Guideline 5.1.1 rejection (Data Collection and Storage): what it means and how to fix it
Something about how your app asks for or uses personal data: permission prompts, privacy policy, or forcing users to sign up.
What Apple is saying
5.1.1 covers how apps collect data. The most common causes are permission prompts (camera, photos, location, microphone) that don't clearly say why the app needs access, a missing or unreachable privacy policy, and requiring people to register before using features that don't need an account.
Common causes
Permission purpose strings are vague ("This app needs camera access") or missing in a language.
The app asks for permissions it doesn't actually need, or asks before the user does anything that needs them.
There's no privacy policy link in App Store Connect and in the app, or the link is broken.
The app forces sign-up before showing features that don't need an account.
The App Privacy answers in App Store Connect don't match what the app collects.
How to fix it
Rewrite each purpose string (NSCameraUsageDescription and friends) to say exactly what the app does with the data, with an example.
Only request a permission at the moment the user does something that needs it.
Add a working privacy policy URL in App Store Connect and a link inside the app.
Let people try non-account features without signing up, or explain why an account is required.
Check that the App Privacy section matches the app, then upload a new build if strings changed.
Do you need a new build?
If purpose strings or sign-up flow change, yes. A privacy policy URL or App Privacy answers can be fixed in App Store Connect alone.
Reply to App Review
Send this in Resolution Center (App Store Connect → your app → the rejected version) after fixing. Fill in the [brackets].
Hello,
Thank you for the review. We've [updated the camera/photo permission message to explain that X / removed the sign-in requirement for Y / added our privacy policy at URL]. These changes are in build [number].
Please let us know if anything else is needed.
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