How to Fix App Store Guideline 4.8 Login Services Rejection

Resolve an Apple Guideline 4.8 rejection by adding a qualifying privacy-preserving login option or proving that a listed exception applies.

What this rejection usually means

A 4.8 rejection means App Review could not verify an equivalent privacy-preserving login option alongside a third-party or social login used for the app's primary account. The option may be missing, unavailable on one supported device, visually obscured, broken in the review build, or excluded under an exception that the reviewer cannot verify. Ordinary email-and-password login should not be assumed to qualify when it does not let users keep their email address private.

Likely rejection signals

• Google, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Amazon, WeChat, or another social login creates or authenticates the app's primary account
• The equivalent login option is missing from onboarding, sign-up, or a supported device layout
• Sign in with Apple fails because the capability, entitlement, App ID grouping, client ID, redirect URI, or backend token validation is inconsistent
• The app claims an education, enterprise, government-ID, or third-party-service exception without evidence that the product fits it

Recovery plan

1. Inventory every sign-up and sign-in path. Confirm which methods create or authenticate the primary account users need to access the app's features and services.
2. Compare the app with Apple's five listed exceptions. If none applies, add an equivalent login option everywhere the third-party login is offered. Sign in with Apple is the standard implementation and should follow Apple's interface guidance rather than a custom look-alike control.
3. For Sign in with Apple, enable the capability on the correct App ID, regenerate the provisioning profile, and verify the com.apple.developer.applesignin entitlement in the exact archived build. Group related apps and websites under the intended primary App ID.
4. Reconcile the backend configuration: bundle or Services ID, Team ID, key ID, private key, registered domains and return URLs, redirect URI, nonce and state checks, and identity-token audience. Handle Apple's private relay address and the fact that name and email may only be returned on the first authorization.
5. Test the submitted build from a clean install on every supported device family with a new Apple Account authorization, Hide My Email, a returning user, a revoked authorization, and any account-linking flow. Keep the backend and reviewer account available throughout review.
6. In Notes for Review, give the exact taps to each login option, state which Guideline 4.8 path you rely on, and include only verified configuration and behavior present in the submitted build.

Evidence to prepare

• Screenshots or a short recording of every login surface on iPhone and iPad
• The shipped app's Sign in with Apple entitlement and App ID capability configuration
• Backend mapping for Team ID, bundle or Services ID, key ID, domains, and return URLs
• Clean-account tests covering Hide My Email, returning users, revocation, and account linking
• Reviewer instructions and any factual evidence supporting a listed exception

Appeal or fix first?

Reviewer response framework

Your response should be factual, short, and limited to the submitted build. Cover these points:

1. Name every login method available in the submitted build.
2. State where the reviewer can find and complete the equivalent option.
3. Describe the verified capability or backend correction without exposing keys or secrets.
4. If relying on an exception, quote the applicable category and explain the product facts that satisfy it.
5. Provide a short clean-install test path and confirm the backend is available for review.

Frequently asked questions

Source: Apple App Review Guidelines — 4.8 Login Services. Platform policies change. Verify the official rule before submitting. Resubmit AI provides technical and editorial decision support, not an approval guarantee or legal advice.