Based on a talk by Natallia Kulaha, a Senior Business Analyst at LeverX, delivered during LeverX’s Analyst Day — an internal educational event for Business Analysts.

Preparing Your Mobile App for Apple and Google Review

When a mobile application is ready to meet its first real users, one final step stands between your product and the public: app store review.

For Business Analysts involved in mobile development, understanding this process is not just a matter of compliance — it’s a crucial part of delivering a product that reaches users without delays or rejections.

At LeverX’s Analyst Day, Senior Business Analyst Natallia Kulaha shared her detailed experience of navigating the Apple App Store and Google Play review processes. Her presentation, “Cracking the Stores,” broke down what every BA should know to help their team prepare a compliant, review-ready app.

“Think about this process like a security report check,” Natallia explained. “Before passengers — our real users — can download the application, it goes through a scan for safety and user experience.”

What Is the App Review Process and Why It Matters

An app review is a mandatory procedure every mobile app must go through before it can be published or updated in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

The main goal is to ensure the application meets the platforms’ technical, content, legal, and design standards — all before it’s visible to real users.

“App stores receive all kinds of applications every day — from great polished products to weekend experiments,” Natallia noted. “This process helps prevent unnecessary, broken, or misleading apps from reaching users.”

For Business Analysts, understanding the app review process is key to:

• Reducing time-to-market delays caused by rejections.
• Supporting compliance with evolving platform standards.
• Ensuring development and design teams align on functional and legal requirements early.

Four Pillars of App Store Compliance

Natalia grouped the core review standards into four categories — each of which Business Analysts can use as a review checklist before submission.

Technical Standards

• The app must install and run without crashes or bugs.
• No placeholder elements like “coming soon” or “under development.”
• Essential flows (login, registration, etc.) must complete successfully.

“If the application crashes or contains unfinished features, it will be uninstalled immediately,” Natallia warned. “Imagine downloading a banking app and instead of your balance, you see a ‘coming soon’ screen.”

Content Standards

• No prohibited content: violence, hate, or discrimination.
• No adult content without appropriate age gates.
• Screenshots and descriptions must accurately represent the app.
• Avoid misleading claims — especially those about money or outcomes.

“Don’t promise what you can’t deliver,” Natallia emphasized. “If your app claims users can make money in five minutes — make sure it really can.”

Legal Standards

• Apps must comply with local data protection laws like GDPR or CCPA.
• Clearly explain what data is collected, when, why, and how.
• Hidden data collection is strictly prohibited.
• Include a Privacy Policy and Subscription Terms that are accessible and easy to understand.

Design Standards

Apple and Google both evaluate user interface and navigation.

“It was a surprise for me, but yes — stores care about UI,” Natallia said. “Apple has Human Interface Guidelines, Google follows Material Design. Navigation must be intuitive and understandable for real users.”

 

How the App Review Workflow Works

Understanding the review flow helps teams plan timelines and manage stakeholder expectations.

Step 1: Automatic Technical Check

Both platforms use automated tools to ensure apps install properly.

Step 2: Manual vs AI Review

Here’s where Apple and Google differ:

• Apple relies heavily on manual review. A real person tests the app, explores the screens, and checks the content. If something seems suspicious, the reviewer provides detailed feedback explaining what needs to be fixed.
• Google, in contrast, prioritizes AI-based checks. Most reviews are handled by automated systems, and if issues arise, the system sends a generic rejection note.

“Google’s AI sometimes flags a feature for human attention,” Natallia said. “In this case, a real person reviews the app and decides whether to approve or reject it.”

Step 3: Timelines

While quick overall, Natallia cautioned teams to plan release dates with these review times in mind.

Preparing Metadata and Documentation

The app review should start with metadata. When submitting, ensure:

• App name and description are free of emojis, all caps, or exaggerated claims like “#1 Best App.”
• A public Privacy Policy URL is included (PDFs are not accepted).
• Category, subcategory, and age rating questionnaires are completed accurately.

If rejected, teams receive a detailed rejection note (Apple) or a short message (Google). Once issues are fixed, the app can be resubmitted.

“Nobody died when my app got rejected,” Natallia joked. “The main idea is to understand the problem, fix it, and resubmit.”

Repeated violations, however, may lead to developer account suspension, especially if rejections involve the same issue or canceled reviews.

Apple vs Google: Feature Requirements You Can’t Ignore

Certain functionalities directly impact approval chances. Business Analysts should verify their inclusion before submission.

