App Store 4.2.3 rejection: Independent operation and first-launch downloads
By The Draftbit team · Updated
Sources checked
This guide is for iPhone and iPad apps requiring another app to function or downloading additional resources on first launch.
Apple may be blocked before reaching your app’s useful part. Guideline 4.2.3 separates dependence on another installed app from the way you obtain initial resources. They need different corrections.
4.2.3(i): the app works on its own
Test on a device without the other app installed. Can the person complete the submitted app’s core task? We’d check sign-in, opening content, and recovery when a handoff fails. Remove a required dependency that prevents independent use, or explain the actual self-contained workflow Apple missed.
4.2.3(ii): initial resource downloads
If the app needs extra resources on first launch, disclose the download size and ask the user before downloading. Test with the cache cleared so you see the same prompt a new user gets. Check cancellation, retry, and interrupted downloads too.
Verify the clean-install experience
Install the corrected build from scratch and repeat the first-use flow. Give Apple the dependency removed or the location of the download prompt, including the build and steps used in your test.
Messages this guide can help with
App Store 4.2.3 rejection; app store 4.2.3 denial; Guideline 4.2.3; Independent operation and first-launch downloads; 4.2.3(i); 4.2.3(ii)
Official sources
We checked these instructions against the sources below. The console layout may change, and your review decision may call for different steps.
- Apple App Review guideline 4.2.3 Checked 22 September 2026