iOS App Submission Checklist 2026 — 50 Items Before You Hit Submit

App Store rejections happen more often from missing checklist items than from code problems. After shipping 20+ apps and working through dozens of rejection cycles, we have compiled the complete pre-submission checklist that App Review actually uses — organized by phase, with the specific guideline reference for each item so you know exactly what you are satisfying.

Bookmark this page and run through it the day before you click "Submit for Review." Every item here maps to either a real rejection reason we have seen or an explicit App Review guideline requirement.

App Store Connect Setup Checklist

Complete these before anything else — these are prerequisites that block submission if missing.

• ✓ Apple Developer Program membership active — $99/year, renewal must not have lapsed. Check at developer.apple.com/account.
• ✓ Bundle ID registered in developer.apple.com → Identifiers, exactly matching the bundle ID in your Xcode project. A mismatch causes upload failure.
• ✓ App record created in App Store Connect with correct platform (iOS only, or iOS + iPadOS).
• ✓ Signing certificates valid — Distribution certificate not expired. Check in Keychain Access or Xcode → Preferences → Accounts → Manage Certificates.
• ✓ Provisioning profile valid and includes the distribution certificate. Regenerate from developer.apple.com if recently renewed the certificate.
• ✓ Banking and tax information complete in App Store Connect → Agreements, Tax, and Banking if your app is paid or has in-app purchases. Missing this blocks app sales even after approval.
• ✓ Paid Apps agreement signed if your app costs money or has in-app purchases.

Visual Assets Checklist

Visual asset issues are the most common cause of App Review rejections under Guideline 2.3.

• ✓ App Store icon uploaded: 1024×1024px PNG, fully opaque (no alpha channel), no pre-baked rounded corners, no transparency. (Guideline 2.3.7)
• ✓ Screenshots uploaded for 6.9-inch iPhone (required, 1320×2868px portrait). This is the minimum required screenshot size in 2026.
• ✓ Screenshots for 6.5-inch iPhone (optional but strongly recommended — App Store shows these on older devices).
• ✓ iPad screenshots if your app supports iPad — upload at iPad-specific dimensions. Missing iPad screenshots while claiming iPad support triggers rejection.
• ✓ Screenshots show actual app UI — not a marketing image, not a website, not a feature not yet in the app. Screenshots must represent the app in use. (Guideline 2.3.3)
• ✓ No competitor names, device names, or platform UI in screenshots — no Android references, no Samsung logo, no Google Play store imagery visible.
• ✓ App preview video compliant (if included): correct resolution, 15–30 seconds, only UI from the current app version, no fake performance claims, no Apple trademarked content. (Guideline 2.3.4)
• ✓ Status bar is clean in all screenshots — time shows a clean time (9:41 AM is conventional), full battery, full signal. No notification badges, no red battery indicator.
• ✓ No placeholder or dummy content visible — no "Lorem ipsum," no "Sample User," no "Test Data." Use realistic but anonymized content.

Metadata Checklist

Metadata rejections under Guideline 2.3 are the second most common rejection category.

• ✓ App name ≤ 30 characters — this includes spaces. Check with the App Store character counter. Names over 30 characters cannot be submitted.
• ✓ Subtitle ≤ 30 characters — same limit. Subtitle should not repeat the app name or duplicate the description.
• ✓ Keywords field ≤ 100 characters — comma-separated, no spaces after commas (they waste characters), no words already in your title or subtitle (Apple indexes those automatically), no competitor brand names.
• ✓ Description ≤ 4000 characters — App Store shows only the first 252 characters before "more." Write those 252 characters as your best sales copy.
• ✓ Privacy policy URL included and working — the URL must load without a redirect chain, without requiring a login, and without a paywall. Test in an incognito browser window.
• ✓ Support URL working — must reach a real support page. A dead URL triggers rejection.
• ✓ Primary category selected correctly — App Review checks category selection against app content. An obvious mismatch (a game listed as Business) triggers scrutiny.
• ✓ Age rating set correctly — if your app has any content matching an age-restricted category (violence, gambling references, language), the rating must reflect it. Under-rating an app is a rejection reason.
• ✓ App description does not promise features not in the submitted version — no "coming soon" features, no planned functionality, no "subscription required for X" if X is in the current binary. (Guideline 2.3.3)

Privacy Compliance Checklist

Privacy rejections under Guideline 5.1 have increased significantly since 2024. This section has the highest risk of missing items.