Incognito (Guest) Mode

Allows users to access public content without registration.

• Apple: Mandatory for apps handling sensitive data (health, dating, marketplaces).
• Google: Recommended, but not required — though repeated user complaints can trigger removal.

“Apple cares about freedom of users,” Natallia explained. “If you force login just to see public content, the app will be rejected.”

Content Moderation

For apps with user-generated content (UGC) — posts, comments, uploads — content moderation is essential.

• Apple: Mandatory features include AI profanity filters, manual review, a “Report” button, and community rules.
• Google: Recommends moderation but mandates only a report button and manual review.

Natallia recalled a rejection:

“Our app was rejected because we didn’t include an AI profanity filter. We connected a plugin that replaced inappropriate words with ‘XXX’, and it passed.”

Block User

Required in any app that allows user-to-user interaction.

• Apple: Mandatory.
• Google: Recommended.

The feature must stop all communication — messages, calls, tags, and visibility — between blocked users.

Social Login

• Apple: If third-party logins (Google, Facebook, etc.) are offered, ‘Sign in with Apple’ must also be available. Exceptions: apps using government IDs, internal systems, or external platform clients (e.g., Twitter management tools).
• Google: Does not require Apple login parity.

In-App Purchases

Transactions for digital goods must go through Apple or Google’s in-app purchase system.

• Required by both.
• Exceptions: external subscriptions (e.g., Netflix), corporate tools (Jira), or physical goods (food, transport).
• No redirection to web payment systems like Stripe or PayPal.

“Think of in-app purchases like cashiers for digital goods,” Natallia said. “They control quality, protect users — and take their commission.”

Delete Account

A relatively new requirement:

• Apple: Mandatory since 2022. Must delete all personal data directly from the app.
• Google: Mandatory since 2024. Allows deletion via a web link (must be listed in the Privacy Policy).

“Apple doesn’t allow redirection or admin contact — deletion must happen inside the app,” Natallia emphasized.

 

The Weird Side of App Review: Real Rejection Stories

Even technically perfect apps can be rejected for unexpected reasons.

“Sometimes the rules protect users’ privacy or the platform’s reputation,” Natallia reflected. “Other times, the reviewer’s taste or mood decides the fate of the product.”

Here are a few memorable examples from her presentation:

Pointless by Design

• CatPurr 24/7: Rejected for “unjustified background battery usage.” It only played cat purring sounds.
• Push to Praise: Contained a single button that said “You’re amazing.”

Lesson: Apps must serve a clear purpose. If it’s pointless, it’s rejected.

Unproven

• AR Ghost Detector: Rejected for lack of “ghost detection proof.”
• Quantum Manifestation Coach: Claimed to “shift realities.”

Lesson: Claims must be verifiable. 

“Don’t promise magic,” Natallia said.

Weird to Launch

• Alarm-a-Rooster: Rejected for scaring the reviewer with an instant loud rooster sound on launch.

Lesson: Reviewers are human — don’t shock them.

“Nearly 30% of apps never reach the stores,” Natallia noted. “Not because they’re broken, but because someone decides they don’t belong there.”

 

What Business Analysts Should Do

A Business Analyst plays a key role in preventing app rejections long before the submission stage. Natallia outlined several best practices:

1. Integrate review criteria into requirement specifications. Document mandatory features (like incognito mode, delete account, or moderation) early in user stories.
2. Coordinate with developers and designers. Ensure UI and navigation meet Apple’s and Google’s design standards.
3. Validate compliance before submission. Create an internal checklist covering technical, legal, and design standards.
4. Track updates to store policies. Both Apple and Google revise their guidelines regularly, especially regarding privacy and payments.
5. Prepare for rejection. “It’s not failure,” Natallia reminded. “It’s part of the process. Fix the issue, resubmit, and learn.”

The app review process may seem unpredictable, but it exists to protect users and ensure platform trust. For Business Analysts, it’s an opportunity to strengthen product quality and reduce friction at launch.

“Sometimes it’s safety, sometimes it’s overprotection,” Natallia concluded. “The question is: Whose side are you on? The rulebook or the reviewer? Think about it.”

In the end, cracking the stores isn’t about finding loopholes — it’s about aligning your product with standards that make it safer, clearer, and more user-friendly.

Sources:

• Apple: App Store Review Guidelines
• Google: Play Console Help – Review process