Update stuck in Waiting for Review, app unavailable for sale

App Store Distribution & Marketing App Review
ReginaldC OP
Created
Replies 3
Boosts 0
Views 586
Participants 2

Hi all,

I'm looking for guidance on getting my app back on sale. I've done everything I know to do and I'm not sure what step I'm missing. Details below.

Timeline:

  • Aug 16: The app was removed from sale through App Store Notices (ref APP265997).
  • Sept: I renamed the app with a new name, icon, and listing, which was the agreed resolution.
  • Oct 2: Apple lifted the submission hold.
  • Oct 5: The other party confirmed to App Store Notices that the matter is closed and the app can be restored.
  • Oct 7: Version 1.0.4 was approved. App Store Connect shows it as "Ready for Distribution," but the version page also shows a banner: "This app was removed from sale from the App Store." The product page returns "can't be found." I've accepted all current agreements.
  • Oct 20: I submitted 1.0.5 (Manual release). It has been in "Waiting for Review" for 8 days and hasn't moved to In Review.
  • Oct 23: I followed up with App Store Notices and have not heard back yet.

My questions:

  1. Once an App Store Notices matter is closed, is there a separate step to restore the app to sale, or does App Store Notices lift the removal on their end?
  2. Could the removal be why 1.0.5 hasn't entered review after 8 days?
  3. Is there a better contact or channel for this than the App Store Notices thread?

Any guidance from Apple staff or anyone who has been through this would be a huge help. Existing users can't get the latest fixes, and new users can't find the app at all.

Thank you.

Answered by jetrise in 913715022

Taking your questions in order:

  1. Separate step? Usually yes, in two parts. A removal through App Store Notices is lifted on Apple's legal side, not by App Review, so the "removed from sale" banner stays until App Store Notices closes it internally. That's normally a separate action from them confirming the dispute is resolved. Also open Pricing and Availability in App Store Connect and check that your countries/regions are still selected. After a removal they are sometimes cleared, and the app stays off sale even once the hold is lifted.
  2. Is the removal blocking 1.0.5? Quite possibly. An app with an open removal flag often sits in Waiting for Review until the flag is cleared. Don't cancel and resubmit, as that only resets your place in the queue.
  3. Better channel: besides replying in the App Store Notices thread with APP265997, open a case via developer.apple.com/contact → App Store Connect / "Removal of app". Ask specifically for the removed-from-sale status to be lifted following the other party's Oct 5 confirmation, and attach that confirmation. Once the banner is gone, you can also request an expedited review for 1.0.5.
Replies  3
Boosts 0
Views  586
Participants  2
jetrise OP
Accepted Answer

Taking your questions in order:

  1. Separate step? Usually yes, in two parts. A removal through App Store Notices is lifted on Apple's legal side, not by App Review, so the "removed from sale" banner stays until App Store Notices closes it internally. That's normally a separate action from them confirming the dispute is resolved. Also open Pricing and Availability in App Store Connect and check that your countries/regions are still selected. After a removal they are sometimes cleared, and the app stays off sale even once the hold is lifted.
  2. Is the removal blocking 1.0.5? Quite possibly. An app with an open removal flag often sits in Waiting for Review until the flag is cleared. Don't cancel and resubmit, as that only resets your place in the queue.
  3. Better channel: besides replying in the App Store Notices thread with APP265997, open a case via developer.apple.com/contact → App Store Connect / "Removal of app". Ask specifically for the removed-from-sale status to be lifted following the other party's Oct 5 confirmation, and attach that confirmation. Once the banner is gone, you can also request an expedited review for 1.0.5.
ReginaldC OP

Thanks, this is the first concrete guidance I’ve gotten. Really appreciate it.

Update for anyone who lands here later:

  • Pricing and Availability: all 175 regions are still selected in the Manage dialog, but the page header shows “0 Countries or Regions” and every region shows “Cannot Sell App.” Clicking View only says to contact Apple Developer Support. So it looks like the block is on Apple’s side, not a cleared-regions issue. I’ve opened a case through developer.apple.com/contact with the Oct 5 confirmation attached.
  • Contact case: opened one through developer.apple.com/contact (App Store Connect → Removal of app). I asked for the removed-from-sale status to be lifted based on the other party’s Oct 5 confirmation, and attached that confirmation.
  • App Store Notices: replied again in the APP265997 thread with the same request.
  • 1.0.5: leaving it in the queue, not cancelling.

I’ll post back once the banner clears so the next person knows how long the restore step takes.

If anyone has been through an App Store Notices restore, roughly how long did it take after you opened the contact case?
ReginaldC OP

Update: resolved. On Nov 2, App Store Notices emailed to confirm the app would be returned for sale, with a note that the App Store can take 72+ hours to refresh. Same day, I had opened a case via developer.apple.com/contact (App Review → waiting to hear back), so I can’t say for sure which one moved it, but I’d recommend doing both.

Key lesson for anyone in this spot: if your Availability page header shows 0 countries while the Manage dialog shows all regions checked, and the “View” link only says to contact Developer Support, the block is on Apple’s side. Re-selecting regions won’t fix it. Thanks, jetrise, for pointing me in the right direction.