Guideline 2.1 Information Needed: how to give App Review exactly what it asks for

What Guideline 2.1 Information Needed actually means

Guideline 2.1 (App Completeness) expects a final, fully testable build. Part (a) tells you to "include demo account info (and turn on your back-end service!) if your app includes a login" (App Store Review Guidelines, 2.1). If legal or security obligations prevent a demo account, a built-in demo mode is allowed, but only with prior approval by Apple, and it must show the app's full features and functionality. Part (b) adds that in-app purchases must be visible to the reviewer and functional, or the reason they can't be found must be explained in your review notes.

The Information Needed variant means: "We started, but we cannot finish." The reviewer hit a wall, such as a login screen, an accessory they don't own or an unclear paywall, and needs something from you first.

Information request vs. real rejection

This is usually the quickest kind of rejection to clear. The catch: once the reviewer gets in, they review everything. A business model answer can lead to a Guideline 3.1.1 In-App Purchase follow-up, and a crash behind the login screen becomes a Guideline 2.1 App Completeness rejection.

What App Review typically asks for under 2.1

A demo account, or one that actually works

• "Sign-in required" was left unchecked or the username and password fields are empty.
• The password changed, the trial expired or the account was locked after failed attempts.
• The backend was down or pointed at a sleeping staging server.
• The account is empty, so the reviewer sees blank screens.
• The account is invite-only, needs admin approval or is tied to a specific device.

Barriers the reviewer cannot pass

• SMS codes, email magic links, authenticator apps or push-based 2FA.
• IP geo-blocking, country-restricted phone numbers or "not available in your area" service checks.
• Enterprise SSO with conditional access that only lets compliant, managed devices in.

A video of features they cannot reproduce

Apps that pair with Bluetooth or NFC hardware, cars, POS terminals or IoT devices, or only work at specific locations. Apple's App Review page says that if features "require an environment that is hard to replicate or require specific hardware, be prepared to provide a demo video or the hardware." The guidelines' "Before You Submit" checklist also asks for "any other hardware or resources that might be needed", such as a sample QR code.

Answers about your business model

Classic trigger: the app requires a login but offers no sign-up or payment inside the app. Apple then asks who uses the paid features, where they purchase them, which previously purchased services they can access and what is unlocked without in-app purchase.

Documentation and more detail

In-app purchases the reviewer cannot find, or documents Apple lists on its App Review page: the ad networks' Kids category policies for kids apps with third-party ads, regulatory clearance for apps that work with medical hardware, authorization for third-party trademarks or streamed content, and licenses for regulated services such as gambling or VPN. Guideline 2.3.1(a) also requires new features to be described "with specificity" in the Notes for Review.

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How to fix it step by step

1. Turn the message into a numbered to-do list. Every question gets an answer with the same number. Skipping one item usually means another round.
2. Create a dedicated review account in production. Per App Store Connect Help the demo account "must not expire". Fill it with realistic sample data. Keep in-app purchases reachable: App Review tests them in the sandbox, so if you pre-unlock premium features for this account, say in Notes how the reviewer can still see the purchase flow. If your app has roles (admin, customer, driver), create one account per role.
3. Save it in App Store Connect. Go to Apps, select your app, open the version you submitted and scroll to App Review Information. Check Sign-in required, enter the username and password and click Save. Additional accounts belong in the Notes field (up to 4,000 bytes). If your app signs in through a single sign-on service, include demo login details for that service.
4. Test it like a reviewer. Install the exact submitted build via TestFlight on a clean device, use a VPN exit in another country and type the credentials by hand. Keep usernames simple, trim whitespace on the server and log failed sign-ins for that account so you can see what the reviewer actually typed.
5. Keep the backend stable during review. Exempt the review account from rate limits and lockouts, don't rotate its password or wipe its data, and avoid breaking API changes until you are approved.
6. Write test instructions in Notes. Steps to reach each feature, sample QR or voucher codes and where the in-app purchases are.
7. Reply, then resubmit. Answer in App Store Connect (see below), then resubmit so the submission goes back into review.

