Opinion Post 5 mins Dave Thorpe This is why your apps are being rejected In the competitive landscape of mobile applications, launching an app is just the beginning. One of the most daunting hurdles businesses face is app store rejection, and it can be hard to figure out why this happens. Rejections stem from various issues, and it’s not always buggy screens and poor loading times. Reasons for rejection can include non-compliance with guidelines, harder-to-detect technical problems and, of course, performance deficiencies. These things inevitably crop up when you have an app, and they don’t have to be life threatening. So then, why is it that your app is still being rejected? The answer could be as simple as this: you’re not implementing proactive testing. The costs are more than just financial The costs associated with app store rejections can be significant. Delays in launching your app or temporary unavailability can lead to: Lost Revenue: Each day your app is delayed is a day of potential revenue lost. Damaged Reputation: A rejected app can lead to a negative perception of your brand, affecting user trust and loyalty. Increased Development Costs: Addressing the reasons for rejection often requires additional development time and resources, increasing your overall project costs. A closer look at rejections You know the reasons for rejection at a base level, and you’ve likely felt the painful impact it can have. Now, let’s take a look at the particulars. Just one of these errors can cause a rejection: Non-Compliance with Guidelines: Each app store has specific guidelines regarding content, functionality, and user privacy. Failing to adhere to these rules can result in rejection. App store guidelines vary, so it could be that you have adhered to the Apple App Store guidelines in every way, but you’ve fallen short on Google Play. It’s important to understand both thoroughly. Technical Issues: Bugs, crashes, and poor performance can quickly lead to an app being flagged during the review process. If your app doesn’t perform as expected, it may not meet the app store’s quality standards. Inadequate App Description: Failing to provide a clear and informative app description, including relevant screenshots and metadata, can confuse reviewers and lead to rejection. You need to be precise. Missing Features: Some apps may promise features that aren’t fully implemented, leading to disappointment among users and reviewers alike. Consistently low reviews will put your app up for questioning, not ideal! Whatever the reason for your rejection is, the results remain the same. Loss of time, loss of resource, loss of revenue. Facing constant rejection is not only impractical, but unsustainable if you wish to see any kind of long term growth. So, where can proactive testing help? Proactive testing (PA) can help you face the blockers, missing pieces, and mistakes before they become rejection causing issues. At Indiespring, we use PA to safeguard and futureproof our development, testing and release process for our clients. We’d recommend proactive testing to anyone wishing to see their apps thrive- first time around. It’s exactly what it says on the tin: it’s a framework or process that integrates testing in a deeper, more proactive way throughout your development and launch process. A lot of organisations feel they’re being proactive, but they’re missing a few crucial steps to bring all their testing together. Here’s how we do it: 1) Identify Compliance Issues Early Before submitting an app, conduct a thorough review to ensure compliance with app store guidelines. Familiarise yourself with the requirements specific to your target app store. This will enable you to identify any pesky areas of non-compliance. 2) Comprehensive Quality Assurance Rigorous quality assurance (QA) testing can uncover technical problems, bugs, and performance issues before your app reaches the review stage. Here are some best practices: ‘Immediate’ Testing: Test against updates as soon as they drop, ideally within 7 working days. If you want to get really fancy (like us) you can also test against beta software to gain foresight on issues that are even further down the line. User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Involve real users in testing to gain insights into usability and functionality. Combining human feedback with tried and tested tools will give you the best view of any problem areas. 3) Performance Testing App performance is a critical factor in the review process. Conduct performance testing to evaluate your app’s speed, responsiveness, and stability. Focus on ‘stress testing’: look at how your app performs under extreme conditions, such as low connectivity or limited device resources, and build out from there. By implementing these three steps, we frequently find our submission process is streamlined, and rejection rates increasingly low. Though it may sound like additional work, by ‘adding’ proactive testing to your app development strategy, you’ll actually save time and money in the long run! To be proactive is to progress By prioritising proactive testing, you can navigate the submission process more smoothly and safeguard your launch process- keeping your app live, and your users happy. Are you looking to implement proactive testing, but finding yourself blocked by barriers or internal resistance? Maybe you’re or your team aren’t quite sold on the benefits, but do want to make a change? Let us help debunk this for you. Drop us an email on: arran@indiespring.com
