iTunes reject app for date of birth - ios

I am iOS developer. I made an application for chat which required registration for go into app.
In registration screen, it require DATE OF BIRTH. Apple reject my app for more than 3 times because of DATE OF BIRTH field. I have told them that into our privacy policy we described that user's age must be more than 17 so, we need to add this field for date verification.
But, still they are rejecting my app.
Please help me.

From "App Store Review Guidelines 17. Privacy":
17.2
Apps that require users to share personal information, such as email address and date of birth, in order to function will be rejected
17.3 Apps may ask for date of birth (or use other age-gating mechanisms) only for the purpose of complying with applicable
children's privacy statutes, but must include some useful
functionality or entertainment value regardless of the user's age
So try to explain them why exactly you need to ask for the birthdate and try to offer another approach for people under 17.

Now, I am able to make app live on App store.
I remove DATE OF BIRTH field and add AGE field where user just select age, not birthdate.
And then, Apple make it live.

This isn't really something that anyone other than Apple could help you with.
Here is a link to the guidelines for your app to be published. https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/
And here is a link to their support page. https://developer.apple.com/contact/
Best of luck.

Related

How to make iOS (Xcode) app available to either Canada or US users

I have an iOS app that needs to be installed by users who have either a Canada or US based Apple ID.
The app is published to the App Store under my US Apple ID and apparently users with Canadian info (address / credit card?) can't download it unless they also create and use a US Apple ID.
Any way to publish the app so there isn't this limitation?
Is there any Apple documentation someone can point me to that details this?
Thanks in advance.
Any way to publish the app so there isn't this limitation?
Yes, there are App Store territories that include many if not most countries, and Canada is absolutely one of them. In general, you set the availability under the Pricing and Availability tab in App Store Connect, but you may need to take some other steps such as setting a price and perhaps adding export compliance information before you're able to change your app's availability.
Everything you need to know (and more) is detailed in App Store Connect Help.

User registration with mandatory Mobile Number

I'm creating an app that contains a registration form. If I make mobile number field mandatory then will there be any problem while uploading the app on the App Store or will there be any chances of app rejection? If yes, please explain why.
When you ask for any field mandatory. Then make sure that you are using that value in you app. If you are using that value for any purpose. Then there is no issue with apple Approval.
In my one of the app I have used mobile number in the same way you said(means for login of the user) that app get approved. But in another app where I get user's mobile number but not used any where in the app then that app get rejected. And I have to make that field as an optional.
I hope this will help you.
“Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines” clearly mentions that iOS apps that transmit personal information without consent and proper notification to users on how the information is used and where it will used will be rejected.
Privacy
17.1 Apps cannot transmit data about a user without obtaining the user’s prior permission and providing the user with access to information about how and where the data will be used
17.2 Apps that require users to share personal information, such as email address and date of birth, in order to function will be rejected
17.3 Apps may ask for date of birth (or use other age-gating mechanisms) only for the purpose of complying with applicable children’s privacy statutes, but must include some useful functionality or entertainment value regardless of the user’s age
17.4 Apps that collect, transmit, or have the capability to share personal information (e.g. name, address, email, location, photos, videos, drawings, the ability to chat, other personal data, or persistent identifiers used in combination with any of the above) from a minor must comply with applicable children’s privacy statutes, and must include a privacy policy
17.5 Apps that include account registration or access a user’s existing account must include a privacy policy or they will be rejected

Will apple reject my app for telling that they can register to the site?

