- Incomplete or misleading metadata is one of the most common, easily avoidable rejection reasons.
- Broken core functionality found during review is a frequent and preventable cause.
- Privacy policy and data-use disclosures need to exactly match what the app actually does.
- Building review guidelines into the process early avoids a multi-week rejection cycle.
Metadata mismatches are an easy, common trap
Screenshots or descriptions that don't accurately represent what the app currently does — often left over from an earlier version — are a frequent and completely avoidable rejection reason. A quick metadata review against the actual current build before every submission catches this.
Reviewers find what testers missed
Apple and Google reviewers actually use the app, including flows a team might not have tested thoroughly — an edge case in the signup flow, a broken link. Any core functionality that fails during actual review use is an automatic rejection, which is why a genuine pre-submission test pass matters.
Privacy disclosures need to match reality exactly
Both stores require accurate disclosure of what data an app collects and how it's used, cross-checked against the app's actual behavior. A mismatch — collecting more than disclosed, or an outdated privacy policy after a feature change — is a common and rising cause of rejection as review scrutiny has increased.
Guideline changes catch teams that don't track them
Both platforms update their review guidelines periodically, and an app that complied last quarter can fail this quarter's stricter interpretation of the same rule. Teams that build a habit of checking for guideline updates before each submission avoid being surprised by a rule that changed underneath them.
Build the review process into your release cadence
Treating store review as a predictable, budgeted part of every release — with a buffer for a possible round of feedback and resubmission — avoids the common mistake of announcing a launch date that assumes first-time approval, which review timelines don't always cooperate with.