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iOS App Review readiness checklist

A checklist to run before submitting: completeness, links, accounts, privacy and metadata.

updated ·3 min read

In this guide

Run this the day before you submit. Each item says why it matters and how to check it. Guideline numbers refer to the App Review Guidelines as retrieved on 2026-10-17; read the current text before you rely on them.

Completeness

  1. Final build, no placeholders. Guideline 2.1(a) asks for final versions with "all necessary metadata and fully functional URLs"; placeholder text and empty websites should be removed. Check: install the exact build from TestFlight and walk every screen; search the app and the store listing for "lorem", "TODO", and test strings.
  2. No crashes on the main path. A build that crashes on launch will not pass. Check: fresh install on a real device, then launch, sign in, use the main feature, close, relaunch.
  3. Every link works. Support URL, privacy policy, terms. Check: tap each one from inside the app and from the listing.

Access for the reviewer

  1. Demo account and server up. Guideline 2.1(a) asks for demo account info and for your back end to be on. Check: sign in on a clean device with only the credentials you will paste. See demo accounts and review notes.
  2. Notes for Review are specific. 2.3.1(a): new features must be described with specificity; generic descriptions will be rejected. Check: ask someone else to follow the notes without help.
  3. Hidden things are documented. Guideline 2.5.19 says not to include hidden, dormant or undocumented features. Check: list every feature flag and special mode and confirm each is either off, or explained.

Login

  1. Third-party login has an equivalent. Guideline 4.8 says an app using a third-party or social login for the primary account must also offer an equivalent login service with privacy-limited features (name and email only, email can stay private). Check: read 4.8 against your login screen and see Test Sign in with Apple flows.

Privacy

  1. Privacy policy in app and in App Store Connect. Guideline 5.1.1(i). Check: find it in both places in under a minute.
  2. Privacy details match the build. Apple says you are responsible for keeping them "accurate and up to date", including third-party partners whose code you integrate. Check: use the method in check your iOS privacy details against real behavior.
  3. Ask only for data you need. 5.1.1(iii). Check: for each permission prompt, name the feature that needs it. See permission prompts testing.

Metadata

  1. Metadata reflects the app. Guideline 2.3 says metadata, "including privacy information, your app description, screenshots, and previews", must accurately reflect the core experience. Check: compare each screenshot to the current build.
  2. Purchases reachable and testable. If you sell something, the reviewer must be able to find it. Check: describe the path in the notes; see StoreKit sandbox testing.

Last pass

  • Version and build number are higher than the last upload.
  • The build you submit is the build you tested, not a later one.
  • You have time to answer a reviewer message the same day.

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General information, not legal advice. Guidelines change.