AppStoreReviewGuidelines

Introduction
We'repleasedthatyouwanttoinvestyourtalentsandtimetodevelopapplicationsforiOS.Ithasbeenarewarding
experiencebothprofessionallyandfinanciallyforhundredsofthousandsofdevelopersandwewanttohelpyoujoin
thissuccessfulgroup.WehavepublishedourAppStoreReviewGuidelinesinthehopethattheywillhelpyousteer
clearofissuesasyoudevelopyourAppandspeedyouthroughtheapprovalprocesswhenyousubmitit.
WeviewAppsdifferentthanbooksorsongs,whichwedonotcurate.Ifyouwanttocriticizeareligion,writeabook.If
youwanttodescribesex,writeabookorasong,orcreateamedicalApp.Itcangetcomplicated,butwehavedecided
tonotallowcertainkindsofcontentintheAppStore.Itmayhelptokeepsomeofourbroaderthemesinmind:
WehavelotsofkidsdownloadinglotsofApps.Parentalcontrolsworkgreattoprotectkids,butyouhavetodo
yourparttoo.Soknowthatwe'rekeepinganeyeoutforthekids.
WehaveoveramillionAppsintheAppStore.IfyourAppdoesn'tdosomethinguseful,uniqueorprovidesome
formoflastingentertainment,orifyourappisplaincreepy,itmaynotbeaccepted.
IfyourApplookslikeitwascobbledtogetherinafewdays,oryou'retryingtogetyourfirstpracticeAppintothe
storetoimpressyourfriends,pleasebraceyourselfforrejection.Wehavelotsofseriousdeveloperswhodon't
wanttheirqualityAppstobesurroundedbyamateurhour.
WewillrejectAppsforanycontentorbehaviorthatwebelieveisovertheline.Whatline,youask?Well,asa
SupremeCourtJusticeoncesaid,"I'llknowitwhenIseeit".Andwethinkthatyouwillalsoknowitwhenyou
crossit.
IfyourAppisrejected,wehaveaReviewBoardthatyoucanappealto.Ifyouruntothepressandtrashus,it
neverhelps.
Ifyouattempttocheatthesystem(forexample,bytryingtotrickthereviewprocess,stealdatafromusers,copy
anotherdeveloper'swork,ormanipulatetheratings)yourAppswillberemovedfromthestoreandyouwillbe
expelledfromthedeveloperprogram.
Thisisalivingdocument,andnewAppspresentingnewquestionsmayresultinnewrulesatanytime.Perhaps
yourAppwilltriggerthis.
Lastly,welovethisstufftoo,andhonorwhatyoudo.We'rereallytryingourbesttocreatethebestplatformintheworld
foryoutoexpressyourtalentsandmakealivingtoo.Ifitsoundslikewe'recontrolfreaks,well,maybeit'sbecausewe're
socommittedtoourusersandmakingsuretheyhaveaqualityexperiencewithourproducts.Justlikealmostallofyou
are,too.

TableofContents
1. Termsandconditions
2. Functionality
3. Metadata
4. Location
5. PushNotifications
6. GameCenter
7. Advertising

8. Trademarksandtradedress
9. Mediacontent
10. Userinterface
11. Purchasingandcurrencies
12. Scrapingandaggregation
13. Damageorinjury
14. Personalattacks
15. Violence
16. Objectionablecontent
17. Privacy
18. Pornography
19. Religion,culture,andethnicity
20. Contests,sweepstakes,lotteries,raffles,andgambling
21. Charitiesandcontributions
22. Legalrequirements
23. Passbook
24. KidsCategory
25. Extensions
26. HomeKit
27. HealthKitandHumanSubjectResearch
28. TestFlight
29. ApplePay

1.Termsandconditions
1.1

AsadeveloperofAppsfortheAppStoreyouareboundbythetermsoftheProgramLicenseAgreement
(PLA),HumanInterfaceGuidelines(HIG),andanyotherlicensesorcontractsbetweenyouandApple.The
followingrulesandexamplesareintendedtoassistyouingainingacceptanceforyourAppintheAppStore,
nottoamendorremoveprovisionsfromanyotheragreement.