Getting past 2FA, SMS codes, SSO and region locks

Reviewers cannot receive texts sent to your phone, open your inbox or approve a push on your device. Pick one of these patterns for the review account only:

• Fixed one-time code. Your auth backend accepts a static code for one exact phone number or email, documented in App Review Information. Firebase Authentication, for example, lets you register fictional test phone numbers with fixed codes in the Firebase console, and its docs recommend hard-to-guess numbers and codes. Scope any bypass as narrowly as possible.
• Password fallback. If you use magic links, allow password login for the review account.
• Exclude from MFA policies. For Okta, Microsoft Entra ID or similar, put the review user in a group that skips MFA and device-compliance rules, ideally in a separate demo tenant.

Managed and B2B apps

Apps that expect MDM enrollment or Managed App Configuration (for example a server URL pushed by the MDM) often hit a dead end on the reviewer's unmanaged device. Ship a fallback: a server or tenant field on the login screen, or a preselected demo tenant when no managed configuration is present. Custom apps distributed privately through Apple Business or Apple School Manager are reviewed too, and Apple's custom apps page asks you to provide sample data and authentication for the review team if the app contains sensitive data.

Region locks

App Review may test from a different country than yours, and Apple does not document reviewer locations or IP addresses, so allowlisting is unreliable. Disable geo-blocking for the review account, accept international phone formats, and give the account a fixed service address server-side so a delivery or mobility app shows real content. If a feature legally only works in one region, explain it in Notes and add a video.

Recording a demo video App Review accepts

When the request mentions a recording on a "physical device", a Simulator capture will not do. What works:

• Software-only flows: use the built-in iOS screen recording from Control Center (add the Screen Recording control first if it is missing). Show the app launch, every permission prompt and each requested feature end to end.
• Hardware flows: a screen recording cannot show the accessory. Film with a second camera so the iPhone screen and the device are visible in the same shot: pairing, a live reading or action, and the result in the app.
• Prove it is the current build: open an About or Settings screen showing the version and build number.
• Keep it focused: only the requested flows, with captions that map to the numbered questions.

Attach the file to your reply or share a link that opens without a login. You can also upload it in the Attachment section of App Review Information. MP4 is a safe choice: the fastlane deliver docs list .mp4 among the attachment formats Apple accepts, but not .mov, so convert camera footage before uploading. App Review may ask for an updated recording when the flow changes, so keep the script in your repo and re-record for later versions.

Answering business model questions

These questions are not an accusation, but your answer decides which purchase rules apply. Answer each one in plain, factual sentences:

• Who pays? Organizations for their employees or students, or individual consumers? Guideline 3.1.3(c) lets apps sold only directly to organizations give enterprise users access to previously purchased content, while "consumer, single user, or family sales must use in-app purchase".
• Where do they pay? Your website, a sales contract, a physical store? For physical goods or services consumed outside the app, Guideline 3.1.3(e) requires purchase methods other than in-app purchase. If consumers buy digital access on your website, 3.1.3(b) Multiplatform Services only covers it when those items are also available as in-app purchases.
• What can they access, and what is unlocked without in-app purchase? List it honestly. If digital content is unlocked through outside payments and no exception such as reader apps (3.1.3(a)) or free stand-alone companion apps (3.1.3(f)) covers it, fix that before replying.

If your app has account creation, remember that reviewers also check in-app account deletion with your demo account, see Guideline 5.1.1(v) Account Deletion.

How and how fast to reply in App Store Connect

1. In Apps, select your app and click the link at the top that indicates unresolved issues.
2. In the In Progress section, click Resolve next to the submission.
3. Click Reply to App Review, enter your answer (up to 4,000 characters) and use Attach File for screenshots, documents or the video.
4. Click Reply. You need the Account Holder, Admin or App Manager role.

