As a result, the App Store has grown into an exciting and vibrant ecosystem for millions of developers and more than a billion users. Whether you are a first time developer or a large team of experienced programmers, we are excited that you are creating apps for the App Store and want to help you understand our guidelines so you can be confident your app will get through the review process quickly. The guiding principle of the App Store is simple - we want to provide a safe experience for users to get apps and a great opportunity for all developers to be successful. On the following pages you will find guidelines arranged into five clear sections: Safety, Performance, Business, Design, and Legal. Parental controls work great to protect kids, but you have to do your part too. Consider using Xcode to install your app on a device for free or use Ad Hoc distribution available to Apple Developer Program members. We will reject apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. And we think that you will also know it when you cross it. We hope these guidelines help you sail through the App Review process, and that approvals and rejections remain consistent across the board. This is a living document; new apps presenting new questions may result in new rules at any time. Perhaps your app will trigger this. We love this stuff too, and honor what you do. Table of Contents — a pre-review checklist 1. Professional political satirists and humorists are generally exempt from this requirement. If you want to participate in the Kids Category, you should focus on creating a great experience specifically for younger users. These apps must not include links out of the app, purchasing opportunities, or other distractions to kids unless reserved for a designated area behind a parental gate. Keep in mind that once customers expect your app to follow the Kids Category requirements, it will need to continue to meet these guidelines in subsequent updates, even if you decide to deselect the category. Apps in the Kids Category may not include behavioral advertising e. You should also pay particular attention to privacy laws around the world relating to the collection of data from children online. Be sure to review the of these guidelines for more information. For example, apps that claim to take x-rays, measure blood pressure, body temperature, blood glucose levels, or blood oxygen levels using only the sensors on the device are not permitted. If your medical app has received regulatory clearance, please submit a link to that documentation with your app. Given the potential harm to patients, we need to be sure that the app will be supported and updated over the long term. Apps that encourage minors to consume any of these substances will be rejected. For example, apps should not encourage placing the device under a mattress or pillow while charging or perform excessive write cycles to the solid state drive. Failure to include accurate and up-to-date contact information not only frustrates customers, but may violate the law in some countries. Also ensure that Wallet passes include valid contact information from the issuer and are signed with a dedicated certificate assigned to the brand or trademark owner of the pass. Make sure your app has been tested on-device for bugs and stability before you submit it, and include demo account info and turn on your back-end service. If you offer in-app purchases in your app, make sure they are complete, up-to-date, and visible to the reviewer, or that you explain why not in your review notes. We will reject incomplete app bundles and binaries that crash or exhibit obvious technical problems. Any app submitted for beta distribution via TestFlight should be intended for public distribution and should comply with the App Review Guidelines. Note, however, that apps using TestFlight cannot be distributed to testers in exchange for compensation of any kind, including as a reward for crowd-sourced funding. App store & itunes ギフト カード updates to your beta build should be submitted to TestFlight App Review before being distributed to your testers. To learn more, visit the. Similarly, you should not market your app store & itunes ギフト カード on the App Store or offline as including content or services that it does not actually offer e. Egregious or repeated behavior is grounds for removal from the Developer Program. If you decide to promote in-app purchases on the App Store, ensure that the in-app purchase Display Name, Screenshot and Description are appropriate for a public audience, that you follow the guidance found inand that your app properly handles the so that customers can seamlessly complete the purchase when your app launches. They may also include text and image overlays e. Stickers and iMessage extensions may show the user experience in the Messages app. If your app is mis-rated, customers might be surprised by what they get, or it could trigger an inquiry from government regulators. If your app includes media that requires the display of content ratings or warnings e. App names must be limited to 30 characters and should not include prices, terms, or descriptions that are not the name of the app. App subtitles are a great way to provide additional context for your app; they must follow our standard metadata rules and should not include inappropriate content, reference other apps, or make unverifiable product claims. Apple may modify inappropriate keywords at any time or take other appropriate steps to prevent abuse. Remember to ensure your metadata, including app name and icons small, large, Apple Watch app, alternate icons, etc. Ensure that the app you ultimately release is not materially different from what you advertise while the app is in a pre-order state. If you make material changes to the app e. Simple bug fixes, security updates, and performance improvements may rely on a generic description, but more significant changes must be listed in the notes. We encourage you to consider building universal apps so customers can use them on all of their devices. Apps should not rapidly drain battery, generate excessive heat, or put unnecessary strain on device resources. Apps, including any third party advertisements displayed within them, may not run unrelated background processes, such as cryptocurrency mining. If you require a game controller, make sure you clearly explain that in your metadata so customers know