2.Functionality
2.1

Appsthatcrashwillberejected

2.2

Appsthatexhibitbugswillberejected

2.3

Appsthatdonotperformasadvertisedbythedeveloperwillberejected

2.4

AppsthatincludeundocumentedorhiddenfeaturesinconsistentwiththedescriptionoftheAppwillberejected

2.5

AppsthatusenonpublicAPIswillberejected

2.6

Appsthatreadorwritedataoutsideitsdesignatedcontainerareawillberejected

2.7

Appsthatdownloadcodeinanywayorformwillberejected

2.8

Appsthatinstallorlaunchotherexecutablecodewillberejected

2.9

Appsthatare"demo","trial",or"test"versionswillberejected.BetaAppsmayonlybesubmittedthrough
TestFlightandmustfollowtheTestFlightguidelines

2.10

iPhoneAppsmustalsorunoniPadwithoutmodification,atiPhoneresolution,andat2XiPhone3GS

resolution
2.11

AppsthatduplicateAppsalreadyintheAppStoremayberejected,particularlyiftherearemanyofthem,such
asfart,burp,flashlight,andKamaSutraApps

2.12

Appsthatarenotveryuseful,unique,aresimplywebsitesbundledasApps,ordonotprovideanylasting
entertainmentvaluemayberejected

2.13

Appsthatareprimarilymarketingmaterialsoradvertisementswillberejected

2.14

Appsthatareintendedtoprovidetrickorfakefunctionalitythatarenotclearlymarkedassuchwillberejected

2.15

Appslargerthan100MBinsizewillnotdownloadovercellularnetworks(thisisautomaticallyprohibitedbythe
AppStore)

2.16

MultitaskingAppsmayonlyusebackgroundservicesfortheirintendedpurposes:VoIP,audioplayback,
location,taskcompletion,localnotifications,etc.

2.17

AppsthatbrowsethewebmustusetheiOSWebKitframeworkandWebKitJavascript

2.18

Appsthatencourageexcessiveconsumptionofalcoholorillegalsubstances,orencourageminorstoconsume
alcoholorsmokecigarettes,willberejected

2.19

Appsthatprovideincorrectdiagnosticorotherinaccuratedevicedatawillberejected

2.20

Developers"spamming"theAppStorewithmanyversionsofsimilarAppswillberemovedfromtheiOS
DeveloperProgram

2.21

AppsthataresimplyasongormovieshouldbesubmittedtotheiTunesstore.Appsthataresimplyabook
shouldbesubmittedtotheiBooksStore

2.22

AppsthatarbitrarilyrestrictwhichusersmayusetheApp,suchasbylocationorcarrier,mayberejected

2.23

AppsmustfollowtheiOSDataStorageGuidelinesortheywillberejected

2.24

AppsthatareofferedinNewsstandmustcomplywithschedules1,2and3oftheProgramLicenseAgreement
ortheywillberejected

2.25

AppsthatdisplayAppsotherthanyourownforpurchaseorpromotioninamannersimilartoorconfusingwith
theAppStorewillberejected

2.26

Appsmaydisplayandrecommendappsotherthanyourownonlyifthecollectionisdesignedforaspecific
approvedneed(e.g.healthmanagement,aviation,accessibility,etc.)orprovidessignificantaddedvaluefora
specificgroupofcustomers,ortheywillberejected

3.Metadata(name,descriptions,ratings,rankings,etc.)
3.1

Appsormetadatathatmentionsthenameofanyothermobileplatformwillberejected

3.2

Appswithplaceholdertextwillberejected

3.3

Appswithnames,descriptions,screenshots,orpreviewsnotrelevanttothecontentandfunctionalityoftheApp
willberejected

3.4

AppnamesiniTunesConnectandasdisplayedonadeviceshouldbesimilar,soasnottocauseconfusion

3.5

SmallandlargeAppiconsshouldbesimilar,soastonottocauseconfusion

3.6

AppswithAppicons,screenshots,andpreviewsthatdonotadheretothe4+ageratingwillberejected

3.7

AppswithCategoryandGenreselectionsthatarenotappropriatefortheAppcontentwillberejected

