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- # Introduction
- We're thrilled that you want to invest your talents and time to develop
- applications for iOS. It has been a rewarding experience - both professionally
- and financially - for tens of thousands of developers and we want to help you
- join this successful group. This is the first time we have published our App
- Store Review Guidelines. We hope they will help you steer clear of issues as
- you develop your app, so that it speeds through the approval process when you
- submit it.
- We view Apps different than books or songs, which we do not curate. If you
- want to criticize a religion, write a book. If you want to describe sex, write
- a book or a song, or create a medical app. It can get complicated, but we have
- decided to not allow certain kinds of content in the App Store. It may help to
- keep some of our broader themes in mind:
- We have lots of kids downloading lots of apps, and parental controls don't
- work unless the parents set them up (many don't). So know that we're keeping
- an eye out for the kids.
- We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don't need any more Fart apps.
- If your app doesn't do something useful or provide some form of lasting
- entertainment, it may not be accepted.
- If your App looks like it was cobbled together in a few days, or you're trying
- to get your first practice App into the store to impress your friends, please
- brace yourself for rejection. We have lots of serious developers who don't
- want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour.
- We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the
- line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, "I'll
- know it when I see it". And we think that you will also know it when you cross
- it.
- If your app is rejected, we have a Review Board that you can appeal to. If you
- run to the press and trash us, it never helps. This is a living document, and
- new apps presenting new questions may result in new rules at any time. Perhaps
- your app will trigger this.
- Lastly, we love this stuff too, and honor what you do. We're really trying our
- best to create the best platform in the world for you to express your talents
- and make a living too. If it sounds like we're control freaks, well, maybe
- it's because we're so committed to our users and making sure they have a
- quality experience with our products. Just like almost all of you are too.
- ### 1. Terms and conditions
- 1.1 As a developer of applications for the App Store you are bound by the
- terms of the Program License Agreement (PLA), Human Interface Guidelines
- (HIG), and any other licenses or contracts between you and Apple. The
- following rules and examples are intended to assist you in gaining acceptance
- for your app in the App Store, not to amend or remove provisions from any
- other agreement.
- ### 2. Functionality
- 2.1 Apps that crash will be rejected
- 2.2 Apps that exhibit bugs will be rejected
- 2.3 Apps that do not perform as advertised by the developer will be rejected
- 2.4 Apps that include undocumented or hidden features inconsistent with the
- description of the app will be rejected
- 2.5 Apps that use non-public APIs will be rejected
- 2.6 Apps that read or write data outside its designated container area will be
- rejected
- 2.7 Apps that download code in any way or form will be rejected
- 2.8 Apps that install or launch other executable code will be rejected
- 2.9 Apps that are "beta", "demo", "trial", or "test" versions will be rejected
- 2.10 iPhone apps must also run on iPad without modification, at iPhone
- resolution, and at 2X iPhone 3GS resolution
- 2.11 Apps that duplicate apps already in the App Store may be rejected,
- particularly if there are many of them
- 2.12 Apps that are not very useful or do not provide any lasting entertainment
- value may be rejected
- 2.13 Apps that are primarily marketing materials or advertisements will be
- rejected
- 2.14 Apps that are intended to provide trick or fake functionality that are
- not clearly marked as such will be rejected
- 2.15 Apps larger than 20MB in size will not download over cellular networks
- (this is automatically prohibited by the App Store)
- 2.16 Multitasking apps may only use background services for their intended
- purposes: VoIP, audio playback, location, task completion, local
- notifications, etc
- 2.17 Apps that browse the web must use the iOS WebKit framework and WebKit
- Javascript 2.18 Apps that encourage excessive consumption of alcohol or
- illegal substances, or encourage minors to consume alcohol or smoke
