Apple revises App Review Guidelines: What developers should check before submission

Apple revised the App Review Guidelines on Oct 16th 2026. This revision more clearly addresses the management of AI-generated nonconsensual intimate imagery, enabling features after review, and blocking apps related to child exploitation and human trafficking. Developers submitting apps to the App Store should recheck their feature lists and content policies before submission.

1. Changed provisions

The biggest change is provision 1.2. Nonconsensual intimate imagery created with AI tools is now explicitly included in the content moderation requirements. Apps handling user-generated content must prevent and remove such images in advance. Apple explained that apps without safeguards, or that fail to fix issues after receiving notice, may be removed from the App Store for violating the Developer Code of Conduct.

Provision 2.5.19 prohibits situations in which the features shown during review differ from the actual features after approval. This approach is called bait-and-switch in English. Content previously included in 2.3.1 has been separated into a new provision. Violating this rule may result in removal from the App Store and expulsion from the Apple Developer Program.

Section 5 states that Apple will remove apps that help with human trafficking or child exploitation from the App Store and prevent their distribution through other channels as well. Provision 2.3.14 is a new provision concerning creative assets. Its detailed wording should be checked directly in the official text.

2. What developers should check now

① Check whether the review notes match the released features. If there are features that will be enabled later through remote configuration or feature flags, their purpose must be described accurately in the review notes. Under 2.5.19, the mere appearance of a hidden feature is itself risky.

② If the app has AI image-generation, editing, or sharing features, test whether filters work to block requests that sexualize real people. Apple's wording says that such content must be prevented and removed in advance, not handled only after the fact.

③ Apps with user-generated content features must have all of the following: filters for objectionable content, a reporting channel, and account-blocking functionality. These requirements existed before the revision as well, but the provision's wording now makes it clearer which features can cause problems.

3. What has not yet been confirmed

Apple said it would provide a translation within a month. The scope of application of 2.3.14 and what specifically constitutes 'appropriate safeguards' under provision 1.2 are difficult to determine from the public documents alone. Apple said it blocked the release of more than 150,000 apps with safety issues and terminated more than 193,000 developer accounts last year. These figures are company announcements and were not independently verified.

4. One-line practical summary

Even for an already-approved app, after this revision it is safer to first check whether any features change after approval. Aligning the feature list, review notes, content filters, and reporting functionality at once can reduce the risk of another review.

Sources

Apple Developer: Updated App Review Guidelines (Oct 16th 2026) ↗

Apple Developer: Strengthening App Review Guidelines (Oct 16th 2026) ↗

App Review Guidelines original text ↗

This English edition was written and translated with AI assistance, with sources provided. For errors or additional information, please request a correction. Editorial policy