Apple expects an app to take advantage of being an app — offline support, native UI, device features — rather than being a thin wrapper around a website with no meaningful additional value.
Why apps actually get flagged
Extremely common for apps built quickly from a webview template, or apps with very few screens and little functionality beyond what a mobile website already does.
A real example
"Your app provides a limited user experience as it is not sufficiently different from your mobile web site."
The short version, in more detail
Guideline 4.2 is Apple's way of saying that an app should offer more than a website in a frame. Reviewers reject apps that are little more than a repackaged website, a single static screen, or a bundle of links, because they provide little value specific to being an app. The test is not size. It is whether the app has a reason to exist natively.
What this guideline covers
Apps that are mainly a web view around an existing website.
Apps with very limited content or interaction, such as a single screen or a brochure.
Apps that mostly aggregate links or repackage third-party content without adding value.
Whether the experience would be better, equal or worse than simply visiting a website.
What usually triggers this rejection
The app is a web view around an existing website with no native features.
The app is a simple list, PDF or marketing brochure with little interaction.
The same experience is available in a mobile browser with no added benefit.
The app is a thin wrapper around a single feature the system or another app already does well.
The app is a catalogue or link collection for a service that has no app-only functionality.
How reviewers evaluate it
Reviewers use the app for a few minutes and ask what it does that a website could not.
They look for native capabilities such as offline use, notifications, sensors, widgets or system integration.
They compare the app with the same company's website where there is one.
The judgement is about value to the user, not the number of features.
Common misunderstandings
Using a web view is not automatically a violation. The problem is when it is the whole app and nothing native adds value.
A bigger app is not necessarily a better one in this review. A focused app can pass if it is genuinely useful.
The guideline is not about design polish, which is judged under other criteria.
Common questions
Are progressive web apps affected by 4.2?
Apps that wrap a web experience can be, if they add little beyond what the website already offers.
Is a one-feature app too minimal?
Not by itself. It depends on whether that feature is useful and works well on a phone.
Does 4.2 apply to enterprise or internal apps?
Apps for a specific organisation may fall under other distribution options and rules, which the guidelines describe separately.
Platform rules change often. This page is a plain-language explanation written by AppReviewFix, not official guidance. Check the current App Store Review Guidelines for the exact wording.
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