HOW TO GET YOUR APP OK’D BY THE APP STORE (ITUNES) ON YOUR FIRST TRY!

“Go the extra mile. Give them more than they expect.
And take them to places where they’ve never been before" 

You work really hard. You buckle down to get your app launched as soon as possible. You’re looking forward to seeing it live in the App Store and can’t wait to find out that it’s been OK’d. And then… you’re turned down, often with little explanation. What went wrong? What do you need to do to avoid having to do a second submission?

Fortunately for all of us software designers, Apple now unravels the mystery by providing a live document with all approval criteria.

Here at Softjourn, we often face questions from our customers who aren’t sure if their app follows all Apple review guidelines. Getting an app approved by the App Store is a more complicated process than approvals from Google Play, therefore so we decided to explore the most common reasons for having an app turned down, so that you can successfully jump through the necessary hoops.

In fact, there are dozens of pitfalls on the way to approval, some of which are pretty obvious: the app shouldn’t be offensive, provide misleading information, contain bugs or broken links – we’re pretty sure that this is not the level you are operating at. Let’s consider the mistakes which are not so obvious, so that you can focus on designing the perfect app.

Functionality

1. Launch only the final version. Using the words “beta”, “demo” or “preview,” this are a red flag and your app will mostly be rejected.

2. Offer real value to a sizeable target group. Your app should provide lasting entertainment value or convenience and be interesting not just to a small group of people, like your co-workers or neighbors. An app intended only for internal corporate use and not a broad audience is also likely to be rejected by Apple.

3. Make sure your app is unrestricted as to location, language or carrier and can be adjusted for local user convenience, including different currencies. Any app in the App Store should be available and function anywhere without restrictions (note: that means for the particular iTunes store you are pushing the app to; US, Australia, Israeli, etc.)

4.  Design your app to load in under 10 seconds, because loading time makes the first impression on your users. Also remember that slower network connections, hardware or any other differences may also cause your app to load too slowly, so make sure to test it on a variety of hardware and compare the launch time.

5.  Design your app as an exclusive for Apple; otherwise, your app will be rejected. Do not mention other mobile platforms or provide information that your app can also be downloaded on Google Play. Of course, if you try to duplicate apps that are already in the App Store or imitate the Apple interface, you can definitely expect to go back to the drawing board for a second submission. 

UI/UX

Apple sets a high bar for refined user interfaces. They have to feel “at home” in the iOS ecosystem, not just resemble the mobile web experience. So, if your app does any of the following, be prepared for a rejection:

-  Your app’s just a web site wrapped in a web view that degrades the user experience and makes your app feels like a web app instead of a native one.

-  Your app looks like text on a web page with hyperlinks and no native style.

-  Your app forces users to zoom or pinch the page to view content.

-  Your app has no navigation bar, so users have to guess how it works.

As an example, there are two shots of a possible phone app. The one on the left is guilty of all the no-no’s mentioned above, while the one on the right looks like a native app:

One of Softjourn’s clients had an app rejected by the App Store because of UI/UX issues. Initially, they designed a mobile app by simply wrapping their website in a web view. It was hardly surprising that the App Store turned it down, explaining that it was simply a website bundled as an app. Instead of saving time and money, they ended up paying Softjourn to redo their original app. We added native functionality and changed the user interface so the app took advantage of mobile capabilities.

Purchasing and Advertising

Apple cares about security and intellectual property, so if you decide to sell something with the help of your app, get rid of any “Buy” buttons that link to external systems for purchases or subscriptions before submitting your app for review. There are also distinctions between the digital and physical content of your app: apps that use any system other than In-App purchase (IAP) for digital content will be rejected. For physical goods or services outside the App, the opposite holds true: Apple doesn’t allow IAP to be used for them, so you will have to link to an external payment service.

If your app is supposed to use advertising, but it doesn’t have ad functionality or doesn’t display ads properly, it will likely be rejected. Remember to test any feature like this on an iOS device to make sure that ads work properly.

Trademarks

It may seem obvious, but for your app to be 100% attractive, make sure that:

-  Apple product names are spelled correctly, as even a seemingly tiny deviation matters: only iPhone and not Iphone or IPhone.

-          No third party material, such as trademarks, copyrights or any other content has been used that Apple may request authorization for. Alternatively, provide proof of rights with your app if you are using 3rd party material.

This list of common reasons for having your great app turned down by Apple is not exhaustive. You can find out more any time with the “live” Apple document now provided by the App Store, the Apple Review Guidelines, which is updated when any changes take place.

The main thing is not to lose heart and not to lose sight of your goal: To get your great app into the App Store. The rules are there to make sure that your app offers the highest quality and best content. If you don’t develop your app yourself, but engage a third party developer, they should be aware of all these requirements and guidelines and make sure that your app adheres to them. Mistakes can happen, but if you know what is required, then you’ll be among those lucky ones who get accepted on the first try!