A note on App Store Submissions

A note on App Store Submissions

Let’s discuss the Apple App Store’s submission guidelines. Spanning roughly 30 to 40 pages, the document gets updated frequently throughout the year. However, it’s essential to note that these are merely guidelines, not legally binding standards. They serve as a reference point for reviewers when deciding to approve or reject applications.

For us developers, the review mechanism remains largely enigmatic. We lack clarity on its inner workings, the steps involved, and the rationale behind certain decisions. When an app faces rejection, the primary course of action is to address the feedback provided and resubmit. No definitive formula guarantees a successful submission. Any attempts to bypass standard protocols, such as login requirements or different payment gateways, can lead to complications — often realized only upon submission.

While it might be tempting to think that, as developers or technolgy experts, we have all of the answers, in this case, we don’t. No one does. A testimony to this is Tim Cook’s defense of the App Store at the U.S. House anti-trust hearing 2020. And while Cook is quoted as saying:

“Clearly, if Apple is a gatekeeper, what we have done is open the gate wider,” he said. “We want to get every app we can on the store, not keep them off.”

— Tim Cook

It’s important to remeber that Apple will do everything in it’s power to keep you in the App ecosystem and will do it’s level best to ensure that you don’t use a WebApp to facilitate user sign-up or login and you don’t use an alternate payment method to avoid the 30% Apple Tax.