they need additional equipment to play. They must also be self-contained, single application installation bundles and cannot install code or resources in shared locations. They should not automatically add their icons to the Dock or leave short cuts on the user desktop. For example, the HomeKit framework should provide home automation services; and HealthKit should be used for health and fitness purposes and integrate with the Health app. Educational apps designed to teach, develop, or allow students to test executable code may, in limited circumstances, download code provided that such code is not used for other purposes. Such apps must make the source code provided by the Application completely viewable and editable by the user. Egregious violations and repeat behavior will result in removal from the Developer Program. If your app uses location background mode, include a reminder that doing so may dramatically decrease battery life. For example, apps should not block links out to other apps or other features that users would expect to work a certain way. Learn more about proper handling of. For example, if your app is a meal planning app, you should not incorporate an intent to start a workout, even if the app shares integration with a fitness app. Aliases must relate directly to your app or company name and should not be generic terms or include third party app names or services. Only request a disambiguation when required to complete the task e. You may not use the data accessed via these tools for any purpose not directly related to operating or improving your app or extension e. This includes any use of the device camera, microphone, or other user inputs. Business There are many ways to monetize your app on the App Store. If we find that you have attempted to manipulate reviews, inflate your chart rankings with paid, incentivized, filtered, or fake feedback, or engage with third party services to do so on your behalf, we will take steps to preserve the integrity of the App Store, which may include expelling you from the Developer Program. Apps and their metadata may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than in-app purchase. Such gifts may only be refunded to the original purchaser and may not be exchanged. Learn more about managing content access and the duration of the trial period using and. When incorporating auto-renewable subscriptions into your app, be sure to follow the guidelines below. Games offered in a game subscription must be owned or exclusively licensed by the developer e. Each game must be downloaded directly from the App Store, must be designed to avoid duplicate payment by a subscriber, and should not disadvantage non-subscriber customers. Apps that attempt to trick users into purchasing a subscription under false pretenses or engage in bait-and-switch practices will be removed from the App App store & itunes ギフト カード and you may be removed from the Apple Developer Program. Review on managing your subscription upgrade and downgrade options. How many issues per month. What kind of access to your service. Ensure you clearly communicate the requirements described in Schedule 2 of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, found in. App features that work in combination with an approved physical product such as a toy on an optional basis may unlock functionality without using in-app purchase, provided that an in-app purchase option is available as well. You may not, however, require users to purchase unrelated products or engage in advertising or marketing activities to unlock app functionality. Other uses may result in the rejection of the app and the revocation of Wallet credentials. These apps must disclose how the funds will be used, abide by all required local and federal laws, and ensure appropriate tax receipts are available to donors. Additional information shall be provided to App Review upon request. Nonprofit platforms that connect donors to other nonprofits must ensure that every nonprofit listed in the app has also gone through the nonprofit approval process. Learn more about becoming an. However, a gift that is connected to or associated at any point in time with receiving digital content or services must use in-app purchase. Apps should not require users to rate the app, review the app, watch videos, download other apps, tap on advertisements, or take other similar actions in order to access functionality, content, use the app, or receive monetary or other compensation. Consider a web app instead. Coming up with a great design is up to you, but the following are minimum standards for approval to the App Store. And remember that even after your app has been approved, you should update your app to ensure it remains functional and engaging to new and existing customers. Apps that stop working or offer a degraded experience may be removed from the App Store at any time. We know you have them, so make yours come to life. If your App doesn't provide some sort of lasting entertainment value, or is just plain creepy, it may not be accepted. Apps that are simply a song or movie should be submitted to the iTunes Store. Apps that are simply a book or game guide should be submitted to the iBooks Store. Existing apps must comply with this guideline in app store & itunes ギフト カード update submitted after January 1, 2019. Creative ways of expressing time as an app interface is great say, a tide clock for surfersbut if your app comes too close to resembling a watch face, we will reject it. These services should not submit apps on behalf of their clients and should offer tools that let their clients create customized, innovative apps that provide unique customer experiences. For the sake of clarity, transactions taking place within mirrored software do not need to use in-app purchase, provided the transactions are processed on the host device. If your app has different versions for specific locations, sports teams, universities, etc. Also avoid piling on to a category that is already saturated; the App Store has enough fart, burp, flashlight, and Kama Sutra apps already. Spamming the store may lead to your removal from the Developer Program. Violating this rule will lead to removal from the Developer Program. Safari extensions should not claim access to more websites than strictly necessary to function. Keep app store & itunes ギフト カード mind that you must be able to provide verifiable documentation