Submitting an app is not the last step. Apple and Google review it, and a rejection can push a launch back by days or weeks. Most rejections come from a short list of problems that are easy to check before you submit.
The rules change regularly and differ by country, so treat this as a checklist of what to look at, then confirm the details in the current guidelines.
It is a website in a wrapper
Apple’s minimum functionality rule turns away apps that are a website packaged as an app with nothing extra. If the app only shows your site in a frame, expect a rejection. Native navigation, offline behaviour, notifications or device features that make the app better than the site make the difference.
Users cannot delete their account
If people can create an account in your app, both stores expect them to be able to delete it. Apple requires deletion to start inside the app. Google Play’s account deletion requirements ask for an in-app path and a web link where people can request deletion, plus answers in the Data safety form.
Login and payments break the rules
If the app offers sign-in with a third-party service such as Google or Facebook, Apple may require an equivalent option that limits data collection, and Sign in with Apple is the usual answer. Check the current login rules before designing the sign-in screen.
Selling digital content or features inside an app generally has to go through the store’s own in-app purchase system. Physical goods and services used outside the app follow different rules, and some countries now allow links to outside payment. Decide this before building checkout, because it changes the design and the fees. Apple’s review guidelines set out the details.
Privacy details are missing or inaccurate
Both stores ask for a privacy policy link and a description of the data the app collects, including data collected by analytics and advertising SDKs. Reviewers compare those answers with what the app does. A policy that says nothing about data the app clearly collects is a common reason for a rejection or a later warning.
The reviewer cannot test it
Crashes, broken links and placeholder text are treated as an incomplete app.
If the app needs a login, provide a working demo account and any instructions the reviewer needs.
Features that only work in one country or with special hardware need an explanation in the review notes.
A support link or contact page must work and lead somewhere real.
On Google Play, new personal developer accounts also need to run a closed test with a group of testers for a set period before they can publish to production. Plan that time into the schedule.
Check your app’s readiness
My free mobile app readiness check looks at your website or web app from the stores’ point of view: HTTPS, the web app manifest and icons, offline support, app-link files for iOS and Android, and review risks it can see from real links and controls, such as privacy and support pages, account deletion, Sign in with Apple and in-app purchases.
It cannot replace a store review, but it shows the gaps behind the most common rejections while they are still quick to fix.
Plan review into the launch
Leave time for at least one round of feedback, write clear review notes and keep the developer accounts in your business’s name. If you are planning an app or getting ready to submit one, send me what you have. I build native apps and can prepare them for review so the first submission has the best chance of going through.