App Review Guidelines

A structured index of Apple's App Review Guidelines, verified against the current published revision. Use this to find the guideline number behind a rejection, identify zero-tolerance violations before submitting, and understand which app types require extra documentation.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• You received a rejection message citing a specific guideline number and need context
• You want to verify your app against the sections most often cited in rejections
• You're building a sensitive-category app (Kids, medical, crypto, gambling, VPN) and need the extra documentation requirements
• You need to know which violations carry immediate-removal risk
• You're auditing a feature against Safety, Performance, Business, Design, or Legal sections before adding it

Example Prompts

Questions you can ask Claude that will draw from this skill:

• "What does Guideline 2.1 actually require?"
• "Which App Review Guidelines have zero-tolerance enforcement?"
• "We're submitting a Kids category app — what's required by 1.3 and 5.1.4?"
• "What are the top 10 rejection causes by frequency?"
• "Is my VPN app subject to special review requirements?"
• "Our app handles loot boxes — which guideline covers odds disclosure?"
• "What's the difference between 4.2 (minimum functionality) and 4.3 (spam)?"

What This Skill Provides

• Section-by-section index — Safety (1.x), Performance (2.x), Business (3.x), Design (4.x), and Legal (5.x), with topic summaries for each numbered guideline
• Zero-tolerance flags — The four guidelines (1.1.4, 2.5.3, 4.1(b), 5.1.1(vi)) whose violation can mean immediate removal or Developer Program termination, called out separately so they don't get lost in the long list
• Top 10 rejection causes — Ordered by frequency, anchored on Apple's published statistics where available; the canonical "if you only check ten things, check these"
• Sensitive app types — Kids apps with third-party ads, medical hardware, third-party content/trademarks, gambling/VPN/real-money gaming, and regulated industries (banking, crypto, healthcare, air travel), with the extra documentation each requires
• Cross-references to payments — Apple Pay, Wallet, and Tap to Pay guidance is split out to the axiom-payments suite; this skill points there for Section 3 questions involving physical-world payments

Related

• App Store Submission — Pre-flight checklist that catches 90% of guideline violations before you submit
• App Store Diagnostics — Use when a rejection has arrived; maps guideline numbers to root causes and fixes
• Expert Review Checklist — 9-section verification list covering build, privacy, metadata, monetization, and EU compliance
• App Store Reference — Field-level metadata specs, privacy manifest schema, and age rating tiers