App Store 1.2 rejection: User-generated content and moderation

You’ve added a report button, but Apple still asks about moderation. Guideline 1.2 covers the whole process: filtering objectionable posts, receiving and responding to reports, blocking abusive users, and giving people a way to contact you.

Check the experience and the response behind it

Use two test accounts. Post content, report it, block the posting account, and check what the blocked person can still do. Then follow the report into the system your team uses. We recommend assigning responsibility for that inbox before resubmitting; a button that nobody responds to doesn’t solve the problem.

Review every content surface, including profiles, images, comments, and direct messages. Decide which controls each surface needs and explain them to the reviewer.

Check whether the service itself is allowed

Apple identifies primarily pornographic services, random or anonymous chat, objectification of real people, threats, and bullying as unsuitable for the App Store. Moderation controls don’t automatically make those services acceptable.

For incidental mature content from a web-based service, Apple sets specific conditions: it must be hidden by default and enabled through the website. This is a limited exception, not permission to build a primarily adult-content service.

Show the correction

Remove the reported content, repair missing controls, and test the full handling process. Give Apple a review account and exact steps for reporting and blocking. If Apple requests a compliance plan, explain who handles reports and what prevents the same problem from returning. Use our UGC guide for the broader app checks.