3.8

DevelopersareresponsibleforassigningappropriateratingstotheirApps.Inappropriateratingsmaybe
changed/deletedbyApple

3.9

DevelopersareresponsibleforassigningappropriatekeywordsfortheirApps.Inappropriatekeywordsmay
bechanged/deletedbyApple

3.10

DeveloperswhoattempttomanipulateorcheattheuserreviewsorchartrankingintheAppStorewithfakeor
paidreviews,oranyotherinappropriatemethodswillberemovedfromtheiOSDeveloperProgram

3.11

AppsthatrecommendthatusersrestarttheiriOSdevicepriortoinstallationorlaunchmayberejected

3.12

AppsshouldhaveallincludedURLsfullyfunctionalwhenyousubmititforreview,suchassupportandprivacy
policyURLs

3.13

Appswithscreenshots,previews,andmarketingtextthatdonotclearlyidentifysupplementalcontentoritems
thatmustbepurchasedseparately(e.g.usingIAP)willberejected

3.14

Apppreviewsmayonlyusevideoscreencapturesoftheapp,voiceovers,andtextualanddesignoverlays,or
theappwillberejected

3.15

Appswithpreviewsthatdisplaypersonalinformationofarealpersonwithoutpermissionwillberejected

3.16

Apppreviewsmayonlyincludemusicthatislicensedforthatpurposeinallselectedterritories

3.17

Apppreviewsthatincludecontentplayedorstreamedviatheapp(e.g.iTunesplaylist,YouTubestreaming
video)thatisnotlicensedforuseinthepreviewwillberejected

4.Location
4.1

Appsthatdonotnotifyandobtainuserconsentbeforecollecting,transmitting,orusinglocationdatawillbe
rejected

4.2

AppsthatuselocationbasedAPIsforautomaticorautonomouscontrolofvehicles,aircraft,orotherdevices
willberejected

4.3

AppsthatuselocationbasedAPIsforemergencyserviceswillberejected

4.4

LocationdatacanonlybeusedwhendirectlyrelevanttothefeaturesandservicesprovidedbytheApptothe
userortosupportapprovedadvertisinguses

5.PushNotifications
5.1

AppsthatprovidePushNotificationswithoutusingtheApplePushNotification(APN)APIwillberejected

5.2

AppsthatusetheAPNservicewithoutobtainingaPushApplicationIDfromApplewillberejected

5.3

AppsthatsendPushNotificationswithoutfirstobtaininguserconsent,aswellasappsthatrequirePush
Notificationstofunction,willberejected

5.4

AppsthatsendsensitivepersonalorconfidentialinformationusingPushNotificationswillberejected

5.5

AppsthatusePushNotificationstosendunsolicitedmessages,orforthepurposeofphishingorspammingwill
berejected

5.6

AppscannotusePushNotificationstosendadvertising,promotions,ordirectmarketingofanykind

5.7

AppscannotchargeusersforuseofPushNotifications

5.8

AppsthatexcessivelyusethenetworkcapacityorbandwidthoftheAPNserviceorundulyburdenadevicewith
PushNotificationswillberejected

5.9

Appsthattransmitviruses,files,computercode,orprogramsthatmayharmordisruptthenormaloperationof
theAPNservicewillberejected

6.GameCenter
6.1

AppsthatdisplayanyPlayerIDtoendusersoranythirdpartywillberejected

6.2

AppsthatusePlayerIDsforanyuseotherthanasapprovedbytheGameCentertermswillberejected

6.3

Developersthatattempttoreverselookup,trace,relate,associate,mine,harvest,orotherwiseexploitPlayer
IDs,aliases,orotherinformationobtainedthroughGameCenterwillberemovedfromtheiOSDeveloper
Program

6.4

GameCenterinformation,suchasLeaderboardscores,mayonlybeusedinAppsapprovedforusewith
GameCenter

6.5

AppsthatusetheGameCenterservicetosendunsolicitedmessages,orforthepurposeofphishingor
spammingwillberejected

6.6

AppsthatexcessivelyusethenetworkcapacityorbandwidthofGameCenterwillberejected

6.7

Appsthattransmitviruses,files,computercode,orprogramsthatmayharmordisruptthenormaloperationof
theGameCenterservicewillberejected

