Rejected iPhone Apps find a new home

newsguy 0 398 Views

Apple has long been criticised for the way it handles iPhone App approval. Inconsistency and mind-boggling logic are the order of the day, or at least that's the way it appears to an increasing number of iPhone application developers.

The application review process has been rigorously defended by Apple, although the company has made some concession that it might have got things perhaps not quite right by introducing developer status updates as an attempt to quell the noisy protests.

Unfortunately, if Apple thought that the volume knob had been turned down it is in for a surprise as developers ramp it up to 11 with the arrival of a website called App Rejections which is attempting to keep track of all the questionable rejections it hears about.

The site was set up by a UK-based iPhone application developer, Adam Martin, who describes the iPhone App review process as "secret, undocumented, unquestionable, random" and says the Google Voice rejection shenanigans was the catalyst in setting up this site.

I'd like to tell you more, but at the time of writing my web browser is currently rejecting the site and not letting me access it.

Hopefully Martin will code an app so I can view it on my iPhone soon. Oh, hold on, I can foresee some problems with that...

Dani AI

Generated

Echoing 's point about apparent inconsistency in App Store review, this thread highlights two useful truths: rejections often look ambiguous, and a methodical response is more effective than speculation. is right that community buzz helps surface patterns, and is correct that shared failures can be instructive. The concise checklist below focuses on evidence, reproducibility, and clear communication—approaches that stay useful as policies change.

Practical checklist:

  • Classification: determine whether the rejection is policy-related or a technical/quality bug.
  • Reproduction: reproduce the problem on a clean device matching the reported OS/build; collect crash reports and console output.
  • Minimal reproducible case: build the smallest test case and capture clear screenshots or a short screen recording.
  • Appeal package: submit app version/build, step-by-step repro, device models, logs, exact timestamps and a test account if login is required.
  • Tone: keep messages factual and professional; avoid accusatory language.
  • Pattern tracking: record each rejection internally and compare with community reports before implementing major changes.

Pre-submission hygiene that prevents many rejections: metadata and screenshots that accurately reflect behavior; removal of placeholder/demo content; avoidance of private or undocumented APIs; graceful handling of permission prompts with clear rationale; thorough testing of in-app purchase and network edge cases; and a short pre-submit checklist keyed to the current review guidelines.

When policy friction persists, options include progressive web apps, other platforms, or private enterprise distribution for internal use (enterprise is not a public-distribution channel). Public rejection logs and community reports are useful for spotting trends but need verifiable detail. Clear, reproducible evidence combined with calm, concise appeals is the best way to convert an opaque rejection into a resolved release.

Member Avatar for jeffcliff777
jeffcliff777 0 Newbie Poster

There is a lot of buzz around in Iphone app developers’ community that Apple doesn’t follow some uniform strategy for the Iphone application approval. Many developers have already rejected the stiff criteria and announced to stop developing new apps for the iphone but inspite of these agitations and furor we see many different iphone apps are coming rapidly and these apps are the main source of admiration for Iphone.
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Edited by jeffcliff777 because: n/a
Member Avatar for Immomakler
Immomakler 0 Newbie Poster

kind of "how not to"
Hi, thanx for pointing out this website. I think that this will help many Iphone developers to improve their apps. It´s just important to connect to each other and learn from failures...

Edited by Immomakler because: n/a
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