Guideline 2.3: "Accurate Metadata"

What this rejection means

"Metadata" is everything on your store page that is not the app itself: the name, subtitle, description, keywords, screenshots, preview video, age rating, category, and the support and privacy links. Guideline 2.3 says all of it must honestly describe what the app does.

The sub-number tells you what the reviewer found. The ones we see most on AI-built apps:

• 2.3.3 — Screenshots. They show a website, a splash screen, a login page, or a desktop layout instead of the app in use.
• 2.3.1 — Hidden or undocumented features. The app does something the listing doesn't mention, or the listing describes something the app doesn't do.
• 2.3.7 — Name, subtitle and keywords. Keyword stuffing, other apps' names, prices in the title, "best" and "free" everywhere.
• 2.3.8 — Age rating and category. The questionnaire answers don't match the content.
• 2.3.10 — Other platforms. The listing or the app mentions Android phones, Google Play or "also on the web" without a reason.

None of these are about your app's quality. They are about the promise the store page makes.

Why apps built with AI tools get this so often

The store listing is usually the last thing anyone thinks about, and AI tools are happy to write it for you. That is where the gap opens up between what the listing says and what the app does.

• Screenshots taken in a desktop browserThe builder's preview window is not an iPhone. Reviewers can tell a browser screenshot from a device screenshot at a glance.
• A description written by AIGenerated descriptions tend to list features that were planned, not built. The reviewer looks for them and can't find them.
• Screenshots of the login screenWhen the whole app sits behind a login, the only screens people remember to capture are the ones before it.
• Keywords in the name"AI Habit Tracker - Best Free Planner" is how a search page looks, not how an app name looks.
• Links that go nowhereA support link to a page that was never built, or a privacy policy link to the home page.
• Age rating answered in a hurryChat features, user content and web access all change the rating. Many listings say "none of the above".

What Apple is actually asking for

"Customers should know what they're getting when they download or buy your app, so make sure all your app metadata, including privacy information, your app description, screenshots, and previews accurately reflect the app's core experience and remember to keep them up-to-date with new versions."App Store Review Guidelines, 2.3 — developer.apple.com

The intent is simple: a person reading your store page should get exactly what they see when they install. Screenshots should show the real app, in use, on the devices it runs on. The description should describe what exists today. The name should be a name. The age rating should be honest about what people can see and do in the app.

What we fix

We go through your whole store page against your actual app, the way a reviewer does, and fix every mismatch at once. That matters, because reviewers often mention one problem and expect you to find the rest.

All of this is done inside your own developer account. If the app itself also needs changes, we do those in your project, and the whole thing is resubmitted from your account.

How long it takes

2.3 is often the fastest rejection to resolve. Many metadata fixes don't need a new build at all, so the only wait is Apple's review.

1. Day 0
   You share your project and the rejectionPlus an invite to your developer account so we can see the listing the reviewer saw.
2. Day 1
   We compare the listing with the appYou get a short list of every mismatch, not just the one Apple mentioned.
3. Days 1–2
   We fix the listing (and the app, if needed)Screenshots, text, rating, links. Usually done within a day or two.
4. Then
   Resubmitted from your accountApple reviews it again, usually within one to three days.
5. Done
   Approved, or we go againUnlimited resubmissions are included. Full refund if it is never approved.

What happens if you ignore it

The app stays rejected. Nothing else happens for an honest mistake. But 2.3 has a sharper edge than most guidelines: Apple treats deliberately misleading listings and repeated keyword games as manipulation, and its guidelines warn that repeated misleading behavior can lead to removal from the Developer Program. Fixing it properly once is much cheaper than testing that line.

Also worth knowing: if your app is already live and a later update is rejected under 2.3, the live version stays up. Only the update waits.

Often rejected together with 2.3

Built with an AI tool?

Each builder has its own patterns. See what we usually find for yours:

Questions about Guideline 2.3