Blocks submissionApp Store

An app outside the Kids Category shows nothing that says children are its main audience

The question The app is not in the Kids Category. Do the name, subtitle, icon, screenshots or description use words or imagery that imply children are the main audience? 'Family' branding with child-like imagery is the usual trap. Name what you looked at.

A person or a model answers it from the app's texts and screens; the answer is kept only while the facts it saw are unchanged.

Applies to every app

Checked from built, not yet uploaded, on a test track, submitted and in review, published

The rule, in our words

• App Review Guidelines: Apps handling children's data must follow children's privacy laws such as COPPA and GDPR; birthdate and parental contact information may be requested only to comply with those laws, and the app must still offer useful functionality or entertainment value regardless of the person's age; apps intended primarily for kids should carry no third-party analytics or advertising, permitted only in limited cases under the Guideline 1.3 terms; apps in the Kids Category, or any app that collects, transmits or can share a minor's personal information, must include a privacy policy and comply with children's privacy statutes; "For Kids" and "For Children" in metadata is reserved for the Kids Category, and apps outside it may not use any terms in name, subtitle, icon, screenshots or description implying children are the main audience.
• App Review Guidelines: All metadata, including privacy information, description, screenshots and previews, must accurately reflect the app's core experience and be kept current with each version. No hidden, dormant or undocumented features; every new feature and product change must be described specifically in Notes for Review (generic notes are rejected) and be reachable by reviewers. Misleading marketing, inside or outside the App Store, is grounds for removal and account termination. If there are in-app purchases, the description, screenshots and previews must say which items need extra payment. Screenshots should show the app in use, not just title art, login or splash; previews may only be video captures of the app itself. Pick the right category and answer age-rating questions honestly. App names are limited to 30 characters; do not stuff metadata with trademarks, other app names, prices or irrelevant terms. Icons, screenshots and previews must be suitable for a 4+ rating even if the app is rated higher; "For Kids" and "For Children" are reserved for the Kids Category. Secure rights to all assets and show fictional rather than real-person data. Do not show other mobile platforms' names, icons or imagery unless there is specific, approved interactive functionality. "What's New" must clearly describe significant changes; only simple fixes may use a generic note.

Okkok never stores the stores' text. Each item above is our paraphrase, and the link is the page it rests on, verified unchanged by fingerprint on every run.

The other store

• none in principle; Google's rules are more specific (no persistent identifiers, no location permission, no interest-based or remarketed ads). Apple additionally limits birthdate and parental-contact collection to legal compliance and requires the app to remain useful regardless of age. same
• none on principle; Google names the remedy (remove elements or retarget to under-13 and adopt the Families Policy). same
• Apple reserves two exact phrases; Google judges imagery and wording generally. partial
• Title length is identical (30 characters). Google additionally bans emoji and repeated special characters in title/icon/developer name, all-caps outside a brand name, unattributed testimonials, misleading icon symbols and claims of ranking, price or a Play programme; Apple additionally requires screenshots that show real use (not splash or login), previews that are app captures only, fictional rather than real-person data, no other platforms' imagery, and a specific "What's New". partial

Check your app

pip install git+https://github.com/petresandu-cloud/okkok
okkok audit path/to/app

The report names this rule as apple.5.1.4.no-child-appeal-outside-kids and says what to do, who does it, where, and how it knows.