App Store rejection
Guideline 5.6 - Developer Code of Conduct
This rejection is about your developer account, not only this build, and guessing can put the account at risk. We write the reply and the appeal and stay on it until it's resolved. Fixed price, half paid only after approval.
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What the message is about
Guideline 5.6 is Apple's code of conduct for developers. It covers how you treat users and Apple, honest information about you as a developer, no manipulation of reviews, ratings or search, and overall app quality.
The rejection message often doesn't say which part triggered it. Some developers get it within seconds of submitting, which suggests it isn't about anything a reviewer saw in the app.
Read guideline 5.6 on Apple's site →
What Apple's message says
5.6 rejections rarely quote anything specific, so here is the guideline itself, word for word, and what it means in practice.
Please treat everyone with respect, whether in your responses to App Store reviews, customer support requests, or when communicating with Apple, including your responses in App Store Connect. Do not engage in harassment of any kind, discriminatory practices, intimidation, bullying, and don’t encourage others to engage in any of the above. Repeated manipulative or misleading behavior or other fraudulent conduct will lead to your removal from the Apple Developer Program.
Apple judges how you talk to users and to App Review, including your replies in App Store Connect. An angry reply can count against the account, so we keep every message short and factual.
Customer trust is a cornerstone of the App ecosystem. Apps should never prey on users or attempt to rip off customers, trick them into making unwanted purchases, force them to share unnecessary data, raise prices in a tricky manner, charge for features or content that are not delivered, or engage in any other manipulative practices within or outside of the app.
This covers the app and its listing: unclear prices, purchases people didn't mean to make, paid features that don't arrive. If anything in your app reads that way, it's the first thing we change.
Your Developer Program account will be terminated if you engage in activities or actions that are not in accordance with the Developer Code of Conduct. To restore your account, you may provide a written statement detailing the improvements you plan to make. If your plan is approved by Apple and we confirm the changes have been made, your account may be restored.
This is the worst case: the account, with every live app on it. It also describes the way back Apple accepts: a written plan of what changes, and the changes actually made.
What it actually means
Something on the account side worried Apple: the developer identity, a link to other accounts, the history of past submissions, or how the app or its listing presents itself.
That's why a new build alone rarely helps. The same thing can fire again on the next app from the same account. We've seen developers pass on appeal several times in a row and still get the same instant rejection on the next app.
If Apple's notice says your developer account is pending termination under section 3.2(f) of the license agreement, see Pending termination under section 3.2(f).
Why guessing is expensive
- Resubmitting the same build quickly usually brings the same answer and adds to the account's history.
- An angry reply or a public complaint doesn't help. The code of conduct itself asks you to treat Apple with respect.
- Creating a new account to get around it can make things much worse, because links between accounts are part of what Apple looks at.
- The guideline says repeated manipulative or misleading behavior can lead to removal from the Apple Developer Program. If you have live apps, they're on the line too.
What we do
- Go through your account, your apps and your listings to find what most likely triggered it.
- Fix what's on your side, if anything is: developer info, the listing, links between apps.
- Write a short, factual reply or an App Review Board appeal that asks the right question, not a protest.
- If it keeps happening, prepare you for a one-on-one App Review consultation, and stay on it until it's resolved.
You keep your code and your account. We never ask for your Apple ID password. If we need access, it goes through an App Store Connect user with the App Manager role.
Fixed price
Reviewer Reply
$99
Regular price: $190The review of your account and listings, the reply or the App Review Board appeal, followed until Apple decides. No code changes.
Rejection Fix
$249
Regular price: from $490Everything in Reviewer Reply, plus changes to the app or its listing if something there triggered it, the resubmission and every round for the same issue.
Several apps rejected at once? Send them all, we'll quote per app.
50% to start, 50% after Apple approves the submission. If Apple does not approve the submission for the guidelines we fixed, we keep working on those guidelines at no extra cost for up to 3 resubmissions within 60 days. If it still is not approved, you do not pay the second half. If the problem is with the account itself and not something we can change, we'll tell you upfront that the guarantee doesn't cover it.
Proof
4.3(a) Design Spam · App concept review
So I was facing this issue where one of my app got design spam twice. And seeing other on X also getting it more frequently now I got real demotivated and there was this fear in me that my next app will probably get design spam too because already there are other similar apps. In my case I was not having an issue with binary or metadata as I create things from ground up the main issue was app concept.
After talking to team I got to know that we can do consultation call with apple review team even before submitting build. The team also emphasized that first screenshot should highlights your unique features that no one have.
Going forward I will now try consultation calls with the apple team and also will highlight my unique features instead of the most popular and famous one.
An app we worked on went through 7 rejections and was approved on round 8.
Questions
What does "not in accordance with the Developer Code of Conduct" mean?
Apple believes something about your account, your app or how you communicate breaks guideline 5.6: respect, honesty with users, or manipulative practices. The message rarely says which. We find the likely cause before anything is resubmitted.
The rejection came in seconds. Did anyone even look at my app?
Apple doesn't explain how fast decisions are made. A rejection that quick usually points to something tied to the account rather than to the build.
Should I appeal?
Often yes, with a short, factual message. We write it so it asks Apple a specific question instead of arguing.
Should I open a new developer account?
No. Using several accounts is one of the things Apple looks at, and it can make the situation worse.
Will my live apps be affected?
They're on the same account, so it's worth resolving this properly instead of resubmitting in a loop.
How fast do you answer?
Free triage within 12 business hours.
Do you need my Apple ID password?
No, never. Access goes through an App Store Connect user with the App Manager role.
Send us your rejection
Paste Apple's message and tell us how long the review took and whether you have other apps on the account. We'll tell you what's likely behind it and give you a fixed price.
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Written by Ivan Bilousov, founder of Verdict Studio · Updated