I got my app rejected because it had a registration form that required too much information that the app never used. The simplest solution would be be to remove the registration and just let the user login inside the app (it can also be used without login but with less functionalities). What I was thinking was to remove the registration button and just add an UILabel where I tell the users that if they want to register they can visit the site (I won't provide a link for registration).
Does anyone know if my app is going to get rejected again just for telling the user to register on the site?
This is the reason Apple review team gave me:
17.2 Details
We noticed that your app requires users to register with personal
information. Apps cannot require users to enter personal information
that is not relevant to the app features.
We've attached screenshot(s) for your reference.
The screenshot was of the registration form that required some informations that weren't used inside the app.
The message in App Store Review Guidlines is quite clear:
Apps that require users to share personal information, such as email address and date of birth, in order to function will be rejected
which, of course does not stop you from asking for it while letting the user register, however - you MUST have a good reason for it, like:
Apps may ask for date of birth (or use other age-gating mechanisms) only for the purpose of complying with applicable children's privacy statutes, but must include some useful functionality or entertainment value regardless of the user's age
OR
Apps that include account registration or access a user’s existing account must include a privacy policy or they will be rejected
So my guess is that they think your registration is slightly fishy. I would suggest really making sure that the reasons for collecting that personal information are very visible to the Apple reviewers. They probably thought that your reasons for collecting a lot of info from the user is unnecessary for what your app does.
My recommendation is - take out what you don't really need and justify why you need what you're asking your users for and let Apple know in the notes for the reviewer.

Non-renewing IAP registration form: Is it allowed to ask for personal information?

My app features a non-renewing subscription (In-App Purchase). Registration is optional but recommended. Currently I ask for an email address and a password. Apple gave its ok to that.
Has anybody experience in whether it's allowed to ask for more than that? E.g. first/last name, company, phone number (may even be optional)?
Edit: I've updated my app to ask for additional registration data, but only the company, an email address and a password are mandatory. I don't know whether the reviewer overlooked this change in the app or if it's ok to do so, but it passed the review.
my previous app was approved but they rejected 2nd app which is following same login and registration process. Here is the 1st reaction I got from them:
17.2
We found that your app requires customers to register with personal
information to access non-account-based features, which is not in
compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.
Although guideline 11.6 of the App Store Review Guidelines requires an
application to make subscription content available to all the iOS
devices owned by a single user, it is not appropriate to force user
registration to meet this requirement; such user registration must be
made optional.
It would be appropriate to make it clear to the user that registering
will enable them to access the content from any of their iOS devices,
and to provide them a way to register at any time, if they wish to
later extend access to additional iOS devices.
Again i opted for a clarification on the rejection with my comment that previous app was approved, then they replied this:
Reasons
17.2: Apps that require users to share personal information, such as email address and date of birth, in order to function will be rejected
Thank you for your message. Users must have an option to purchase
subscriptions without being forced to register and log in.
On occasion, there may be apps on the App Store that don't appear to
be in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines - they may have
been approved before the current Guidelines were available or for
other reasons. We work hard to ensure that the apps on the App Store
are in compliance and we try to identify any apps currently on the App
Store that may not be. It takes time to identify these occurrences but
another app being out of compliance is not a reason for your app to
be.
It would be appropriate to revise your other app so that it would also
be in compliance with the Guidelines. We look forward to reviewing
your revised apps.
Now I am trying to connect with them on phone, let's see what happens. But it is really weird. :(

Apple Application Submission - Unable to fill Tax Info (Non-US Resident)

I did below for submitting TAX -
Submitted "NO" on - Are you a U.S. citizen, U.S. resident, U.S. partnership, or U.S. corporation?
Submitted "NO" on - Do you have any U.S. Business Activities?
on Next Page I am unable to change following details:
1.Individual or Organization Name &
2. Country of incorporation & 3. Permanent Residence
please help me on how can I modify these because the information in above colums is not correct. I need to change them, where does apple picks up these informations.
My applications is complete and I am stuck because of just this single step.
Thanks in advance
This isn't as easy as it should be, but if you have already entered tax information and wish to change it, you have to make a request to Apple via email, and they will tell you exactly what forms you'll have to fill out. I recently went through this (in the U.S.) to convert my personal account into a business account, and I'd imagine the process will be similar for you.
The Permanent Residence panel on the tax forms is not editable because it uses information from Dun & Bradstreet. It has the address when you originally requested a DUNS number
I suspect the other two details also come from the D&B record. If all three are wrong you may have the wrong DUNS details linked to your Apple ID.
You need to contact them directly - I just went through this on the phone with Apple Developer support and was advised to directly email appdeveloper#dnb.com

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