- cigarettes, will be rejected
- 2.19 Apps that provide incorrect diagnostic or other inaccurate device data
- will be rejected
- 2.20 Developers "spamming" the App Store with many versions of similar apps
- will be removed from the iOS Developer Program
- ### 3. Metadata (name, descriptions, ratings, rankings, etc)
- 3.1 Apps with metadata that mentions the name of any other mobile platform
- will be rejected
- 3.2 Apps with placeholder text will be rejected
- 3.3 Apps with descriptions not relevant to the application content and
- functionality will be rejected
- 3.4 App names in iTunes Connect and as displayed on a device should be
- similar, so as not to cause confusion
- 3.5 Small and large app icons should be similar, so as to not to cause
- confusion
- 3.6 Apps with app icons and screenshots that do not adhere to the 4+ age
- rating will be rejected
- 3.7 Apps with Category and Genre selections that are not appropriate for the
- app content will be rejected
- 3.8 Developers are responsible for assigning appropriate ratings to their
- apps. Inappropriate ratings may be changed by Apple
- 3.9 Developers are responsible for assigning appropriate keywords for their
- apps. Inappropriate keywords may be changed/deleted by Apple
- 3.10 Developers who attempt to manipulate or cheat the user reviews or chart
- ranking in the App Store with fake or paid reviews, or any other inappropriate
- methods will be removed from the iOS Developer Program
- ### 4. Location
- 4.1 Apps that do not notify and obtain user consent before collecting,
- transmitting, or using location data will be rejected
- 4.2 Apps that use location-based APIs for automatic or autonomous control of
- vehicles, aircraft, or other devices will be rejected
- 4.3 Apps that use location-based APIs for dispatch, fleet management, or
- emergency services will be rejected
- ### 5. Push notifications
- 5.1 Apps that provide Push Notifications without using the Apple Push
- Notification (APN) API will be rejected
- 5.2 Apps that use the APN service without obtaining a Push Application ID from
- Apple will be rejected
- 5.3 Apps that send Push Notifications without first obtaining user consent
- will be rejected 5.4 Apps that send sensitive personal or confidential
- information using Push Notifications will be rejected
- 5.5 Apps that use Push Notifications to send unsolicited messages, or for the
- purpose of phishing or spamming will be rejected
- 5.6 Apps cannot use Push Notifications to send advertising, promotions, or
- direct marketing of any kind
- 5.7 Apps cannot charge users for use of Push Notifications 5.8 Apps that
- excessively use the network capacity or bandwidth of the APN service or unduly
- burden a device with Push Notifications will be rejected
- 5.9 Apps that transmit viruses, files, computer code, or programs that may
- harm or disrupt the normal operation of the APN service will be rejected
- ### 6. Game Center
- 6.1 Apps that display any Player ID to end users or any third party will be
- rejected
- 6.2 Apps that use Player IDs for any use other than as approved by the Game
- Center terms will be rejected
- 6.3 Developers that attempt to reverse lookup, trace, relate, associate, mine,
- harvest, or otherwise exploit Player IDs, alias, or other information obtained
- through the Game Center will be removed from the iOS Developer Program
- 6.4 Game Center information, such as Leaderboard scores, may only be used in
- apps approved for use with the Game Center
- 6.5 Apps that use Game Center service to send unsolicited messages, or for the
- purpose of phishing or spamming will be rejected
- 6.6 Apps that excessively use the network capacity or bandwidth of the Game
- Center will be rejected 6.7 Apps that transmit viruses, files, computer code,
- or programs that may harm or disrupt the normal operation of the Game Center
- service will be rejected
- ### 7. iAds
- 7.1 Apps that artificially increase the number of impressions or
- click-throughs of ads will be rejected
- 7.2 Apps that contain empty iAd banners will be rejected 7.3 Apps that are
- designed predominantly for the display of ads will be rejected
- ### 8. Trademarks and trade dress
- 8.1 Apps must comply with all terms and conditions explained in the Guidelines
- for using Apple Trademark and Copyrights and the Apple Trademark List
- 8.2 Apps that suggest or infer that Apple is a source or supplier of the app,
- or that Apple endorses any particular representation regarding quality or
- functionality will be rejected any particular representation regarding quality
- or functionality will be rejected
