App Store rejectionGuideline 4.0 - Design

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What 4.0 rejections point at, and the fix

1. 01

   The note is about one screen

   “Coming up with a great design is up to you, but the following are minimum standards for approval to the App Store.” Apple, Guideline 4 Design

   4.0 has no single checklist, so the reviewer’s note is the spec. Quote it back in your reply and say what you changed on that screen, with a screenshot.

2. 02

   Sign in with Apple, then a form asking for name or email

   “Help people use their new account right away; don’t delay the experience by asking for information that isn’t required.” Apple Human Interface Guidelines, Sign in with Apple

   Apple shares the name and email on the first sign-in. A screen that asks for them again right after, or that asks for a personal email when the user chose a private relay address, can draw a 4.0 note. Save what the first sign-in gives you and make extra fields optional.

3. 03

   A private relay address treated as wrong

   “Avoid asking for a personal email address when people supply a private relay address.” Apple Human Interface Guidelines, Sign in with Apple

   The relay address works for email. Don’t block it, flag it as invalid, or ask the user to replace it.

4. 04

   The login opens Safari outside the app

   “In iOS, the browser is a secure, embedded web view.” Apple Developer, ASWebAuthenticationSession

   A sign-in that sends the user out to Safari and back can be flagged. ASWebAuthenticationSession shows the same web login in a system browser sheet inside the app and returns the result to your code. Keep a reference to the session until it finishes, and make the view controller the presentation context provider. In Flutter and React Native, the common web auth plugins use it on iOS.

   import AuthenticationServices
   
   // self conforms to ASWebAuthenticationPresentationContextProviding
   var authSession: ASWebAuthenticationSession? // keep it alive
   
   authSession = ASWebAuthenticationSession(
     url: loginURL, callbackURLScheme: "myapp"
   ) { callbackURL, error in
     // read the code or token from callbackURL
   }
   authSession?.presentationContextProvider = self
   authSession?.start()

5. 05

   The iPad layout is broken

   “iPhone apps should run on iPad whenever possible.” Apple, Guideline 2.4.1

   Reviewers may test an iPhone app on an iPad. Stretched images, cut-off buttons or a screen stuck in portrait get sent back. An iPhone-only app still runs on iPad, so test every screen on an iPad simulator before you resubmit.

Checked against the vendor’s docs on November 9, 2026: Apple: App Review Guidelines, 4 Design and 2.4.1; Apple Human Interface Guidelines: Sign in with Apple; Apple Developer: ASWebAuthenticationSession; Apple: App Review (replying and appeals).

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Related: App Store Guideline 4.8 · App Store Guideline 4.2 · App Store Guideline 2.1 · App Store Guideline 2.5.4