Guideline 5.1.1(iv) rejection: Permission screens with Skip or Not now
What it means, why it happens, and how developers get through it.
Subject line you may see: Guideline 5.1.1(iv) - Legal - Privacy - Data Collection and Storage
What Apple's guideline says
Apps must respect the user's permission settings and not attempt to manipulate, trick, or force people to consent to unnecessary data access.
From App Review Guidelines, 5.1.1(iv), as revised October 16, 2026. Apple's help: HIG: Privacy, pre-alert screens.
Common causes
- A custom screen before the camera, location, notifications, or tracking prompt with a 'Skip', 'Not now', 'Maybe later', or close button
- A pre-permission screen with an 'Allow' button that looks like the system alert
- Wording that pressures or rewards people for allowing access
- Asking for access the feature does not need, or requiring it before the app can be used
- No alternative when people decline, such as typing an address when Location is declined
How to fix it
- If you keep a pre-permission screen, give it one button that clearly opens the system prompt, labeled 'Continue' or 'Next', not 'Allow' (Apple's HIG)
- Remove 'Skip', 'Not now', cancel, and close options from that screen, so people always see the system prompt
- Or remove the custom screen and ask with the system prompt at the moment the feature needs it
- Offer another way forward when people decline
- Ship a new build and reply describing the new flow
What to put in your reply
A sample reply note. Replace the brackets with your facts and remove anything that does not apply.
Hello, Thank you for the review. Regarding Guideline 5.1.1(iv), build [number] changes the screen shown before the [camera / location / notifications] permission request. It now has one 'Continue' button that opens the system prompt, with no option to skip or close. [Or: we removed the screen and show the system prompt when the user taps (feature).] To see it: 1. [step] 2. [step]. Thank you.
Real cases: others who got 5.1.1(iv)
No public cases logged yet.
Questions developers ask about 5.1.1(iv)
What does a Guideline 5.1.1(iv) rejection mean?
Your app shows its own screen before the system permission prompt, and that screen pushes people to allow access or lets them leave without seeing the system prompt, for example with a Skip or Not now button.
Why do apps get rejected under Guideline 5.1.1(iv)?
Common causes, based on Apple's guideline text: A custom screen before the camera, location, notifications, or tracking prompt with a 'Skip', 'Not now', 'Maybe later', or close button; A pre-permission screen with an 'Allow' button that looks like the system alert; wording that pressures or rewards people for allowing access; asking for access the feature does not need, or requiring it before the app can be used; no alternative when people decline, such as typing an address when Location is declined.
How do I fix a Guideline 5.1.1(iv) rejection?
1. If you keep a pre-permission screen, give it one button that clearly opens the system prompt, labeled 'Continue' or 'Next', not 'Allow' (Apple's HIG). 2. Remove 'Skip', 'Not now', cancel, and close options from that screen, so people always see the system prompt. 3. Or remove the custom screen and ask with the system prompt at the moment the feature needs it. 4. Offer another way forward when people decline. 5. Ship a new build and reply describing the new flow.
Do I need a new build for Guideline 5.1.1(iv)?
Fix, new build, then reply. Something in the binary has to change. Fix it, bump the build, resubmit, and reply with what changed and how to verify. This is how the guideline is usually resolved, not a prediction for your app.
How should I reply to App Review about Guideline 5.1.1(iv)?
Reply in App Store Connect. Thank the reviewer and name Guideline 5.1.1(iv), say exactly what changed and in which version and build, give a numbered path the reviewer can follow, and attach proof such as screenshots or a screen recording.
Can I show my own screen before the system permission prompt?
Apple's Human Interface Guidelines allow a pre-alert screen that explains why you need access, but say to include only one button, make it clear it opens the system alert, use a label like 'Continue' or 'Next' instead of 'Allow', and not offer a way to leave the screen without seeing the system alert.
Is a 'Skip' or 'Not now' button on a permission screen allowed?
Apple's HIG says not to provide a way to leave a pre-alert screen without viewing the system alert, such as an option to close or cancel. A Skip or Not now button does exactly that, so remove it and let people decline in the system prompt itself.
Stuck on 5.1.1(iv)?
Do it yourself, faster
App Store Rejection Rescue Kit: the full decoder, 12 reply templates, Notes for Review templates, and a 60-point preflight checklist.
Get the kit, $12Have it written for you
Send your rejection, get a reply drafted for your exact case. Kit buyers get $10 off.
AI-assisted, built on Apple's App Review Guidelines. Not a guarantee of approval. If we do not deliver within 24 hours, you get a full refund.
Reply service, $29Related rejections
See also: 5.1.1 privacy overview · 5.1.2 tracking and ATT · 5.1.1(v) sign-in and account deletion
Source: Apple's App Review Guidelines, section 5.1.1(iv), as revised October 16, 2026. Last checked . Always read the current official text. How we write these guides.