccessingyourfeaturesandassociatedservices.
September14,2019
Specifically,itisnow,inlimitedcases,permissibletoshowadsandincludethird-partyanalyticsinkidsappsandcreatorsofkidsappsmustnowcomplywithallapplicablechildren’sprivacystatutes.Newlysubmittedkidsappsmustfollowtheseguidelinesimmediately,whileexistingappswillhaveuntilMarch3,2020tobefullycompliant.RegardingSigninwithApple,theguidelinesnowstatethatanyappsthatuseathird-partyloginservice,e.g.FacebookorGoogle,mustalsoofferSigninwithApple.
Yourappshouldincludefeatures,content,andUIthatelevateitbeyondarepackagedwebsite.Ifyourappisnotparticularlyuseful,unique,or“app-like,”itdoesn’tbelongontheAppStore.IfyourAppdoesn’tprovidesomesortoflastingentertainmentvalue,itmaynotbeaccepted.AppsthataresimplyasongormovieshouldbesubmittedtotheiTunesStore.IfyourAppdoesn’tprovidesomesortoflastingentertainmentvalue,itmaynotbeaccepted.AppsthataresimplyasongormoviebookorgameguideshouldbesubmittedtotheiTunesStore.AppsthataresimplyabookorgameguideshouldbesubmittedtotheAppleBooksStore.
SigninwithAppleisnotrequiredif:
Formanyreasons,itiscriticaltousecarewhendealingwithpersonaldatafromkids,andweencourageyoutocarefullyreviewalltherequirementsforcomplyingwithlawsliketheChildren’sOnlinePrivacyProtectionAct(“COPPA”),theEuropeanUnion’sGeneralDataProtectionRegulation(“GDPR”),andanyinternationalorlocalequivalentsotherapplicableregulationsorlaws.
Appsmayaskforbirthdateandparentalcontactinformationonlyforthepurposeofcomplyingwiththesestatutes,butmustincludesomeusefulfunctionalityorentertainmentvalueregardlessofaperson’sage.
June06,2019
Thefullchangescanbeseenbelow.
IntroductionTheguidingprincipleoftheAppStoreissimple-wewanttoprovideasafeexperienceforuserstogetappsandagreatopportunityforalldeveloperstobesuccessful.WedothisbyofferingahighlycuratedAppStorewhereeveryappisreviewedbyexpertsandaneditorialteamhelpsusersdiscovernewappseveryday.ForeverythingelsethereisalwaystheopenInternet.IftheAppStoremodelandguidelinesarenotbestforyourapporbusinessideathat’sokay,weprovideSafariforagreatwebexperiencetoo.
Afewotherpointstokeepinmind:
Makesureyou:
Appsshouldnotincludecontentthatisoffensive,insensitive,upsetting,intendedtodisgust,orinexceptionallypoortaste,orjustplaincreepy.Examplesofsuchcontentinclude:
Ifyourappbehavesinawaythatrisksphysicalharm,wemayrejectit.Forexample:
Yourappshouldincludefeatures,content,andUIthatelevateitbeyondarepackagedwebsite.Ifyourappisnotparticularlyuseful,unique,or“app-like,”itdoesn’tbelongontheAppStore.IfyourAppdoesn'tdoesn’tprovidesomesortoflastingentertainmentvalue,orisjustplaincreepy,itmaynotbeaccepted.AppsthataresimplyasongormovieshouldbesubmittedtotheiTunesStore.AppsthataresimplyabookorgameguideshouldbesubmittedtotheiBooksAppleBooksStore.
Don’tcreatemultipleBundleIDsofthesameapp.Ifyourapphasdifferentversionsforspecificlocations,sportsteams,universities,etc.,considersubmittingasingleappandprovidethevariationsusingin-apppurchase.Alsoavoidpilingontoacategorythatisalreadysaturated;theAppStorehasenoughfart,burp,flashlight,andKamaSutraapps,etc.already.SpammingthestoremayleadtoyourremovalfromtheDeveloperProgram.
MobileDeviceManagementAppsthatofferMobileDeviceManagement(MDM)servicesmustrequestthiscapabilityfromApple.Suchappsmayonlybeofferedbycommercialenterprises(suchasbusinessorganizations,educationalinstitutions,orgovernmentagencies),andinlimitedcases,companiesusingMDMforparentalcontrolservices.Youmustmakeacleardeclarationofwhatuserdatawillbecollectedandhowitwillbeusedonanappscreenpriortoanyuseractiontopurchaseorotherwiseusetheservice.MDMappsmustnotviolatelocallaws.AppsofferingMDMservicesmaynotsell,use,ordisclosetothirdpartiesanydataforanypurpose,andmustcommittothisintheirprivacypolicy.AppsthatdonotcomplywiththisguidelinewillberemovedfromtheAppStoreandyoumayberemovedfromtheAppleDeveloperProgram.
