App Store 1.1.7 rejection: Exploiting sensitive events

Your app may mention a current event for a legitimate reason. Apple’s 1.1.7 targets harmful concepts that exploit or profit from events such as violent conflicts, terrorist attacks, and epidemics. The context and the business model both matter.

Inspect the whole presentation

Look at the title, imagery, notifications, paid items, and advertising around the event. Does the app sell a harmful experience tied to suffering, or use that event to drive purchases? We’d check remotely updated promotions too, since they may differ from the build you tested.

Remove the exploitation

Remove the harmful concept, campaign, or purchase mechanic identified in the notice. If the app provides news or useful information, explain its actual purpose and editorial context. That explanation needs to match what the reviewer can see.

Verify that the content is gone from the app, listing, and live campaigns, including cached or downloaded versions where relevant. Reply with the affected material and the changes made. If the app’s central premise depends on exploiting the event, plan a substantive redesign before resubmitting.