Rejected Three Times: What We Learned About App Review

Running a small design studio in Seattle means we live and breathe rapid product development. Last month, our team—Olivia, Tyler, and Taylor—faced a massive roadblock with our flagship app. We spent weeks polishing every pixel in Figma, ensuring our conversion rate and drop-off metrics looked solid across the entire user funnel. Yet, the app store rejected our submission three times in a row, causing a painful release delay that kept holding back our release.

Our first rejection notice was baffling. The reviewer notes stated that we violated a core store policy regarding in-app purchase metadata and screenshots. We were shocked because we thought we had met every single app store guideline. Tyler, our creative director, insisted that we couldn't have missed anything in the visual design. But the reviewer notes pointed straight at a hidden violation in our onboarding flow.

We tried to appeal the decision through the official appeal process. We submitted a detailed explanation, provided a working demo account, and argued that the reviewer had simply misinterpreted our interface. Unfortunately, the automated system rejected our appeal within hours. We realized we needed a new strategy to clear review before our target segment of power users lost interest in our startup.

Next, we looked closely at our casual users and analyzed where they struggled most. Olivia suggested we might have overlooked a detail in the subscription terms. We quickly updated the metadata, fixed the broken links, and prepared a fresh build for resubmission. We felt confident that this fourth attempt would finally pass without any further friction from the review board.

To our absolute surprise, the fourth submission was accepted in just two hours—after we simply removed an obscure experimental feature that nobody used anyway. All that stress over a complicated module that our target audience never even touched! It was a funny and humbling lesson in product design and unnecessary complexity.

Reflecting on this bumpy journey, we learned several valuable lessons about modern software distribution. First, never assume that complex features are worth the review risk. Second, keep your reviewer notes crystal clear and direct. Third, do not argue with guidelines; just adapt your product to fit them smoothly and quickly.

We also realized how important it is to keep our ongoing project documentation updated in Jira. A simple side effect of this ordeal was that our team became much better at communicating with developers. We now test every single screen against the latest guidelines before we even touch the build pipeline.

If you are currently struggling with your own app store rejections, don't panic or lose hope. Take a deep breath, review your metadata, talk to your engineers, and strip away anything that might confuse a reviewer. Sometimes, the fastest way forward is stepping back and simplifying your product vision entirely.

Read again and choose the right answer

How many times was the app rejected before the successful submission?

• One time
• Three times
• Four times

What finally helped them get accepted in just two hours?

• Removing an unused feature
• Changing the company logo
• Lowering the price

What did the initial reviewer notes mention?

• Slow server speed
• In-app purchase metadata violation
• Bad typography

Where is the startup located?

• London
• Seattle
• Austin

Sources: photo by Akshar Dave🌻 on Pexels