7.Advertising
7.1

Appsthatartificiallyincreasethenumberofimpressionsorclickthroughsofadswillberejected

7.2

AppsthatcontainemptyiAdbannerswillberejected

7.3

Appsthataredesignedpredominantlyforthedisplayofadswillberejected

8.ContentandIntellectualPropertyRights
8.1

Appsmustcomplywithalltermsandconditionsexplainedinthe
GuidelinesforUsingAppleTrademarksandCopyrightsandtheAppleTrademarkList

8.2

AppsthatsuggestorinferthatAppleisasourceorsupplieroftheApp,orthatAppleendorsesanyparticular
representationregardingqualityorfunctionalitywillberejected

8.3

AppsthatappearconfusinglysimilartoanexistingAppleproduct,interface,oradvertisingthemewillbe
rejected

8.4

AppsthatmisspellAppleproductnamesintheirAppname(i.e.,GPSforIphone,iTunz)willberejected

8.5

Appsmaynotuseprotectedthirdpartymaterialsuchastrademarks,copyrights,patentsorviolate3rdparty
termsofuse.Authorizationtousesuchmaterialmustbeprovideduponrequest

8.6

Appsthatincludetheabilitytodownloadmusicorvideocontentfromthirdpartysources(e.g.YouTube,
SoundCloud,Vimeo,etc)withoutexplicitauthorizationfromthosesourceswillberejected

9.Mediacontent
9.1

AppsthatdonotusetheMediaPlayerframeworktoaccessmediaintheMusicLibrarywillberejected

9.2

AppuserinterfacesthatmimicanyiPodoriTunesinterfacewillberejected

9.3

Audiostreamingcontentoveracellularnetworkmaynotusemorethan5MBover5minutes

9.4

Videostreamingcontentoveracellularnetworklongerthan10minutesmustuseHTTPLiveStreamingand
includeabaseline192kbpsorlowerHTTPLivestream

10.Userinterface
10.1

AppsmustcomplywithalltermsandconditionsexplainedintheAppleiOSHumanInterfaceGuidelines

10.2

AppsthatlooksimilartoAppsbundledoniOSorWatchOSdevices,includingtheAppStore,iTunesStore,
andiBooksStore,willberejected

10.3

Appsthatdonotusesystemprovideditems,suchasbuttonsandicons,correctlyandasdescribedinthe
AppleiOSHumanInterfaceGuidelinesmayberejected

10.4

Appsthatcreatealternatedesktop/homescreenenvironmentsorsimulatemultiAppwidgetexperienceswill
berejected

10.5

Appsthatalterthefunctionsofstandardswitches,suchastheVolumeUp/DownandRing/Silentswitches,will
berejected

10.6

Appleandourcustomersplaceahighvalueonsimple,refined,creative,wellthoughtthroughinterfaces.They
takemoreworkbutareworthit.Applesetsahighbar.Ifyouruserinterfaceiscomplexorlessthanverygood,it
mayberejected

10.7

WatchAppswhoseprimaryfunctionistellingtimewillberejected

11.Purchasingandcurrencies
11.1

AppsthatunlockorenableadditionalfeaturesorfunctionalitywithmechanismsotherthantheAppStorewillbe
rejected

11.2

AppsutilizingasystemotherthantheInAppPurchaseAPI(IAP)topurchasecontent,functionality,orservices
inanAppwillberejected

11.3

AppsusingIAPtopurchasephysicalgoodsorgoodsandservicesusedoutsideoftheAppwillberejected

11.4

AppsthatuseIAPtopurchasecreditsorothercurrenciesmustconsumethosecreditswithintheApp

11.5

AppsthatuseIAPtopurchasecreditsorothercurrenciesthatexpirewillberejected

11.6

ContentsubscriptionsusingIAPmustlastaminimumof7daysandbeavailabletotheuserfromalloftheiriOS
devices

11.7

AppsthatuseIAPtopurchaseitemsmustassignthecorrectPurchasabilitytype

11.8

AppsthatuseIAPtopurchaseaccesstobuiltincapabilitiesprovidedbyiOS,suchasthecameraorthe
gyroscope,willberejected