Speed matters. Apple publishes no deadline for answering, but nothing moves while the review waits for you. Reply the same day with one complete answer, not several partial ones. Put credentials in App Review Information as well as in the reply, so they are in place for the resubmission and future versions.

Then resubmit. Apple's status reference says a Metadata Rejected item is resolved by fixing it and replying, but developers on the Apple Developer Forums report replies that sat in Unresolved Issues for a week or more until they resubmitted. So after replying, edit the rejected item and click Resubmit to App Review, at the latest if nothing has moved within a day or two, and right away if you changed review information, metadata or code. You can usually resubmit the same build if the binary is unchanged. One developer reported that resubmitting through the App Store Connect API failed while the submission was in Unresolved Issues, so be ready to use the web interface even if you normally automate submissions.

Appeals come last. Apple asks you to respond to requests for additional information before you appeal to the App Review Board. If the questions are unclear, Apple also offers 30-minute App Review appointments over Webex.

How to prevent 2.1 Information Needed next time

• Monitor the review account. A scheduled CI job signs in with the review credentials against production and alerts you if login fails, the account is locked or its data is gone.
• Manage review information as code. fastlane deliver reads demo_user, demo_password and notes under app_review_information (or files in metadata/review_information/), and app_review_attachment_file for the demo video. Inject the password from your CI secrets instead of committing it.
• Write notes per release. Describe new features specifically, say where every in-app purchase lives and link the current demo video.
• Pre-check login flows. AI-assisted checks can flag new OTP, geo or device checks in code and release notes that would lock out a reviewer; a human should still run the reviewer test from step 4.

Social logins add their own rules, so check Guideline 4.8 Login Services before adding Google or Facebook sign-in. If you want a second pair of eyes on your reply, book a free consultation call, or let appsubmitter.io handle CI/CD setup, submission and App Review communication via the order wizard.

Template: how to reply to App Review

Adapt this template to your situation. Keep it factual, short and specific – and only claim what you have actually changed.

Hello App Review Team,

Here is the information you requested for [App Name], numbered to match your message:

1. Demo account: We have saved a working demo account under App Review Information (Sign-in required).
   Username: [demo username]
   Password: [demo password]
   The account does not expire, does not require an SMS or two-factor code, is not region-restricted and has [sample data / access to all features] available.

2. [Requested item, e.g. accessory demo video]: The attached recording was captured on a physical [iPhone model] running version [version] ([build number]). It shows [pairing with the device, the permission prompt and the main feature].

3. [Business model question]: [Who the users are, where they purchase, what they can access and what is unlocked without in-app purchase.]

To test the main flow: [step 1], [step 2], [step 3]. Additional accounts are listed in the Notes field.

Our backend is live for the duration of the review. If anything else is unclear, please let us know.

Best regards,
[Your name]
[Company]

Checklist before you resubmit

• Every numbered question in the App Review message has a matching numbered answer in your reply.
• "Sign-in required" is checked under App Review Information and the username and password are saved for the version under review.
• You signed in with the review credentials on a fresh install of the submitted build, typing them by hand.
• The review account needs no SMS, email or authenticator code (or uses a documented fixed code) and is not geo-blocked.
• The account contains realistic sample data, and the reviewer can reach every paid feature and the in-app purchase flow.
• The production backend is live and lockouts are off for the review account.
• Any requested video was recorded on a physical device with the current build, shows the hardware, permissions and full flow, and is an MP4 or an openly accessible link.
• Business model answers state who pays, where they pay, what they can access and what is unlocked without in-app purchase.
• Extra accounts, QR codes and step-by-step test instructions are in the Notes field.
• After replying, you clicked Resubmit to App Review (immediately if you changed the app, its metadata or its review information).

Frequently asked questions

Official source: App Store Review Guidelines – 2.1 App Completeness. Store policies change regularly – always check the current version. This guide is independent advice and not affiliated with Apple or Google.