App Store RejectionGuideline 5.4 — Push Notifications

Push notifications are for users, not marketing. Here's how Apple sees it.

Using push notifications to send promotions, discounts, or unsolicited messages is a fast path to a 5.4 rejection. Apple's stance is clear: push is for user-requested functionality, not a free marketing channel. Here's how to get back on track.

What Apple said

“Your app uses push notifications to send advertising, promotions, or direct marketing messages. Push notifications should not be used for promotions or direct marketing unless customers have explicitly opted in to receive this type of content and you provide a method to opt out.”

What this actually means

Apple treats push notifications as a trust relationship between the app and the user. Using them to push sales, promotions, or re-engagement messages without a clear explicit opt-in — separate from the system permission prompt — violates Guideline 5.4. The user agreed to notifications, not a marketing list.

What Apple needs to see

  • Push notifications used only for transactional, functional, or user-requested content
  • A separate, explicit in-app opt-in for any marketing or promotional notifications with clear language
  • An easy way for users to opt out of marketing notifications independently of disabling all notifications
  • Reviewer notes or demo credentials that show the notification flow in action during review
  1. 1Audit every notification your app sends and categorize each as functional or promotional
  2. 2Build a separate notification preferences screen that lets users opt in and out of marketing messages independently
  3. 3Remove any promotional content from notifications that fire without explicit marketing opt-in
  4. 4Update your terms of service and privacy policy to describe how notifications are used — BaseTerms can generate language covering notification use clearly
  5. 5Provide reviewer notes that demonstrate the opt-in flow and show a sample of the functional notifications your app sends

While you're at it — Apple also requires these pages for every app.

Fix this rejection, then make sure you're covered on the compliance side too. Apple requires every app to link to a hosted Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, Support page, and Data Deletion page. No link means another rejection — just for a different reason.

Privacy Policy
Terms of Service
Support Page
Data Deletion Page
Generate my compliance pages — $9

Common questions

Can I send a welcome push notification when someone first signs up?
A single onboarding notification tied directly to signup is generally acceptable. What's not acceptable is a sequence of promotional pushes after that. Keep first-touch notifications functional and informational, not sales-oriented.
What if my whole app model depends on push-based re-engagement?
You need a real opt-in flow inside the app before sending re-engagement pushes. Add a screen early in onboarding that specifically describes marketing notifications and lets users choose. That opt-in, clearly documented in your submission, will satisfy Apple.
Does this rejection affect my existing users?
No — existing installs continue to work. The rejection only blocks the new version from going live. Fix the notification flow, update the build, and resubmit. Your user base is unaffected while you work through review.