11.9

Appscontainingcontentorservicesthatexpireafteralimitedtimewillberejected,exceptforspecific
approvedcontent(e.g.films,televisionprograms,music,books)

11.10

InsuranceAppsmustbefree,inlegalcomplianceintheregionsdistributed,andcannotuseIAP

11.11

Ingeneral,themoreexpensiveyourApp,themorethoroughlywewillreviewit

11.12

AppsofferingsubscriptionsmustdosousingIAP,Applewillsharethesame70/30revenuesplitwith
developersforthesepurchases,assetforthintheProgramLicenseAgreement

11.13

AppsthatlinktoexternalmechanismsforpurchasesorsubscriptionstobeusedintheApp,suchasa"buy"
buttonthatgoestoawebsitetopurchaseadigitalbook,willberejected

11.14

Appscanreadorplayapprovedcontent(specificallymagazines,newspapers,books,audio,music,videoand
cloudstorage)thatissubscribedtoorpurchasedoutsideoftheApp,aslongasthereisnobuttonorexternal
linkintheApptopurchasetheapprovedcontent.Applewillonlyreceiveaportionofrevenuesforcontent
purchasedinsidetheApp

11.15

Appsmayonlyuseautorenewingsubscriptionsforperiodicals(newspapers,magazines),businessApps
(enterprise,productivity,professionalcreative,cloudstorage),andmediaApps(video,audio,voice),orthe
Appwillberejected

11.16

Appsmayenableadditionalapprovedfeaturesorfunctionalitywhenusedincombinationwithspecific
approvedphysicalproducts(suchasatoy)aslongastheadditionalfeaturesandfunctionalityareeither
completelydependentonsuchhardware(forexampleanAppthatisusedtocontrolatelescope)oralso
availablethroughtheAppwithoutthephysicalproducts,suchasbywayofrewardforachievementorbyuseof
IAP

11.17

Appsmayfacilitatetransmissionofapprovedvirtualcurrenciesprovidedthattheydosoincompliancewithall
stateandfederallawsfortheterritoriesinwhichtheappfunctions

12.Scrapingandaggregation
12.1

AppsthatscrapeanyinformationfromApplesites(forexamplefromapple.com,iTunesStore,AppStore,
iTunesConnect,AppleDeveloperPrograms,etc.)orcreaterankingsusingcontentfromApplesitesand
serviceswillberejected

12.2

AppsmayuseapprovedAppleRSSfeedssuchastheiTunesStoreRSSfeed

12.3

Appsthataresimplywebclippings,contentaggregators,oracollectionoflinks,mayberejected

13.Damageorinjury
13.1

AppsthatencourageuserstouseanAppleDeviceinawaythatmaycausedamagetothedevicewillbe
rejected

13.2

Appsthatrapidlydrainthedevice'sbatteryorgenerateexcessiveheatwillberejected

13.3

Appswhoseusemayresultinphysicalharmmayberejected

14.Personalattacks
14.1

AnyAppthatisdefamatory,offensive,meanspirited,orlikelytoplacethetargetedindividualorgroupinharm's
waywillberejected

14.2

Professionalpoliticalsatiristsandhumoristsareexemptfromthebanonoffensiveormeanspirited
commentary

14.3

Appsthatdisplayusergeneratedcontentmustincludeamethodforfilteringobjectionablematerial,a
mechanismforuserstoflagoffensivecontent,andtheabilitytoblockabusiveusersfromtheservice

15.Violence
15.1

Appsportrayingrealisticimagesofpeopleoranimalsbeingkilledormaimed,shot,stabbed,torturedorinjured
willberejected

15.2

Appsthatdepictviolenceorabuseofchildrenwillberejected

15.3

"Enemies"withinthecontextofagamecannotsolelytargetaspecificrace,culture,arealgovernmentor
corporation,oranyotherrealentity

15.4

Appsinvolvingrealisticdepictionsofweaponsinsuchawayastoencourageillegalorrecklessuseofsuch
weaponswillberejected