upon request. If you app store & itunes ギフト カード your content has been infringed by another provider. They are intended for simple music playback by Apple Music subscribers. Make sure to follow the when integrating Apple Music services in your app. Any data collected may not be shared with third parties for any purpose other than supporting or improving the app experience. This data may not be used to identify users app store & itunes ギフト カード devices, or to target advertising. Abuse of these services may result in revocation of your privileges. Apple emojis may not be used on other platforms or embedded directly in your app binary. All icon variants must relate to the content of the app and changes should be consistent across all system assets, so that the icons displayed in Settings, Notifications, etc. This feature may not be used for dynamic, automatic, or serial changes, such as to reflect up-to-date weather information, app store & itunes ギフト カード notifications, etc. Apps may contain or run code that is not embedded in the binary e. Upon request, you must provide an index of software and metadata available in your app. We know this stuff is complicated, but it is your responsibility to understand and make sure your app conforms with all local laws, not just the guidelines below. And of course, apps that solicit, promote, or encourage criminal or clearly reckless behavior will be rejected. Paid functionality must not be dependent on or require a user to grant access to this data. Apps must also provide the customer with an easily accessible and understandable way to withdraw consent. Ensure your purpose strings clearly and completely describe your use of the data. Where possible, use the out-of-process picker or a share sheet rather than requesting full access to protected resources like Photos or Contacts. For example, apps that include the ability to post photos to a social network must not also require microphone access before allowing the user to upload photos. For example, if a user declines to share Location, offer the ability to manually enter an address. Apps may not require users to enter personal information to function, except when directly relevant to the core functionality of the app or required by law. If your core app functionality is not related to a specific social network e. Facebook, WeChat, Weibo, Twitter, etc. Pulling basic profile information, sharing to the social network, or inviting friends to use the app are not considered core app functionality. The app must also include a mechanism to revoke social network credentials and disable data access between the app and social network from within the app. An app store & itunes ギフト カード may not store credentials or tokens to social networks off of the device and may only use such credentials or tokens to directly connect to the social network from the app itself while the app is in use. Additionally, an app may not use SafariViewController to track users without their knowledge and consent. You must provide access to information about how and where the data will be used. Data collected from apps may only be shared with third parties to improve the app or serve advertising in compliance with the. Apps that share user data without user consent or otherwise complying with data privacy laws may be removed from sale and may result in your removal from the Apple Developer Program. You must provide the user with a clear description of how the message will appear to the recipient before sending it e. What will the message say. Who will appear to be the sender. Learn more about best practices for implementing,and. Such consent must include the a nature, purpose, and duration of the research; b procedures, risks, and benefits to the participant; c information about confidentiality and handling of data including any sharing with third parties ; d a point of contact for participant questions; and e the withdrawal process. Proof of such approval must be provided upon request. Moreover, apps in the Kids Category or those that collect, transmit, or have the capability to share personal information e. Ensure that you notify and obtain consent before collecting, transmitting, or using location data. If your app uses location services, be sure to explain the purpose in your app; refer to the for best practices on doing so. If you believe your intellectual property has been infringed by another developer on the App Store, submit a claim via our. Apps should be submitted by the person or legal entity that owns or has licensed the intellectual property and other relevant rights and is responsible for offering any services provided by the app. Authorization must be provided upon request. Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo, etc. Documentation must be provided upon request. Finderapp such as the App Store, iTunes Store, or Messages or advertising theme. Apps and extensions, including third party keyboards and Sticker packs, may not include Apple emoji. If your app displays Activity rings, they should not visualize Move, Exercise, or Stand data in a way that resembles the Activity control. The have more information on how to use Activity rings. Illegal gambling aids, including card counters, are not permitted on the App Store. Lottery apps must have consideration, chance, and a prize. You must make a clear declaration of what user data will be collected and how it will be used. Apps should never prey on users or attempt to rip-off customers, trick them into making unwanted purchases, force them to share unnecessary data, raise prices in a tricky manner, charge for features or content that are not delivered, or engage in any other manipulative practices within or outside of the app. However, if your app is complex or presents new issues, it app store & itunes ギフト カード require greater scrutiny and consideration. Please respect your fellow developers by seeking expedited review only when you truly need it. And remember that it can take up to 24-hours for your app to appear on all selected storefronts. If your app has been rejected and you have questions or would like to provide additional information, please use the Resolution Center to communicate directly with the App Review team. This may help get your app on the store, and it can help us improve the App Review process or identify a need for clarity in our policies. If you still disagree with the outcome, please.
