App Store Review Checklists

Contents

• App Review Information Checklist
• Privacy Manifest Checklist
• In-App Purchase Checklist
• Screenshot and App Preview Checklist
• HIG Compliance Checklist
• Pre-Submission Checklist

App Review Information Checklist

Use this to avoid Guideline 2.1 rejections:

• Demo credentials provided in App Review Information notes (if login required)
• Demo mode available if credentials are impractical or account state is hard to reproduce
• Demo account works and has access to all features
• App Review notes explain login-gated, role-gated, region-gated, hardware-gated, or otherwise non-obvious features
• All screens have real content (no placeholders or Lorem Ipsum)
• No broken links or dead-end flows
• All hardware-required features have fallback or reviewer instructions

Privacy Manifest Checklist

Verify PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy completeness:

• PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy exists where app code, SDK code, executables, or dynamic libraries need it
• All required-reason API categories in app and bundled SDK code are declared with approved reason codes
• NSPrivacyTracking is true only if tracking occurs
• Third-party SDK manifests present and up to date when SDKs collect data, use required-reason APIs, enable data collection, or contact tracking domains
• Privacy nutrition labels match actual data collection
• Audit runtime network traffic and SDK transmissions; observed behavior must match privacy labels, manifests, privacy policy, and ATT state

In-App Purchase Checklist

• Digital goods and subscriptions use StoreKit IAP unless current storefront rules or approved entitlements allow otherwise
• Subscription price, duration, billing frequency, auto-renewal terms, and any trial duration/post-trial price shown before purchase
• Restore purchases button present and functional
• No external purchase path, link, button, or call to action for digital goods unless current rules or approved entitlements allow it
• Ask-to-buy and interrupted purchases handled
• Transaction verification uses StoreKit 2 or server-side verification

Screenshot and App Preview Checklist

• 1-10 screenshots uploaded for each required platform and localization
• iPhone screenshots use current App Store Connect accepted sizes; 6.9-inch iPhone screenshots are the primary set as of May 2026
• 6.5-inch iPhone screenshots provided only when 6.9-inch iPhone screenshots are not provided or when manually optimizing that fallback
• 13-inch iPad screenshots provided if the app runs on iPad
• Screenshots and preview videos show actual app UI and do not misrepresent unavailable features
• App previews are 30 seconds or shorter, with a poster frame that works without autoplay

HIG Compliance Checklist

Navigation

• NavigationStack used (not NavigationView)
• System back chevron used; no custom back icons
• Tab bar uses <= 5 tabs; use More tab if needed
• Avoid hamburger menus

Modals and Sheets

• Sheets have a visible dismiss control
• Full-screen modals have close/done button
• Alerts use system alert styles

System Feature Support

• Dark Mode renders correctly
• Dynamic Type supported throughout
• iPad multitasking supported (Slide Over, Split View)
• Dynamic Island / Live Activities render correctly when used
• System gestures not disabled

Widgets and Live Activities

• Widgets show real content (not placeholders)
• Timelines update meaningfully
• Live Activities show time-sensitive info
• Lock Screen widgets are legible at small sizes

Pre-Submission Checklist

Completeness

• No placeholder or test content
• All features functional without special hardware
• Demo credentials or demo mode provided, with App Review notes for gated or non-obvious features
• No dead-end screens

Metadata

• App name matches functionality
• Screenshots are real app screenshots using current required platform sizes, including 6.9-inch iPhone and 13-inch iPad when applicable
• Description contains no prices or competitor mentions
• Category is correct

Privacy

• Privacy manifest present where required, with approved reason codes
• Third-party SDK manifests verified
• Privacy policy URL present and accessible
• Audit runtime network traffic and SDK transmissions; nutrition labels, privacy manifest declarations, privacy policy, and observed behavior match actual data collection
• ATT prompt only if tracking occurs

Payments

• Digital content uses StoreKit IAP unless current rules or approved entitlements allow otherwise
• Subscription price, duration, billing frequency, auto-renewal terms, and any trial duration/post-trial price visible before purchase
• No external purchase paths, payment links, buttons, or calls to action unless current storefront rules or approved entitlements allow them
• Free trial terms clear
• Restore purchases implemented

Design

• Standard navigation patterns used
• Dark Mode supported
• Dynamic Type supported
• No custom alerts mimicking system alerts
• Launch screen not an ad
• Empty states provide guidance

Technical

• Built with Xcode 26 or later and relevant platform SDK 26 or later for uploads after April 28, 2026
• No private API usage
• No dynamic code execution
• Entitlements justified with usage descriptions
• Background modes justified and used
• Deployment target is intentionally chosen and tested