Apple Reveals Most Common Reasons For App Store Rejection

Apple has revealed the most common reasons for an app to be rejected from the App Store, hoping this will give developers a better chance of seeing their software accepted for use on iPhone and iPad.

Unlike Google Play, which has no app review process, iOS app creators must submit an application to Apple before their software can be distributed on the platform. This, in theory, ensures greater quality control and security, buy it also gives Apple absolute power over what can be used on its mobile devices, meaning adult-themed applications have so far been rejected.

Specific examples such as adult content and security threats are not among Apple’s top ten reasons for rejection, with the most common cause of failure being that the developer has not provided enough information about their app or up to date contact details for support.

Apple app rejections

Incomplete information accounts for 14 percent of all rejected apps, with eight percent suffering from too many bugs, and six percent not adhering to Apple’s requirements for “clean, refined and user friendly” interfaces.

Other major causes of rejection include advertising infringements, repeated submission of similar apps, broken links, placeholder content and apps that are merely vehicles for websites and don’t make use of the iOS platform.

Apple also bans apps that provide inaccurate descriptions or mislead users. This could be an app that promises something but offers something else, or is a copycat of a more popular application.

“Before you develop your app, it’s important to become familiar with the technical, content, and design criteria that we use to review all apps,” says the Cupertino-based company. “We’ve highlighted some of the most common issues that cause apps to get rejected to help you better prepare your apps before submitting them for review.”

Android has long been targeted by hackers because of the comparative ease in getting malware onto devices using the platform and because of its popularity, while Microsoft recently purged 1,500 “misleading” apps from the Windows Store.

However iOS is not completely safe, as demonstrated by the discovery of a backdoor which Apple claims is for “debugging” purposes. Last month, a security researcher was able to demonstrate how user information could be extracted from this flaw using pairing records.

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