Rejection Decoder is a free web tool that explains Apple App Store rejections in plain English. You paste the rejection message from App Store Connect, and it tells you which App Store Review Guideline the message cites, what that guideline usually means in practice, the usual next move, and how to reply to App Review.
It is built for iOS developers who have just received a rejection and want to understand it before they resubmit. That includes indie developers shipping their first app, small studios that publish several apps, and people building with templates, cross-platform frameworks or AI tools, who often run into the same few guidelines. With review times long, a misread rejection can cost another full review cycle, so the goal is to make the first response the right one.
How it works: the decoder first looks for a guideline number written the way App Review writes it, such as "Guideline 4.3(a)". Then it checks for phrases App Review typically uses for each guideline, so a message without a number can still be matched. The highest scoring guideline is shown first, along with the phrases that matched. The matching is rule-based, not a chatbot, and it runs entirely in your browser. The text you paste is not sent to a server or stored. There is no account and no signup.
For each match you get a plain-English meaning, the usual next move (reply only, fix the listing, ship a new build, or change the product), fix steps, a reply outline, and links to real cases from developers who got the same rejection. The usual next move is based on how a guideline is usually resolved. It is not a prediction for your app, and approval is never guaranteed.
Guideline pages: the site has a guide for each of 20 commonly cited guidelines, including 2.1 App Completeness, 2.1 Information Needed, 2.1(b) in-app purchases not found, 2.3.10 other platforms in metadata, 3.1.1 In-App Purchase, 3.1.2 Subscriptions, 4.2 Minimum Functionality, 4.3(a) and 4.3(b) Spam, 4.8 Login Services, 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 Privacy, and 5.6.1 custom rating prompts. Each guide summarizes the matching section of Apple's App Review Guidelines (as revised October 16, 2026), lists the common causes developers report, and shows the subject line you may see in App Store Connect.
Real public cases: the site logs 20 public posts from developers who were rejected, from X, Apple Developer Forums and Reddit. Each case page quotes or summarizes the original post, links to it, and records the outcome only as the developer reported it. Many outcomes are still unknown, and the site says so. Developers can ask for their case to be updated or removed.
Free preflight checklist: a free 15-point checklist for the days before you submit, covering the issues behind common rejections. It is available as a free download.
Rejection Decoder is an independent resource for developers. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Apple Inc. App Store is a trademark of Apple Inc.
