Several small and midsize game developers are complaining that App Store reviews can take weeks. Mobilegamer.biz reported the delays on October 20, 2026, based on anonymous interviews with developers, and The Register covered the problem of long review waits on October 22. Apple told Mobilegamer.biz that it prioritizes updates to existing apps and that the average review time across all apps is 1.5 days. Some developers waiting weeks and a short overall average are not necessarily contradictory. The real question is whether developers planning to launch a new app can expect review to finish as quickly as it does for a minor update.
App Store reviews take weeks, but the impact varies by developer
According to the developers interviewed by Mobilegamer.biz, reviews can take weeks not only for new app launches but also for updates to existing apps. The studios asked to remain anonymous, reportedly out of concern that their relationship with Apple could suffer. Their complaints are that the delays disrupt release schedules and development plans and create additional costs.
Not every developer is facing the same problem, however. One midsize studio interviewed by Mobilegamer.biz said it had noticed no significant change in review times for updates to a game it has operated for about five years. This suggests that App Store reviews have not slowed uniformly. The anonymous interviews alone also cannot show what share of apps is experiencing prolonged reviews.
The Register also reported a steady stream of posts on Apple's developer forums complaining of long waits. But the "Waiting for Review" and "In Review" statuses shown in App Store Connect refer to different stages. According to Apple's official help documentation, the former means a submission has been accepted but review has not yet begun, while the latter means review is actually underway. So a report of how many days it took from submission to release does not reveal whether the time was spent waiting for review to start or in the review itself.
What the reports confirm is that some developers face long waits, while the effect is not felt equally by all. This matters to users, too. Even when a developer finishes an update that fixes a bug, the fix cannot be distributed on the App Store until it passes Apple's review. Review delays may therefore affect not only the launch of new games but also how long it takes for bug fixes to reach users.
Apple cites a 1.5-day average. Does that contradict weeks-long waits?
Apple told Mobilegamer.biz that over the most recent 12 weeks at the time of the interview, it processed an average of 378,000 submissions per week. The average review time across all apps was 1.5 days, and for minor updates alone it was 14 hours. Apple also acknowledged that some new apps require additional scrutiny and can take longer than usual.
To handle the huge volume of submissions, Apple says it prioritizes updates to existing apps and is expanding automation in the review process. It is also strengthening fraud detection and taking measures against repeatedly submitting an app without resolving the issues that were flagged. However, "expanded automation" does not mean Apple is leaving the entire review to AI. Apple's explanation does not make clear which steps use which automation technologies.
Apple's official App Review page says that, as a rule, it reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours. But this measures the share of submissions reviewed within a given time, which is a different metric from average review time. The figures Apple has provided break down as follows.
| Figure provided by Apple | What it covers | What it shows and its limits |
|---|---|---|
| 378,000 per week on average | Submissions processed over the most recent 12 weeks at the time of the interview | Shows review throughput, not the number of submissions waiting |
| 1.5 days on average | Average review time for all apps, as explained to Mobilegamer.biz | Not an average for new apps alone, and not a guaranteed completion deadline |
| 14 hours on average | Average review time for minor updates | Cannot be applied directly to new launches or updates with major changes |
| At least 50% in under 24 hours, 90% in under 48 hours | Share of submissions normally reviewed within the time frame, per Apple's official page | Does not mean every submission is reviewed within 48 hours |
When comparing these numbers, it is important to note the differences in the apps and metrics they cover. The weekly processing volume and average review time are figures Apple provided to Mobilegamer.biz, not independently measured by a third party. The Mobilegamer.biz article also does not specify when the average time starts and stops being measured, nor does it give the distribution of review times for new apps alone. Even with an overall average of 1.5 days, some apps can certainly face waits of weeks.
The short average review time Apple cites therefore cannot be used to dismiss developers' reports of long waits. Conversely, the existence of cases in which developers waited weeks does not mean that reviews across the whole App Store now take that long. In particular, if Apple prioritizes updates to existing apps, review times for new apps may not follow the same trend as the overall average. For planning the launch date of a new game, data on review times for new apps alone is what matters.
Some reports also point to an increase in apps developed with AI as a background factor in the delays. But Apple's explanation to Mobilegamer.biz did not identify the rise in AI-built apps as the cause. The high volume of submissions and the reasons individual reviews drag on need to be considered separately.
Resubmitting can sometimes slow review further: what developers can do
Apple's official help documentation says that reviews can take longer than usual for apps with little review history and for submissions that require verification of licensing or contract-related materials. The same applies when new features or complex issues need to be checked. These are, however, general conditions under which review can be prolonged. It has not been established which of these reasons actually applies to the developers featured in the reports.
When dealing with an issue during review, developers need to clearly distinguish between replying to an inquiry from Apple and fixing the app and resubmitting it. For example, if Apple has merely asked for additional information and there is no other problem to fix, the developer can simply reply directly in the App Store Connect message. Even when a response is possible without changing the app's code, such as enabling a demo account, developers are advised to make the necessary adjustments and then reply.
Resubmitting the app in such cases starts a new review. Moreover, after resubmission, App Review can no longer reply to messages about the earlier review, so resubmitting just to provide additional information may actually break the exchange. If, on the other hand, there is a problem with the distributed program itself and a fix is needed, the developer uploads a new build and submits it for review again. Apple explains that repeatedly submitting an app without resolving the flagged issues leads to review delays and rejections for the same problem.
For cases that need to be reviewed urgently, such as fixing a critical bug or releasing in time for a specific event, there is also a system for requesting an expedited review. This presupposes, however, that the app has already been submitted for review and that necessary information, such as demo accounts, is in place. Apple says it accommodates requests within the limits of its review capacity and the volume of submissions, so a request does not guarantee priority. An expedited review request does not guarantee immediate approval or completion of review by a specific date.
In addition, if another problem is found during review of an update intended to fix a bug, Apple may offer the option of deferring that fix until the next submission. This is conditional on there being no legal issues or safety concerns, among other things. A developer who accepts this must reply to the message presented in App Store Connect. It is a procedure for carrying the handling of the additional issue over to the next submission, and differs from an expedited review, which moves up the order of review.
What this episode shows is that the App Store's average review time alone does not adequately capture the uncertainty involved in launching a new app. In particular, minor updates to existing apps and new launches may require different checks and carry different review priorities, so it is not appropriate to build a release schedule on the same average time. If Apple published review-time distributions separately for new apps and for updates to existing apps, developers could more accurately estimate the likelihood of long waits. Going forward, what will matter is not only the effect of the efficiency gains Apple describes but also how far it can reduce the cases in which review drags on.