iMessage app and sticker pack App Review checklist
Messages content enters private conversations. Review readiness depends on rights, tone, safety, purchase behavior, and how the extension behaves when conversation context changes.
Audit every sticker, message payload, media asset, in-extension purchase, and conversation action before submission. Apple's Messages framework supports iMessage apps and sticker interactions. AppReviewReady interpretation: treat the conversation surface as both content and functionality, not just an asset bundle.
Audit sticker and message content
Review every sticker, animation, sound, phrase, character, logo, celebrity, meme, political symbol, and user-facing template. Stickers can create IP, age-rating, harassment, or impersonation issues even when the containing app is simple.
If the content is licensed, keep rights evidence for App Store assets and in-conversation use. A sticker pack built on internet memes is not automatically safe for distribution.
Test conversation states
- New conversation, group conversation, existing thread, deleted message, and no network.
- Small and large extension presentation states.
- Recipient without the app installed where relevant.
- Purchases, unlocked packs, restored packs, and unavailable packs.
- Age-sensitive, offensive, or branded content in screenshots and previews.
Avoid unnecessary conversation data use
An iMessage extension should not collect conversation context beyond what the feature needs. If the app generates personalized media or uses account data, privacy labels and policy should explain what leaves the device.
AppReviewReady interpretation: never rely on the private nature of Messages as a substitute for content review. The extension is still distributed through the App Store.
Make purchases and unlocks obvious
- Test free content, locked content, purchase, restore, and refund states.
- Confirm users can understand what sticker pack or feature they are buying.
- Do not hide digital content purchases behind external payment links.
- Verify Family Sharing and account states if packs can be shared.
- Check support route for missing or unavailable stickers.
Prepare iMessage review evidence
Review Notes should explain non-obvious purchases or licensed content. Most sticker-only submissions should be self-evident if assets, metadata, and rights are clean.
After launch, treat seasonal sticker additions as new content reviews. A holiday pack, sports pack, or branded pack can change age rating, IP rights, and cultural sensitivity even when the extension code is unchanged.
If stickers are generated from user photos or prompts, test moderation and local processing boundaries separately from static sticker packs.
For animated stickers, verify file size, looping, transparency, and readability in both light and dark conversation backgrounds before submission.
If the extension sends structured message payloads, open old payloads after updating the app. Broken message rendering inside existing conversations can look like lost content even when the new extension opens correctly.
For branded or creator packs, check that the App Store product page, sticker names, and in-conversation labels all use the same rights language. A clean binary can still be rejected when metadata implies an endorsement the assets do not actually have.
iMessage review path: Content type: [stickers, app] Rights owner: [owned/licensed] How to open extension: [steps] Purchases: [none or product IDs] Age-sensitive content: [none or controls] Privacy behavior: [local/server] Restore behavior: [if applicable]
Primary references checked for this guide
Policy statements above are grounded in the linked Apple documentation. Operational recommendations are AppReviewReady's interpretation and should be tested against your app and the current guideline text.
Check Messages readiness
Review sticker content, rights, purchases, privacy, and conversation states before submission.
Open the tool