15.5

AppsthatincludegamesofRussianroulettewillberejected

16.Objectionablecontent
16.1

Appsthatpresentexcessivelyobjectionableorcrudecontentwillberejected

16.2

Appsthatareprimarilydesignedtoupsetordisgustuserswillberejected

17.Privacy

17.1

Appscannottransmitdataaboutauserwithoutobtainingtheuser'spriorpermissionandprovidingtheuser
withaccesstoinformationabouthowandwherethedatawillbeused

17.2

Appsthatrequireuserstosharepersonalinformation,suchasemailaddressanddateofbirth,inorderto
functionwillberejected

17.3

Appsmayaskfordateofbirth(oruseotheragegatingmechanisms)onlyforthepurposeofcomplyingwith
applicablechildren'sprivacystatutes,butmustincludesomeusefulfunctionalityorentertainmentvalue
regardlessoftheuser'sage

17.4

Appsthatcollect,transmit,orhavethecapabilitytosharepersonalinformation(e.g.name,address,email,
location,photos,videos,drawings,theabilitytochat,otherpersonaldata,orpersistentidentifiersusedin
combinationwithanyoftheabove)fromaminormustcomplywithapplicablechildren'sprivacystatutes,and
mustincludeaprivacypolicy

17.5

Appsthatincludeaccountregistrationoraccessausersexistingaccountmustincludeaprivacypolicyorthey
willberejected

18.Pornography
18.1

Appscontainingpornographicmaterial,definedbyWebster'sDictionaryas"explicitdescriptionsordisplays
ofsexualorgansoractivitiesintendedtostimulateeroticratherthanaestheticoremotionalfeelings",willbe
rejected

18.2

Appsthatcontainusergeneratedcontentthatisfrequentlypornographic(e.g."ChatRoulette"Apps)willbe
rejected

19.Religion,culture,andethnicity
19.1

Appscontainingreferencesorcommentaryaboutareligious,culturalorethnicgroupthataredefamatory,
offensive,meanspiritedorlikelytoexposethetargetedgrouptoharmorviolencewillberejected

19.2

Appsmaycontainorquotereligioustextprovidedthequotesortranslationsareaccurateandnotmisleading.
Commentaryshouldbeeducationalorinformativeratherthaninflammatory

20.Contests,sweepstakes,lotteries,raffles,andgambling
20.1

Sweepstakesandcontestsmustbesponsoredbythedeveloper/companyoftheApp

20.2

OfficialrulesforsweepstakesandcontestsmustbepresentedintheAppandmakeitclearthatAppleisnota
sponsororinvolvedintheactivityinanymanner

20.3

ItmustbepermissiblebylawforthedevelopertorunalotteryApp,andalotteryAppmusthaveallofthe
followingcharacteristics:consideration,chance,andaprize

20.4

AppsthatallowausertodirectlypurchasearaffleticketintheAppwillberejected

20.5

Appsthatofferrealmoneygaming(e.g.sportsbetting,poker,casinogames,horseracing)orlotteriesmust
havenecessarylicensingandpermissionsinthelocationswheretheAppisused,mustberestrictedtothose
locations,andmustbefreeontheAppStore

20.6

AppsthatuseIAPtopurchasecreditorcurrencytouseinconjunctionwithrealmoneygamingwillberejected

21.Charitiesandcontributions
21.1

Appsthatincludetheabilitytomakedonationstorecognizedcharitableorganizationsmustbefree

21.2

ThecollectionofcharitabledonationsmustbedoneviaawebsiteinSafarioranSMS

22.Legalrequirements
22.1

Appsmustcomplywithalllegalrequirementsinanylocationwheretheyaremadeavailabletousers.Itisthe
developer'sobligationtounderstandandconformtoalllocallaws

22.2

Appsthatcontainfalse,fraudulentormisleadingrepresentationsorusenamesoriconssimilartootherApps
willberejected

22.3

Appsthatsolicit,promote,orencouragecriminalorclearlyrecklessbehaviorwillberejected

22.4

Appsthatenableillegalfilesharingwillberejected

22.5

Appsthataredesignedforuseasillegalgamblingaids,includingcardcounters,willberejected

22.6

AppsthatenableanonymousorprankphonecallsorSMS/MMSmessagingwillberejected

22.7

DeveloperswhocreateAppsthatsurreptitiouslyattempttodiscoveruserpasswordsorotherprivateuserdata
willberemovedfromtheiOSDeveloperProgram