December20,2018
IntroductionTheguidingprincipleoftheAppStoreissimple-wewanttoprovideasafeexperienceforuserstogetappsandagreatopportunityforalldeveloperstobesuccessful.Onthefollowingpagesyouwillfindguidelinesarrangedintofiveclearsections:Safety,Performance,Business,Design,andLegal.Afewotherpointstokeepinmind:
June04,2018
Checkoutallthechangesyourselfbelow.
IntroductionTheguidingprincipleoftheAppStoreissimple-wewanttoprovideasafeexperienceforuserstogetappsandagreatopportunityforalldeveloperstobesuccessful.WehaveupdatedtheAppReviewGuidelineswiththatprincipleinmind.TheOnthefollowingpagesyouwillfindguidelinesthemselveshaven’tchanged,buttheyarebetterorganizedandprovidemorecontext.Onthefollowingpagesyouwillfindguidelinesarrangedintofiveclearsections:Safety,Performance,Business,Design,andLegal.Afewotherpointstokeepinmind:
WehopethesenewguidelineshelpyousailthroughtheAppReviewprocess,andthatapprovalsandrejectionsaremoreremainconsistentacrosstheboard.Thisisalivingdocument;newappspresentingnewquestionsmayresultinnewrulesatanytime.Perhapsyourappwilltriggerthis.Welovethisstufftoo,andhonorwhatyoudo.We'reWe’rereallytryingourbesttocreatethebestplatformintheworldforyoutoexpressyourtalentsandmakealiving,too.
Peopleneedtoknowhowtoreachyouwithquestionsandsupportissues.MakesureyourappanditsSupportURLincludesincludeaneasywaytoreachcontactyou;thisisparticularlyimportantforappsthatmaybeusedintheclassroom.Failuretoincludeaccurateandup-to-datecontactinformationnotonlyfrustratescustomers,butmayviolatethelawinsomecountries.AlsoensurethatWalletpassesincludevalidcontactinformationfromtheissuerandaresignedwithadedicatedcertificateassignedtothebrandortrademarkownerofthepass.
AppsshouldimplementappropriatesecuritymeasurestoensureproperhandlingofuserinformationcollectedpursuanttotheAppleDeveloperProgramLicenseAgreementandtheseGuidelines(seeGuideline5.1formoreinformation)andpreventitsunauthorizeduse,disclosure,oraccessbythirdparties.
Pleasetreateveryonewithrespect,whetherinyourresponsestoAppStorereviews,customersupportrequests,orwhencommunicatingwithApple,includingyourresponsesinResolutionCenter.Donotengageinharassmentofanykind,discriminatorypractices,intimidation,bullying,anddon’tencourageotherstoengageinanyoftheabove.
CustomertrustisthecornerstoneoftheAppStore’ssuccess.Appsshouldneverpreyonusersorattempttorip-offcustomers,trickthemintomakingunwantedpurchases,forcethemtoshareunnecessarydata,raisepricesinatrickymanner,chargeforfeaturesorcontentthatarenotdelivered,orengageinanyothermanipulativepracticeswithinoroutsideoftheapp.
December21,2017
Checkoutallthechangesbelow.
IntroductionWestronglysupportallpointsofviewbeingrepresentedontheAppStore,aslongastheappsarerespectfultouserswithdifferingopinionsandthequalityoftheappexperienceisgreat.Wewillrejectappsforanycontentorbehaviorthatwebelieveisovertheline.Whatline,youaskWell,asaSupremeCourtJusticeoncesaid,“I'llknowitwhenIseeit”.Andwethinkthatyouwillalsoknowitwhenyoucrossit.
SubmissionstoAppReview,includingappsyoumakeavailableforpre-order,shouldbefinalversionswithallnecessarymetadataandfullyfunctionalURLsincluded;placeholdertext,emptywebsites,andothertemporarycontentshouldbescrubbedbeforesubmission.Makesureyourapphasbeentestedon-deviceforbugsandstabilitybeforeyousubmitit,andincludedemoaccountinfo(andturnonyourback-endservice!)ifyourappincludesalogin.Ifyouofferin-apppurchasesinyourapp,makesuretheyarecomplete,up-to-date,andvisibletothereviewer,orthatyouexplainwhynotinyourreviewnotes.Pleasedon’ttreatAppReviewasasoftwaretestingservice.Wewillrejectincompleteappbundlesandbinariesthatcrashorexhibitobvioustechnicalproblems.