How to appeal an App Store rejection to the App Review Board
“If you disagree with the outcome of a review, you can file an appeal”
If you believe your app follows the guidelines and was rejected anyway, you can appeal to the App Review Board, but Apple asks you to reply to the rejection in App Store Connect first and explain. An appeal is for when that reply doesn't settle it: it cites the specific guideline and shows point by point how the app meets it. Most rejections are faster to fix and resubmit than to appeal.
Checked against Apple’s guidelines on (Apple’s version of ). Apple’s reviewers make the final call.
What Appealing an App Store rejection means
Apple names three situations for an appeal: your app was rejected or removed but you believe it follows the App Review Guidelines and the license agreement; your account faces termination and you believe it complies; or you believe the review treated you unfairly or with bias.
Before appealing, reply to the rejection message in App Store Connect with your clarification. Apple's contact page asks you to be specific about the feature, guideline or step you need clarified, and to add information if you think the app was misunderstood. After App Review replies, you can ask for a call in the same window; Apple says calls are typically completed within three to five business days.
If that doesn't resolve it, you file the appeal through Apple's form. Submit one appeal per rejected or removed app, address every guideline the message cites in that one appeal, and you can cover up to five apps per form. The App Review Board answers in App Store Connect and may ask for more information or a call.
Apple also lists what not to appeal: requests for information or documents (answer those instead), a status update, an expedited review, a terminated account you want reinstated, or a rejection you've already fixed and resubmitted. Separately, for a bug fix to an app already on the store, Apple may let the fix through and have you resolve other issues in the next submission, except for legal or safety issues.
Why apps are turned down under Appealing an App Store rejection
An appeal that only says the rejection is unfair
Apple's own example of a weak appeal is "This app is important to my business and shouldn't have been rejected". It gives the Board nothing to check.
An appeal sent instead of an answer
The message asked for information or documents, which Apple says should be answered, not appealed.
An appeal after resubmitting
Once you've fixed the issues and resubmitted, Apple says not to file an appeal for that rejection.
How to fix it and resubmit
- Reread the rejection and the guideline it cites on Apple's site, and decide honestly whether the app meets it.
- Reply in App Store Connect first: point to where in the app the requirement is met, with steps and screenshots if they help.
- If the reply doesn't resolve it, file one appeal for the app through Apple's form, citing each guideline the rejection names.
- Explain point by point how the app meets each requirement, and include only information relevant to the decision.
- Wait for the App Review Board's answer in App Store Connect, and reply quickly if it asks for more; Apple says a complete appeal doesn't guarantee the decision is overturned.
How Borel helps
Borel can't appeal for you, since the reply and the appeal come from your own Apple Developer account. What it gives you are the facts: the review notes it drafted from the app's code, which say where each feature, purchase, permission and Delete Account is, and the live review status read from Apple.
If you decide to fix the app rather than appeal, you ask Borel for the change in plain words and it builds and uploads the new version from its Mac, and Stamp can check the version again before you send it.
Questions people ask
Should I appeal or resubmit?
If the reviewer is right, fix and resubmit; that is usually faster. Appeal only when you believe the app already meets the guideline, and after replying to App Review hasn't resolved it.
What makes a complete appeal?
It cites the specific guideline the app was rejected under, explains point by point how the app meets it, and adds only relevant information. Apple's good example points to the demo account and setup steps already in the submission, with screenshots of the feature working.
How many appeals can I file?
One per rejected or removed app, covering every guideline its rejection cites. One form can include up to five apps.
Can I ask App Review to speed up a review?
Yes, through Apple's expedited review request, for real cases such as a critical bug fix or an event with a fixed date. That is a separate form, not an appeal.
Related guidelines
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