Why Your App Gets Rejected for Guideline 4.2
Guideline 4.2 is Apple's most common rejection. Here's what it actually means and how to avoid it.
You got a rejection email. It says "Guideline 4.2 - Minimum Functionality." You read it three times and still don't understand what Apple wants.
Here's what the email says: Your app provides the same or very similar functionality to the web version. Apps should provide functionality that is more than just a web clip, link, or content aggregator.
Here's what Apple actually means: "Why would anyone install this instead of visiting your website?"
That's the whole rule. Everything else is decoration.
I've shipped 11+ apps to the App Store. I've seen dozens of 4.2 rejections. Most of them come from the same root cause: someone tried to ship a website as an app, and Apple said no.
The Four Things Reviewers Are Actually Looking For
- Does it use the device? Can it do something a web browser can't?
- Is it self-contained? Can you use it if the internet goes down?
- Is it a better experience on iOS than on the web? Not just the same design, responsive and wrapped.
- Is there a business reason to install it? Could you make money or get traction without the App Store?
If you can answer "yes" to three of these, you'll probably pass 4.2.
If you answer "no" to all of them, you're shipping a website. And Apple rejects websites.
Read the full post to understand what's actually happening and how to fix it.
[For the complete walkthrough, see the original blog post on why wrapping and generic web apps fail App Store review.]