22.8

AppsthatcontainDUIcheckpointsthatarenotpublishedbylawenforcementagencies,orencourageand
enabledrunkdriving,willberejected

22.9

Appsthatcalculatemedicinaldosagesmustbesubmittedbythemanufacturerofthosemedicationsor
recognizedinstitutionssuchashospitals,insurancecompanies,anduniversities

22.10

AppsthatuseiTunesmusicpreviewsinanunauthorizedmannerwillberejected

23.Passbook
23.1

PassbookPassescanbeusedtomakeorreceivepayments,transmitoffers,orofferidentification(suchas
movietickets,airlinetickets,couponsandrewardoffers).OtherusesmayresultintherejectionoftheAppand
therevocationofPassbookcredentials

23.2

PassesmustincludevalidcontactinformationfromtheissuerofthepassortheAppwillberejectedand
Passbookcredentialsmayberevoked

23.3

Passesmustbesignedbytheentitythatwillbedistributingthepassunderitsownname,trademark,orbrand
ortheAppwillberejectedandPassbookcredentialsmayberevoked

24.KidsCategory
24.1

AppsintheKidsCategorymustincludeaprivacypolicyandmustcomplywithapplicablechildren'sprivacy
statutes

24.2

AppsintheKidsCategorymaynotincludebehavioraladvertising(e.g.theadvertisermaynotserveadsbased
ontheuser'sactivitywithintheApp),andanycontextualadspresentedintheAppmustbeappropriateforkids

24.3

AppsintheKidsCategorymustgetparentalpermissionoruseaparentalgatebeforeallowingtheusertolink
outoftheapporengageincommerce

24.4

AppsintheKidsCategorymustbemadespecificallyforkidsages5andunder,ages68,orages911

25.Extensions
25.1

AppshostingextensionsmustcomplywiththeAppExtensionProgrammingGuide

25.2

Appshostingextensionsmustprovidesomefunctionality(helpscreens,additionalsettings)ortheywillbe
rejected

25.3

Appshostingextensionsthatincludemarketing,advertising,orinapppurchasesintheirextensionviewwillbe
rejected

25.4

Keyboardextensionsmustprovideamethodforprogressingtothenextkeyboard

25.5

Keyboardextensionsmustremainfunctionalwithnonetworkaccessortheywillberejected

25.6

KeyboardextensionsmustprovideNumberandDecimalkeyboardtypesasdescribedinthe
AppExtensionProgrammingGuideortheywillberejected

25.7

AppsofferingKeyboardextensionsmusthaveaprimarycategoryofUtilitiesandaprivacypolicyortheywillbe
rejected

25.8

AppsofferingKeyboardextensionsmayonlycollectuseractivitytoenhancethefunctionalityoftheirkeyboard
extensionontheiOSdeviceortheymayberejected

26.HomeKit
26.1

AppsusingtheHomeKitframeworkmusthaveaprimarypurposeofprovidinghomeautomationservices

26.2

AppsusingtheHomeKitframeworkmustindicatethisusageintheirmarketingtextandtheymustprovidea
privacypolicyortheywillberejected

26.3

AppsmustnotusedatagatheredfromtheHomeKitAPIsforadvertisingorotherusebaseddatamining

26.4

AppsusingdatagatheredfromtheHomeKitAPIforpurposesotherthanimprovingtheuserexperienceor
hardware/softwareperformanceinprovidinghomeautomationfunctionalitywillberejected

27.HealthKitandHumanSubjectResearch
27.1

AppsusingtheHealthKitframeworkorconductinghumansubjectresearchforhealthpurposes,suchas
throughtheuseofResearchKit,mustcomplywithapplicablelawforeachTerritoryinwhichtheAppismade
available,aswellasSections3.3.28and3.3.39oftheiOSDeveloperProgramLicenseAgreement

27.2

AppsthatwritefalseorinaccuratedataintoHealthKitwillberejected

27.3

AppsusingtheHealthKitframeworkthatstoreusershealthinformationiniCloudwillberejected

