Apple Rejected Approximately 35% of Apps Submitted to App Store Between 2017 and 2019

The ongoing Epic Games v. Apple trial continues to supply insight into Apples App Store processes, with files today providing information on the number of apps submitted to the App Store and rejected by Apples evaluation processes.
Apple received approximately five million app submissions annually in between 2017 and 2019, and between 33 and 35 percent of apps submitted were turned down by Apples review team. Typically, there were 1.7 million apps declined annually, though the rejection rate was closer to 40 percent in 2020 based upon trial statement.
Apples documents suggests that the App Store sees 100,000 App Store submissions per week, which are handled by 500 human professionals that Apple has on hand. Prior to getting to a human evaluation, apps are evaluated by Apple-designed tools to check for malware and policy infractions.
A screening tool called Mercury goes through vibrant and static analysis procedures, with the tool permitting Apple to see inside apps to look for concealed code or abuse, and there are other evaluation tools that Apple has actually nicknamed “Magellan” and “Columbus.” After automated testing, apps receive human oversight.
Dynamic screening includes everything from battery use to file system access and personal privacy requests to access gadget hardware like the cam and microphone, while static analysis checks app size, privileges, in-app purchases, keywords, descriptions, and more.
In 2015, Apple went over getting SourceDNA, a company that made a tool to permit business to see the code inside apps. Apple did end up acquiring the business and utilizing its engineers to create a new tool for app oversight.
Interestingly, Apple files portray the workstation of among its human reviewers, featuring a desktop with an iMac, MacBook Pro, numerous iOS devices, several display screens, video game controllers, and more.
Apple marketing director Trystan Kosmynka was questioned for the majority of the early morning, and Epic attorneys checked out a preferred talking point – App Store mistakes. Kosmynka was grilled about some of the apps that slip through the review process, such as an app about school shooting that he stated in an e-mail he was “dumbfounded” had been missed out on.
On this subject, Kosmynka was asked if the app evaluation process is unnecessary because of the errors that are often made, but stated that all it implies is that Apple has to “constantly be better.” He stated that Apple works vigilantly to close loopholes, and that without app review, iOS would be a “totally free for all” that would be “extremely dangerous to consumers, to kids.”
The Epic vs. Apple trial will continue for another 2 weeks, with the very first week set to finish up today. Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives are expected to affirm throughout the third week.