App Store Submission: Requirements, Materials and Common Rejections

Start these two accounts first

Apple: Apple Developer Program, $99/year — register under your company entity (individual accounts work but show a personal name). Reviews take 1–3 days; reserve two weeks for the first submission.

Android: no single store. For global distribution, Google Play ($25 one-time); for mainland China, each of Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo and Tencent has its own developer console — mostly free, several require a company entity and software copyright, plus local app filing (MIIT).

The submission checklist

Prepare these up front and save half the back-and-forth:

• App name, icon, screenshots (sizes vary per store; usually 3–5)
• Description, keywords, release notes
• A live privacy policy URL (mandatory, must be reachable)
• Terms of service when the app handles transactions or user content
• Software copyright certificate — widely required by Chinese Android stores; takes 1–2 months, apply during development
• App filing / ICP information for mainland China channels
• A demo account if your app has login — reviewers need to get inside

Top App Store rejection reasons

In order of frequency:

• Incomplete functionality: placeholder content, dead buttons, empty lists.
• Login problems: no demo account provided, or broken third-party login.
• Privacy: collecting data not declared in the policy; iOS privacy labels not matching actual behavior.
• Payment bypass: physical goods may use WeChat Pay/Alipay or Stripe etc., but digital goods must use In-App Purchase.
• Coercion: forcing ratings, shares or ads-viewing to unlock features.

Budget review time into your project plan

A common misjudgment: "code done = launched". In reality the compliance chain (copyright 1–2 months, filing 2–4 weeks, first Apple review 3–7 days including resubmissions) can take longer than the final development phase.

The right approach: process credentials in parallel with development so materials are ready when code freezes, and the first submission has a good chance of passing. My delivery package includes all store assets, copy and account walkthrough instructions.

Rejected? Here's the playbook

Apple's rejection notice cites specific guidelines — fix accordingly instead of blindly resubmitting (repeated identical submissions can earn longer reviews). Chinese Android rejections are usually about copyright or filing; once the documents arrive, approval follows.

Appeals are legitimate: if you believe a rejection is a mistake, reply in English with a clear explanation and a demo video — a meaningful share of these get overturned.