Common rejection
Apple rejected my app for being "just a website"
By Huruy Kidanemariam, who shipped Beles and EBT Finder to the App Store. Updated .
The short answer
Apple doesn't want apps that are a website in a frame. Arguing rarely works. What works is adding things a browser can't do, removing the parts that feel like a website, and telling the reviewer exactly where to look.
What the reviewer saw
Apple's message usually says your app is "not sufficiently different from a mobile browsing experience." What the reviewer saw was some mix of: a web-style menu or footer, links that open web pages, a blank screen or browser error when the phone is offline, and nothing an iPhone app would do that a website couldn't.
How to fix it
- Replace the web menu with a native tab bar.
- Add a real offline screen instead of a browser error.
- Add iPhone features that fit your app: push notifications, haptics (the small taps you feel), the share sheet, the camera.
- Remove website leftovers: footers, "open in browser" links, cookie banners.
- In your note to the reviewer, list each native feature and where to find it.
When it isn't fixable
If the app is mostly static content, like a brochure or a blog, Apple is unlikely to accept it however it's wrapped. Better to know that before you pay anyone.
What I ran into
Before submitting Beles I added Sign in with Apple and rebuilt its main Discover screen around native iPhone patterns. The reviewer's first minute in an app decides a lot.
Questions
- Can I just reply and explain?
- Rarely, unless the reviewer missed native features that are already there. Most of the time Apple wants to see a changed build.
- How long does the fix take?
- Usually days, not weeks, if the app does something useful.
Apple calls this Guideline 4.2, Minimum Functionality in the App Review Guidelines.