- 8.3 Apps which appear confusingly similar to an existing Apple product or
- advertising theme will be rejected
- 8.4 Apps that misspell Apple product names in their app name (i.e., GPS for
- Iphone, iTunz) will be rejected
- 8.5 Use of protected 3rd party material (trademarks, copyrights, trade
- secrets, otherwise proprietary content) requires a documented rights check
- which must be provided upon request
- 8.6 Google Maps and Google Earth images obtained via the Google Maps API can
- be used within an application if all brand features of the original content
- remain unaltered and fully visible. Apps that cover up or modify the Google
- logo or copyright holders identification will be rejected
- ### 9. Media content
- 9.1 Apps that do not use the MediaPlayer framework to access media in the
- Music Library will be rejected
- 9.2 App user interfaces that mimic any iPod interface will be rejected
- 9.3 Audio streaming content over a cellular network may not use more than 5MB
- over 5 minutes
- 9.4 Video streaming content over a cellular network longer than 10 minutes
- must use HTTP Live Streaming and include a baseline 64 kbps audio-only HTTP
- Live stream
- ### 10. User interface
- 10.1 Apps must comply with all terms and conditions explained in the Apple
- iPhone Human Interface Guidelines and the Apple iPad Human Interface
- Guidelines
- 10.2 Apps that look similar to apps bundled on the iPhone, including the App
- Store, iTunes Store, and iBookstore, will be rejected
- 10.3 Apps that do not use system provided items, such as buttons and icons,
- correctly and as described in the Apple iPhone Human Interface Guidelines and
- the Apple iPad Human Interface Guidelines may be rejected
- 10.4 Apps that create alternate desktop/home screen environments or simulate
- multi - app widget experiences will be rejected
- 10.5 Apps that alter the functions of standard switches, such as the Volume
- Up/Down and Ring/Silent switches, will be rejected
- 10.6 Apple and our customers place a high value on simple, refined, creative,
- well thought through interfaces. They take more work but are worth it. Apple
- sets a high bar. If your user interface is complex or less than very good it
- may be rejected
- ### 11. Purchasing and currencies
- 11.1 Apps that unlock or enable additional features or functionality with
- mechanisms other than the App Store will be rejected
- 11.2 Apps utilizing a system other than the In App Purchase API (IAP) to
- purchase content, functionality, or services in an app will be rejected
- 11.3 Apps using IAP to purchase physical goods or goods and services used
- outside of the application will be rejected
- 11.4 Apps that use IAP to purchase credits or other currencies must consume
- those credits within the application
- 11.5 Apps that use IAP to purchase credits or other currencies that expire
- will be rejected 11.6 Content subscriptions using IAP must last a minimum of
- 30 days and be available to the user from all of their iOS devices
- 11.7 Apps that use IAP to purchase items must assign the correct
- Purchasability type
- 11.8 Apps that use IAP to purchase access to built-in capabilities provided by
- iOS, such as the camera or the gyroscope, will be rejected
- 11.9 Apps containing "rental" content or services that expire after a limited
- time will be rejected
- 11.10 Insurance applications must be free, in legal-compliance in the regions
- distributed, and cannot use IAP 11.11 In general, the more expensive your app,
- the more thoroughly we will review it
- ### 12. Scraping and aggregation
- 12.1 Applications that scrape any information from Apple sites (for example
- from apple.com, iTunes Store, App Store, iTunes Connect, Apple Developer
- Programs, etc) or create rankings using content from Apple sites and services
- will be rejected
- 12.2 Applications may use approved Apple RSS feeds such as the iTunes Store
- RSS feed
- 12.3 Apps that are simply web clippings, content aggregators, or a collection
- of links, may be rejected
- ### 13. Damage to device
- 13.1 Apps that encourage users to use an Apple Device in a way that may cause
- damage to the device will be rejected
- 13.2 Apps that rapidly drain the device's battery or generate excessive heat
- will be rejected
- ### 14. Personal attacks
- 14.1 Any app that is defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited, or likely to place
- the targeted individual or group in harms way will be rejected
- 14.2 Professional political satirists and humorists are exempt from the ban on
- offensive or mean- spirited commentary
- ### 15. Violence
- 15.1 Apps portraying realistic images of people or animals being killed or