• ✓ App Privacy labels completed in App Store Connect — every data type your app or its SDKs collect must be accurately declared. This includes Firebase, Crashlytics, AdMob, and any other SDK. (Guideline 5.1.1)
• ✓ Privacy Manifest (PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy) included if your app uses any "required reason" APIs — NSUserDefaults, file timestamp APIs, disk space APIs, and others added in 2024. Verify in Xcode → Product → Archive → Validate App — it will warn about missing privacy manifest entries.
• ✓ NSUserTrackingUsageDescription in Info.plist if your app uses IDFA or any tracking APIs. The usage string must clearly explain why you need tracking. (ATT framework, Guideline 5.1.2)
• ✓ All permission usage descriptions present for every permission your app requests: NSCameraUsageDescription, NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription, NSMicrophoneUsageDescription, etc. A permission requested without a usage description string causes a crash and immediate rejection.
• ✓ Privacy policy accurately matches app behavior — if your policy says you do not collect location but the app requests location permission, that is a rejection under Guideline 5.1.1(v).
• ✓ Account deletion feature implemented if your app has user accounts — Apple has required in-app account deletion since June 2023. Users must be able to delete their account from within the app, and the deletion must be complete (not just deactivation). (Guideline 5.1.1(v))

Technical Readiness Checklist

• ✓ No crashes on launch — test cold launch on a real device, not just the Simulator. App Review tests on real hardware. A crash on launch = immediate rejection with Guideline 2.1.
• ✓ No placeholder content visible anywhere — no "TODO" labels, no empty view controllers, no screens that only show a spinner indefinitely.
• ✓ No references to Android, Google, Google Play, or competitor platforms anywhere in the UI. Any mention of another platform is an automatic rejection. (Guideline 2.3.1)
• ✓ No broken navigation — every button leads somewhere. Buttons that do nothing trigger rejection under Guideline 2.1 (functionality too limited).
• ✓ Internet requirement clearly disclosed if the app requires internet connectivity — and the app should show a sensible offline state, not a crash.
• ✓ Minimum iOS version set correctly — your binary must actually run on the minimum version you specify. Test on the oldest iOS version you support, not just the latest.
• ✓ No private API usage — Apple scans binaries for private API calls. Using private frameworks or undocumented selectors triggers rejection. (Guideline 2.5.1)
• ✓ App size reasonable — no artificial padding of binary size, no bundled resources unrelated to app functionality. Very large app sizes without clear justification attract scrutiny.

Legal Checklist

• ✓ No trademark violations — no well-known brand names in your app name, icon, or screenshots that could confuse users or imply affiliation. (Guideline 5.2.1)
• ✓ No misleading screenshots or app name — your app name and screenshots must represent only what the app actually does. Adding "Pro" to imply features that are not there is flagged. (Guideline 2.3.3)
• ✓ Export compliance declaration completed — App Store Connect asks whether your app uses encryption. Most apps using HTTPS connections must select "Yes" and then declare they use standard encryption. Selecting incorrectly can cause compliance issues.
• ✓ EULA linked if you use a custom one — App Store Connect has a default Apple EULA field. If you have custom terms of service, link them appropriately.
• ✓ No illegal content — nothing that violates applicable laws in the territories you are distributing to. This includes gambling regulations, healthcare regulations, financial services regulations. (Guideline 5.2)

In-App Purchase Checklist

Only complete this section if your app has in-app purchases or subscriptions.

• ✓ All IAPs created and approved in App Store Connect before submitting — you cannot submit an app with IAPs that have not been created in App Store Connect first.
• ✓ IAPs tested in sandbox — use a sandbox Apple ID (created in App Store Connect → Users and Access → Sandbox Testers) to fully test the purchase flow, restoration, and error states on a real device.
• ✓ Restore Purchases button present for non-consumable IAPs and subscriptions — required by Guideline 3.1.1. Users on a new device must be able to restore. Omitting this button is a rejection.
• ✓ Receipt validation implemented — either client-side or server-side. Without validation, your IAPs can be trivially bypassed. App Review does not check this, but it is a security requirement for production.
• ✓ Subscription terms clearly disclosed in the UI — the subscription duration, price, and auto-renewal terms must be displayed before the purchase screen, not just in the privacy policy or terms of service. (Guideline 3.1.2)
• ✓ Cancellation instructions accessible — users must be able to find where to cancel a subscription. Apple requires a link or instructions to Manage Subscriptions in iOS Settings. (Guideline 3.1.2)
• ✓ No alternative payment methods offered inside the app for digital goods — Apple requires all digital content purchases to go through the App Store IAP system. (Guideline 3.1.1). Physical goods and services are exempt.

App Review Guideline Cross-Reference

Frequently Asked Questions