Guideline 2.1 App Completeness and Information Needed: fixes

What does Guideline 2.1 App Completeness say?

Guideline 2.1 sits in section 2, Performance, which is why rejection messages carry both words. The full text (App Review Guidelines, last updated October 16, 2026):

2.1(a): "Submissions to App Review, including apps you make available for pre-order, should be final versions with all necessary metadata and fully functional URLs included; placeholder text, empty websites, and other temporary content should be scrubbed before submission. Make sure your app has been tested on-device for bugs and stability before you submit it, and include demo account info (and turn on your back-end service!) if your app includes a login. If you are unable to provide a demo account due to legal or security obligations, you may include a built-in demo mode in lieu of a demo account with prior approval by Apple. Ensure the demo mode exhibits your app's full features and functionality. We will reject incomplete app bundles and binaries that crash or exhibit obvious technical problems."

2.1(b): "If you offer in-app purchases in your app, make sure they are complete, up-to-date, visible to the reviewer and functional. If any configured in-app purchase items cannot be found or reviewed in your app, explain the reason in your review notes."

In short: a finished build, working links, no placeholders, a demo account with the backend on, and purchases the reviewer can reach.

Why does 2.1 catch so many submissions?

It catches everything unfinished. Apple's App Review page says: "On average, over 40% of unresolved issues are related to guideline 2.1: App Completeness, which covers crashes, placeholder content, incomplete information, and more." The same page adds that a support link with up-to-date contact information and a privacy policy link are required for all apps, and that if features need an environment that is hard to replicate or specific hardware, you should be prepared to provide a demo video or the hardware.

What is "Information Needed" and how do you handle it?

It is App Review asking for something before it can finish, not a verdict that the app breaks a rule: working demo credentials, steps to reach a feature, the business model, or documentation for a regulated service. What to do depends on what is missing:

Situation	What to do
App Review asked for information and nothing else is wrong	Reply to the message in App Store Connect. Do not resubmit: a resubmission starts a new review, and App Review can no longer reply to the old message.
Demo credentials failed or the server was down	Fix it server side (activate the account, turn the backend on), then reply. No new build is needed.
Metadata issue only (text, screenshots, links)	Fix the metadata. Apple says you can resubmit the same build.
Crash or bug in the build	Fix it, upload a new build and submit that version. This starts a full review.
Documentation for a regulated field	Attach it in the App Review Information section and describe it in the notes.

Do not appeal an information request. Apple's appeal article says: "Don't file an appeal for requests from App Review for additional information or documentation about your app."

To reply: in App Store Connect, open Apps, select the app, click the link at the top of the page that says there are unresolved issues, click Resolve next to the submission in the In Progress section, then Reply to App Review, type your answer, attach files if needed and click Reply. The appeal guide explains when a reply is not enough.

What should you check before resubmitting?

Use this list for the demo account, the backend and purchases, the three causes behind most 2.1 messages.

Build and links

Test on real devices running the latest OS version, not only the simulator.
Open every link in the app and in the metadata: support URL, privacy policy, terms. None may lead to an empty or placeholder page.
Remove "lorem ipsum", test data, "coming soon" screens and debug menus.

Demo account and backend

Enter a username and password in Sign-in required that work at submission. Apple warns that credentials which expire or change before review starts may cause a rejection; the field help says the demo account must not expire.
If the app has several account types (for example admin and member), add the extra credentials in the Notes field.
If a login needs a one-time code, put it in Notes in advance. Without it a call may be needed, and Apple says calls typically take three to five business days.
Keep the backend, feature flags and any allowlists switched on for the review period. If you block access by country or IP, make sure the reviewer is not blocked.
For auto-renewable subscriptions, provide a demo account with an expired subscription so the reviewer can see the whole purchase flow.

In-app purchases

The Account Holder must accept the Paid Apps Agreement in the Business section; paid in-app purchases do not work in review until it is active.
Test every product in the sandbox, the environment App Review uses. Fetch product details from StoreKit before showing them, so the screen matches App Store Connect.
Submit the purchases in App Store Connect once they are in the Ready for Review state.
If a purchase is limited to some storefronts or devices, or only appears after a step, say so in Notes.

What should you write in App Review notes?

Write what a stranger needs in the first five minutes. Apple's complete-review article lists the items: concept and business model for new apps; what changed and where to find it for updates; purpose and audience; devices and OS versions tested; external services the app relies on (data providers, authentication, payments, AI services); for required hardware, a video of a physical Apple device pairing with it (not a screen recording); and regional differences, or confirmation that the app works the same everywhere. The Notes field holds up to 4,000 bytes and you can write in any language.

A template for a new app, filled in for an invented habit tracker called Stepwise:

Stepwise is a habit tracker for shift workers. Habits reset at the end of the user's shift instead of at midnight. Business model: free with an optional monthly subscription (Stepwise Plus) that unlocks unlimited habits. Demo account: in the Sign-in fields; it has an expired Plus subscription so you can test the full purchase flow. To reach the subscription: Profile tab > Upgrade. Shift settings: Profile > Shift schedule. Tested on iPhone with the latest iOS version. External services: our own server for sync; no third-party AI. Features and content are the same in every region.

A template for an update after a 2.1 message:

Version [x.y]: we fixed the crash on launch reported in the previous review ([short cause]). New in this version: [feature], found at [screen > steps]. The demo account in the Sign-in fields was re-activated on [date] and does not expire. Purchases: [product names] appear at [screen]; [product] is only offered in [storefronts] because [reason].

One fact per short line.

How do you prevent 2.1 next time?

Run the build from a clean install on a real device, sign in with the exact demo account you will submit, buy every product in the sandbox, and read your notes as a stranger would. Then check the rest of the listing against the rejection reasons hub; privacy and account deletion rules are in the Guideline 5.1.1 guide, and in-app purchase rules in the Guideline 3.1.1 guide.

Where Uptika fits

Uptika does not test your build or answer App Review for you. It covers the store text side of a complete submission. The free Metadata Linter checks your name, subtitle and keyword field in the browser for limits, repeated words and policy risks such as other brands' names, "best" or "#1", prices and placeholder text. In the panel, Sayfa denetimi (page audit) scores your live listing from 0 to 100 and runs the same rejection-risk check on its most visible text, and Metin atölyesi (text workshop) lets you draft the next version's text against the limits before anything goes to the store. Start on the free plan.

Questions

What does Guideline 2.1 Information Needed mean?

App Review needs something from you to finish the review, such as working demo credentials, setup steps or documentation. If nothing else is wrong, reply to the message in App Store Connect; Apple says resubmitting starts a new review, after which App Review can no longer reply to your previous message.

How do I fix Guideline 2.1 App Completeness?

Find the cause in the rejection message: a crash, placeholder text, a broken link, a demo account that fails, or a backend that was off. Fix it, test on a real device with the latest OS, then upload a new build if the problem was in the binary, or reply if it was server-side or metadata only.

What is Guideline 2.1(b)?

2.1(b) covers in-app purchases: they must be complete, up to date, visible to the reviewer and functional. If a configured item cannot be found or reviewed in the app, explain the reason in your review notes.

What should I write in App Review notes?

The app's concept and audience, what changed and where to find it, demo credentials for every account type, any authentication code, how to reach purchases, regional differences, external services the app depends on, and the devices and OS versions you tested on. The Notes field holds up to 4,000 bytes and can be in any language.

Can I use a demo mode instead of a demo account?

Only with prior approval by Apple, when legal or security obligations prevent a demo account, and the demo mode must show the app's full features and functionality.

Guideline 2.1 App Completeness and "Information Needed": how to fix it