Apple rejection 4.2 "Minimum Functionality": why your app was rejected and how to fix it

Apple rejects an app under Guideline 4.2 when it considers that the app does not offer enough compared with a plain website: not enough features, content or usability specific to an application. It is the typical rejection for apps that display a website inside a "box" (a WebView). To fix it, you need to add real app value, such as native features and navigation designed for mobile, then explain these changes to Apple when you resubmit.

This rejection is not final, but no official list of features guarantees acceptance. Here is how to read it and respond.

What exactly does App Store Guideline 4.2 say?

App Store Guideline 4.2 is the "Minimum Functionality" rule of Apple's App Review Guidelines: it requires an app to offer more than a wrapped website. As of October 2026, according to the App Review Guidelines (last update shown: June 8, 2026), it opens with: "Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website."

Apple adds that an app that is not particularly useful, unique or "app-like" does not belong on the App Store.

Sub-guideline 4.2.2 specifies that, apart from catalogs, an app should not primarily be marketing material, an advertisement, a web clipping, a content aggregator or a collection of links.

Sub-guideline 4.2.3 adds that an app must work on its own, without requiring another app to be installed.

The guideline leaves a lot of room for the review team's judgment. That is why two similar apps can receive different decisions.

Why does Apple reject "website in a box" apps?

Apple rejects "website in a box" apps under Guideline 4.2 because they offer nothing more than the website opened in Safari. A WebView is a component that displays a web page inside an application. Many tools rely on it: "website to app" converters, some no-code tools, or a Lovable or Bolt app wrapped as is.

Using a WebView is not forbidden in itself. Frameworks like Capacitor are built on this principle, and apps of this kind are published on the App Store. The problem arises when the app is just the website, with nothing more. For Apple's reviewer, there is then no reason to install it rather than open the site in Safari.

Signals that often trigger this rejection:

• the app shows the same thing as the website, web "hamburger" menu included;
• the address bar, cookie banners or web footers remain visible;
• links open external pages instead of staying in the app;
• the app does nothing without an internet connection, not even display a clear message;
• no feature takes advantage of the phone.

Where do you find the Apple rejection message and how do you read it?

The Apple rejection message is in the app's App Review section in App Store Connect; it states the guideline involved and describes the problem. According to App Store Connect Help, select the app, click the link indicating unresolved issues, then click Resolve next to the submission.

Read the whole message, not just the guideline number. Look for three things:

1. The cited guideline: for example "Guideline 4.2", followed by its title. A single message can cite several guidelines.
2. The description of the problem: Apple often writes that the app provides an experience too similar to a website.
3. Any hints: the message sometimes suggests the kind of features expected. Write them down word for word.

How do you fix an Apple 4.2 rejection?

To fix an Apple 4.2 rejection, you need to give the app value specific to an application: useful native features, mobile navigation and content or services not available on the website. No single feature is magic: Apple evaluates the overall experience on a phone.

Add useful native features

A native feature is one that directly uses the iPhone's capabilities (notifications, camera, Face ID, local storage). The most common ones:

• Push notifications: reminders, order alerts, new messages. They must serve the user, not just marketing.
• Native sign-in: Face ID to log back in, or a built-in sign-in service. Note that Guideline 4.8 governs the use of third-party login services (see the table below).
• Native sharing: the iOS share button to send content by message or email.
• Camera and photos: scan a document, add a profile picture, attach a receipt.
• Offline support: show the most recently viewed data, or at the very least a clear screen when the network is unavailable.

Each feature must have a real use in your app. A gimmick does not help.

Adapt navigation to mobile

Replace the web menu with a tab bar at the bottom of the screen, as in most iOS apps. Remove purely web elements: footer, the site's cookie banner, external links. Check the screen's safe areas (notch, home indicator) and how the back gesture behaves.

Offer content or a service specific to the app

Ask yourself what the app lets users do that the website does not. A customer area with tracking, a quick-view mode, favorites saved on the phone: this kind of value shows that the app has its own reason to exist.

How do you reply to Apple and resubmit after a 4.2 rejection?

After a 4.2 rejection, you need to reply to App Review in App Store Connect describing the changes, then upload a new, fixed build. Once the app is fixed, both actions matter.

Reply in App Store Connect. From the submission page, click Reply to App Review. According to App Store Connect Help, you can communicate with Apple and attach files, such as screenshots, until you resubmit. Describe precisely what changed and where to find it in the app. If a feature requires an account, provide a demo account in the review notes.

Resubmit a new build. For a 4.2 rejection, the problem lies in the app itself, so you need to upload a new version. According to the "After You Submit" section of the App Review Guidelines, the same build can only be resubmitted if the rejection concerned metadata (listing, screenshots, description).

Appeal if you believe there was a mistake. The App Review Board is the Apple body that reviews appeals against review decisions, through a dedicated contact form. According to App Review Help, you must first reply to the rejection message, then explain precisely how the app complies with the cited guidelines. Only one appeal per rejected app, and no appeal if you have already fixed and resubmitted. For a website that is simply wrapped, fixing the app remains the most realistic path.

The final decision is Apple's, and the App Review Guidelines also warn that repeated rejections for the same guideline lengthen the review. A careful resubmission is better than several quick attempts.

Which Apple rejections are often confused with Guideline 4.2?

The Apple rejections most often confused with 4.2 are 4.3 (spam), 2.1 (app completeness), 4.8 (login services), 5.1.1(v) (account deletion) and 3.1.1 (in-app purchase). Check the cited guideline, because the fixes have nothing in common.

A single app can accumulate several rejections. Address them all in the same resubmission.

When should you rebuild the app rather than rewrap it?

Rebuilding all or part of the app makes sense when adding a few features is not enough to move beyond a simply wrapped website, particularly in these cases:

• the website was not designed for mobile and every screen needs rework;
• the no-code tool used does not give access to native features;
• the app has already been rejected several times despite fixes;
• you are planning advanced features: full offline support, geolocation, payments.

In that case, an app built with Capacitor or React Native, reusing your code or data where possible, starts from a sturdier foundation than a wrapper patched rejection after rejection.

Getting help after an Apple rejection

GUIGUI Tech's App rejected by Apple: we get it approved offer starts with a €500 excl. VAT diagnosis, delivered in 2 business days: analysis of the rejection message, the app and the fixes required, which are then quoted separately. For a Lovable app, see the Your Lovable app on iPhone and Android offer; for a React, Next.js or Vue.js website, the Website → Mobile App (Capacitor).