27.4

AppsmaynotuseordisclosetothirdpartiesuserdatagatheredfromtheHealthKitAPIorfromhealthrelated
humansubjectresearchforadvertisingorotherusebaseddataminingpurposesotherthanimprovinghealth,
orforthepurposeofhealthresearch

27.5

AppsthatshareuserdataacquiredviatheHealthKitAPIwiththirdpartieswithoutuserconsentwillberejected

27.6

AppsusingtheHealthKitframeworkmustindicateintegrationwiththeHealthappintheirmarketingtextand
mustclearlyidentifytheHealthKitfunctionalityintheappsuserinterface

27.7

AppsusingtheHealthKitframeworkorconductinghumansubjectresearchmustprovideaprivacypolicyor
theywillberejected

27.8

Appsthatprovidediagnoses,treatmentadvice,orcontrolhardwaredesignedtodiagnoseortreatmedical
conditionsthatdonotprovidewrittenregulatoryapprovaluponrequestwillberejected

27.9

Appsconductinghealthrelatedhumansubjectresearchmustobtainconsentfromparticipantsor,inthecase
ofminors,theirparentorguardian.Suchconsentmustincludethe(a)nature,purpose,anddurationofthe
research(b)procedures,risks,andbenefitstotheparticipant(c)informationaboutconfidentialityand
handlingofdata(includinganysharingwiththirdparties)(d)apointofcontactforparticipantquestionsand(e)
thewithdrawalprocess

27.10

Appsconductinghealthrelatedhumansubjectresearchmustsecureapprovalfromanindependentethics
reviewboard.Proofofsuchapprovalmustbeprovideduponrequest.

28.TestFlight
28.1

AppsmayonlyuseTestFlighttobetatestappsintendedforpublicdistributionandmustcomplywiththefullApp
ReviewGuidelines

28.2

AppsusingTestFlightmustbesubmittedforreviewwheneverabuildcontainsmaterialchangestocontentor
functionality

28.3

AppsusingTestFlightmaynotbedistributedtotestersinexchangeforcompensationofanykind

29.ApplePay
29.1

AppsusingApplePaymustprovideallmaterialpurchaseinformationtotheuserpriortosaleofanygoodor
serviceortheywillberejectedAppsusingApplePaytoofferrecurringpaymentsmust,ataminimum,disclose
thelengthoftherenewaltermandthefactthatitwillcontinueuntilcanceled,whatwillbeprovidedduringeach
period,thechargesthatwillbebilledtothecustomer,andhowtocancel.

29.2

AppsusingApplePaymustuseApplePaybrandinganduserinterfaceelementscorrectlyandasdescribedin
theApplePayIdentityGuidelinesortheywillberejected

29.3

AppsusingApplePayasapurchasingmechanismmaynotoffergoodsorservicesthatviolatethelawofany
territoryinwhichthegoodorservicewillbedeliveredandmaynotbeusedforanyillegalpurpose

29.4

AppsusingApplePaymustprovideaprivacypolicyortheywillberejected

29.5

AppsusingApplePaymayonlyshareuserdataacquiredviaApplePaywiththirdpartieswhenprovidedto
facilitateorimprovedeliveryofgoodsandservicesortocomplywithlegalrequirements

Livingdocument
ThisdocumentrepresentsourbesteffortstosharehowwereviewAppssubmittedtotheAppStore,andwehopeitisa
helpfulguideasyoudevelopandsubmityourApps.Itisalivingdocumentthatwillevolveaswearepresentedwithnew
Appsandsituations,andwe'llupdateitperiodicallytoreflectthesechanges.
ThankyoufordevelopingforiOS.Eventhoughthisdocumentisaformidablelistofwhatnottodo,pleasealsokeepin
mindthemuchshorterlistofwhatyoumustdo.Aboveallelse,joinusintryingtosurpriseanddelightusers.Showthem
theirworldininnovativeways,andlettheminteractwithitlikeneverbefore.Inourexperience,usersreallyrespondto
polish,bothinfunctionalityanduserinterface.Gotheextramile.Givethemmorethantheyexpect.Andtakethem
placeswheretheyhaveneverbeenbefore.Wearereadytohelp.

Apple,2015