Apple Will Allow Developers to 'Challenge' App Store Review Guidelines Starting This Summer

Apple today announced that it is launching an online version of its App Store lab, providing developers with another avenue to share feedback to help improve the App Store. Apple's new developer forums will also serve as a platform for developers to share their suggestions so that Apple can implement changes that benefit the community.

app store on ios 13
Additionally, two changes are coming to the App Store review process this summer. First, in addition to developers being able to appeal decisions about whether an app violates a given guideline of the App Store Review Guidelines, they will be able to "challenge" the guideline itself. Second, Apple says bug fixes for existing apps will no longer be delayed over guideline violations except for those related to legal issues. Instead, developers will be able to address the issue in their next submission through App Store Connect.

Apple's marketing chief and App Store lead Phil Schiller:

The Apple developer community inspires us all with apps that help more than a billion users, transform industries, and change the world. This WWDC, we've introduced innovative new APIs, frameworks, and tools designed to help developers take their app experiences further and reach even more users. The App Store ecosystem is more diverse, dynamic, and successful than it has ever been, but we know that to make it better for everyone, there is more we must do together. This year at WWDC20, we've added online App Store Labs, extended the annual App Store developer survey, and more because we want to hear directly from hundreds of thousands of developers on how they want us to improve the App Store for them, and for users.

These changes come days after Apple faced renewed scrutiny over its App Store practices, including the European Commission's announcement that it will be investigating Apple's in-app purchase system. In particular, Basecamp and some other developers have taken issue with Apple's long-standing 30 percent commission from in-app purchases.

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
macbook pro blue green

M5 MacBook Pro No Longer Coming in 2025

Thursday July 10, 2025 12:38 pm PDT by
Apple does not plan to refresh any Macs with updated M5 chips in 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models are now planned for the first half of 2026. Gurman previously said that Apple would debut the M5 MacBook Pro models in late 2025, but his newest report suggests that Apple is "considering" pushing them back to 2026. Apple is now said to be...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...
iPhone 17 Air Colors Thumb 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air Rumored to Come in These 9 Colors

Friday July 11, 2025 12:30 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air will be available in a total of nine color options, according to new information coming out of Asia. The iPhone 17 Air's expected color options. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean blog Naver, accessory manufacturers are now producing camera protector rings for the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air in colors to match their...

Top Rated Comments

sw1tcher Avatar
66 months ago

Another overblown Apple issue.
Disagree. It wouldn't be an issue if there was another way to get apps for the iOS.

With Mac OS, I can download and install an app directly from the publisher.

With the change to ARM Macs and Mac OS 11, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple took that ability away from users and forced everyone to get their apps through the app store.


Developers have no idea what the 30% fee earns them.
30% less revenue?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Caviar_X Avatar
66 months ago
Ouch. This should get interesting. I see apple trying to avoid harsh punishment for their monopolistic behaviors.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
66 months ago

And some will still say Apple's App Store rules are illegal and that Apple should just distribute my apps for free so that Apple gets nothing for investing billions of dollars into this platform.
Every developer pays $99 yearly fee. I spend $1000 on an iPhone. Does none of that go to maintaining the App Store? Considering how much profit Apple makes each quarter and how much cash they have I don’t think the company has any trouble maintaining the App Store. They can argue they deserve a commission or finders fee but a lot of developers will say their app isn’t popular because of Apple. I can’t remember the last time I downloaded an app because it was featured on the App Store. Outside of maybe a few games none of the apps on my iOS devices are there because of Apple promotion/marketing.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ArtOfWarfare Avatar
66 months ago
Thanks Oh Apple for the meager scraps.

Developers have no idea what the 30% fee earns them.
Please enlighten us. I distribute non-iOS apps via my website, no problem. I pay fees to keep my domain registration, and I have a power bill and an internet bill to keep my $35 Raspberry Pi online.

People who think Apple is doing anything even remotely worth 30% are clueless. Consider this: Apple is totally content with the 30% of nothing they get on free apps. Why? Because distributing apps costs essentially nothing. Apple's App Store contributes little of actual value. Its only value (for entities besides Apple) is artificially produced by the fact that Apple refuses to allow apps to be installed from any other source.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
66 months ago

Every developer pays $99 yearly fee. I spend $1000 on an iPhone. Does none of that go to maintaining the App Store? Considering how much profit Apple makes each quarter and how much cash they have I don’t think the company has any trouble maintaining the App Store. They can argue they deserve a commission or finders fee but a lot of developers will say their app isn’t popular because of Apple. I can’t remember the last time I downloaded an app because it was featured on the App Store. Outside of maybe a few games none of the apps on my iOS devices are there because of Apple promotion/marketing.
$99 fee pays for 3 app update submissions (app reviewers make $29-$35/hr, 1 app review is about an hour). I've submitted over 20-30 updates before. $99/yr pays for barely anything.

Your $1000:
- pays for hardware (including R&D)
- pays for 5 years of major "user features" software (not even talking about developer APIs)
- pays for Apple Care/Genius Bar support
- pays for free shipping on potential returns
- pays for iMessage + FaceTime service for life
- pays for Apple Maps service for life which Apple doesn't make much $$$ from since they don't sell your data unlike Google Maps
- pays for push notification service for life
- pays for iCloud mail for life
- pays for Sign In with Apple service (where Apple makes $0 from while Facebook makes a ton selling your sign in data),
- pays for Find My phone service for life
- pays for documents in the cloud for all of your apps (like Notes, Keychain, Reminders) for life
- pays for Siri service (again, Apple doesn't sell your data, so the money has to come from somewhere)
- pays for iCloud on the web service
- pays for Apple News (whether you use it or not)
- pays for free radio

- etc...

This doesn't even touch the developer side of things.

You're talking about an expensive option. Instead, imagine what a $399 iPhone SE pays for.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
66 months ago
And some will still say Apple’s App Store rules are just fine, anyone complaining is just a whiner and should go to Android. ?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)