App Store 5.6.3 rejection: Manipulating discovery and reviews
By The Draftbit team · Updated
Sources checked
This guide is for iPhone and iPad apps or campaigns manipulating App Store charts, search, reviews, or referrals.
A promotion agency’s actions can still become a problem for your app. Under 5.6.3, manipulating discovery or customer signals on the App Store is prohibited.
Inspect the campaign, not just the app
Review purchased promotion, incentives, automated installs, rating requests, and referral arrangements. We’d ask suppliers how they obtain traffic and reviews rather than accepting a promise of better rankings without a method.
Stop the manipulation
End the offending campaign or incentive and remove in-app requirements that support it. Keep legitimate advertising and ordinary customer feedback separate from manufactured signals. Check 5.6.1 for the permitted in-app review prompt.
Verify that scheduled activity and supplier work have stopped. Test the app to confirm it no longer rewards or requires prohibited store actions.
Reply with the practice identified, the actions completed, and how future campaigns will be checked. Creating another app or account to continue the same activity doesn’t address the underlying conduct concern.
Messages this guide can help with
App Store 5.6.3 rejection; app store 5.6.3 denial; Guideline 5.6.3; Manipulating discovery and reviews
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 5.6.3 Checked 22 September 2026