In these fews days, I am working on my iphone apps. Currently, we are almost in the last stage. We need to prepare all the material to submit our app to Apple App Store. Before submitting, I pay attention on the Apple Store Review Guidelines. I find my app may breaks some of the rules and that may cause my iPhone app being rejected by Apple app store. I think it is time to learning the Apple Rules and it is even more important than developing the apps.

To make sure your app can pass the Apple Store reviews, our apps must meet some basic guideline requirements. For example,

1. Make sure your app will not crash when it is running
2. Make sure there is no bugs in your apps
3. Make sure your app doesn’t serve the advertisement purpose
4. Make sure your app is a final product, not beta version, not trail version, nor test version

The above requirements are basic and some beginners are easily to break these rules. Therefore, we need to have a fully test on our apps before we can submit them to App Store. However, there are thousands of app rejection. Most of them meet the basic requirement. But they are not satisfied Apple Store reviewers. There are several rules which are not that clear to say whether they are right or wrong. For example,

1. Apps that duplicate Apps already in the App Store
2. Apps that are not very useful, unique, are simply web sites bundled as Apps, or do not provide any lasting entertainment value may be rejected
3. Developers “spamming” the App Store with many versions of similar Apps will be removed from the iOS Developer Program

As you saw, these rules are general and all are depending on how App Store judges our apps. To avoid our apps rejection because of these rules, we need to make sure that our apps provide special features. For example, we create an app which server the purpose of torchlight. It will be treated as duplicate apps for sure. There are several flashlight apps in the App Store. But you can make your torchlight app more special, it may survive from the App Store review.

For the second rule we mentioned above, it affects a lot of company services apps for special customers. For example, we have an online paid service and we want to provide iphone app for our paid customers. This kind of products will be rejected in 90% case by Apple Store. I don’t know how bank apps can be approved, it maybe because they are bank apps. Whether your app is useful are checked by Apple. Your app can be useful for your paid customers. But Apple store can say your app are useless for people who are not your customers. In this case, your apps must provide a way to let common user be able to your app as well.

This solution will cause another problem. Your app provide services for both paid users and free users. Then, how can free users subscribe your services? In App Purchase is the only way for you. You may want to provide online payment through Paypal or Google checkout, but your app will be reject 100%. Let’s check the following rules:

1. Apps that unlock or enable additional features or functionality with mechanisms other than the App Store will be rejected
2. Apps utilizing a system other than the In-App Purchase API (IAP) to purchase content, functionality, or services in an App will be rejected
3. Apps using IAP to purchase physical goods or goods and services used outside of the application will be rejected

Apple do everything they can to to make sure any money transaction must be through their payment gateway. We have no choice but share 30% commission with them. This is the business. To find out the details about Apple Apps Review Guidelines, please visit https://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval/guidelines.html