Launching auto-renewable subscriptions on the App Store is not just a product or pricing decision. It is also a compliance milestone—and many apps only discover this when their binary gets rejected.
This article documents a real rejection we encountered while submitting LingoBoard, why it happened, and how we resolved it to successfully pass App Store review.
The Rejection: Guideline 3.1.2 – Business – Payments – Subscriptions
During LingoBoard’s App Store submission, the app was rejected under Guideline 3.1.2, with the following message:
The submission did not include all the required information for apps offering auto-renewable subscriptions.
Apple explicitly flagged that the app binary was missing:
- A functional link to the Terms of Use (EULA)
- A functional link to the Privacy Policy
At this point:
- The subscription logic was complete
- Pricing and products were configured
- The paywall UI was fully implemented
Yet the app could not be approved.
Why This Happens (And Why Apple Cares)
Guideline 3.1.2 is often misunderstood as a “legal checkbox.” In reality, it is about protecting users in recurring payment relationships.
From Apple’s perspective:
-
Auto-renewable subscriptions create ongoing financial obligations
-
Users must clearly understand:
- What they are agreeing to
- How their data is handled
-
Apple does not want to act as an intermediary for disputes caused by missing transparency
Because of this, Apple requires that both documents be accessible directly inside the app UI, not just on the App Store listing or an external website.
The Critical Detail: “Inside the App Binary”
This is where many developers get blocked.
Common assumptions that do not satisfy review requirements:
- Having Privacy Policy and Terms links only on the App Store page
- Linking them only on a marketing website
- Including them in documentation or onboarding emails
Apple reviewers evaluate what a user can access from the running app itself.
If a reviewer cannot tap a visible link and open the document immediately, the requirement is not met.
How We Fixed It (What Actually Worked)
The fix itself was straightforward, but placement was critical.
We updated the app binary to include:
-
Clearly visible links to:
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Use
-
Positioned in:
- The host app home screen footer
- The subscription / paywall screen
-
Referenced Apple’s Standard EULA, as allowed for auto-renewable subscriptions
After resubmitting with these changes, LingoBoard passed App Store review without further issues.
No additional explanations or follow-up were required.
A Common Indie Developer Mistake
Many developers treat compliance as something to “clean up later,” assuming that:
“Apple will infer good intent if the product works.”
In subscription apps, that assumption does not hold.
Apple review is deterministic:
- Links must exist
- Links must be functional
- Links must be discoverable
If any of these conditions fail, the review fails—regardless of how polished the product is.
The Monetization Lesson
This experience reinforced an important principle:
Monetization is not just about conversion rates, pricing, or paywalls. It also includes compliance, transparency, and long-term trust.
A missing link may look trivial, but it can completely block revenue from shipping.
For subscription-based products, compliance is part of the monetization system, not an afterthought.
Final Takeaway
If your app offers auto-renewable subscriptions:
-
Always expose Privacy Policy and Terms of Use inside the app
-
Place them where users (and reviewers) expect to find them:
- Paywalls
- Settings or account screens
-
Treat App Store compliance as a first-class requirement when designing monetization flows
Because on the App Store, subscriptions only generate revenue after trust is made explicit.