- maimed, shot, stabbed, tortured or injured will be rejected
- 15.2 Apps that depict violence or abuse of children will be rejected
- 15.3 "Enemies" within the context of a game cannot solely target a specific
- race, culture, a real government or corporation, or any other real entity
- 15.4 Apps involving realistic depictions of weapons in such a way as to
- encourage illegal or reckless use of such weapons will be rejected
- 15.5 Apps that include games of Russian roulette will be rejected
- ### 16. Objectionable content
- 16.1 Apps that present excessively objectionable or crude content will be
- rejected 16.2 Apps that are primarily designed to upset or disgust users will
- be rejected
- ### 17. Privacy
- 17.1 Apps cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user's prior
- permission and providing the user with access to information about how and
- where the data will be used
- 17.2 Apps that require users to share personal information, such as email
- address and date of birth, in order to function will be rejected
- 17.3 Apps that target minors for data collection will be rejected
- ### 18. Pornography
- 18.1 Apps containing pornographic material, defined by Webster's Dictionary as
- "explicit descriptions or displays of sexual organs or activities intended to
- stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings", will be
- rejected
- 18.2 Apps that contain user generated content that is frequently pornographic
- (ex "Chat Roulette" apps) will be rejected
- ### 19. Religion, culture, and ethnicity
- 19.1 Apps containing references or commentary about a religious, cultural or
- ethnic group that are defamatory, offensive, mean-spirited or likely to expose
- the targeted group to harm or violence will be rejected
- 19.2 Apps may contain or quote religious text provided the quotes or
- translations are accurate and not misleading. Commentary should be educational
- or informative rather than inflammatory
- ### 20. Contests, sweepstakes, lotteries, and raffles
- 20.1 Sweepstakes and contests must be sponsored by the developer/company of
- the app 20.2 Official rules for sweepstakes and contests, must be presented in
- the app and make it clear that Apple is not a sponsor or involved in the
- activity in any manner
- 20.3 It must be permissible by law for the developer to run a lottery app, and
- a lottery app must have all of the following characteristics: consideration,
- chance, and a prize
- 20.4 Apps that allow a user to directly purchase a lottery or raffle ticket in
- the app will be rejected
- ### 21. Charities and contributions
- 21.1 Apps that include the ability to make donations to recognized charitable
- organizations must be free
- 21.2 The collection of donations must be done via a web site in Safari or an
- SMS
- ### 22. Legal requirements
- 22.1 Apps must comply with all legal requirements in any location where they
- are made available to users. It is the developer's obligation to understand
- and conform to all local laws
- 22.2 Apps that contain false, fraudulent or misleading representations will be
- rejected
- 22.3 Apps that solicit, promote, or encourage criminal or clearly reckless
- behavior will be rejected
- 22.4 Apps that enable illegal file sharing will be rejected
- 22.5 Apps that are designed for use as illegal gambling aids, including card
- counters, will be rejected
- 22.6 Apps that enable anonymous or prank phone calls or SMS/MMS messaging will
- be rejected
- 22.7 Developers who create apps that surreptitiously attempt to discover user
- passwords or other private user data will be removed from the iOS Developer
- Program
- ## Living document
- This document represents our best efforts to share how we review apps
- submitted to the App Store, and we hope it is a helpful guide as you develop
- and submit your apps. It is a living document that will evolve as we are
- presented with new apps and situations, and we'll update it periodically to
- reflect these changes.
- Thank you for developing for iOS. Even though this document is a formidable
- list of what not to do, please also keep in mind the much shorter list of what
- you must do. Above all else, join us in trying to surprise and delight users.
- Show them their world in innovative ways, and let them interact with it like
- never before. In our experience, users really respond to polish, both in
- functionality and user interface. Go the extra mile. Give them more than they
- expect. And take them places where they have never been before. We are ready
- to help.
- Β© Apple, 2010
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