Guideline 5.2 rejection: intellectual property, decoded

Apple does not adjudicate who owns what. It asks for documentation a reviewer can accept, and in its absence the app comes out. Treat the reply as an evidence exercise, not an argument.

5.2.1 — Intellectual Property — Protected Third-Party Content

Your app uses protected third-party material — brand names, logos, characters, music, sports leagues, celebrity likenesses, or content from another service — and Apple can't verify you have the right to use it. The fix is evidence of rights, or removing the material.

Severity: blocker · Decoder confidence for this class: B (see the honesty note below)

The fix

1. Identify every instance of the flagged material in the app and the metadata (icons, screenshots, description included).
2. Gather your authorization: license agreement, partnership letter, or rights-holder permission naming your app/company — attach it in the Resolution Center reply.
3. If you don't have rights, remove or replace the material everywhere (including screenshots and keywords).
4. Don't resubmit with the material still present and no documentation — IP rejections escalate when repeated.

Resubmission checklist

• Authorization documents attached (or material removed everywhere)
• Metadata/screenshots checked for the same material
• No replacement material with the same problem

Reply draft

Hello App Review Team,

Thank you for the feedback regarding [BRAND/CONTENT]. We hold authorization to use this material: [LICENSE/PARTNERSHIP DETAILS] — documentation is attached to this reply. [OR: We have removed all instances of the referenced material from the app and its metadata in build [X].]

Thank you for your time.

[NAME]

What the decoder can diagnose here: Which material Apple flagged (they usually name the brand/content), and the two paths: document authorization, or remove/replace the material. What it cannot: Whether your use is legally fair use or licensed — Apple doesn't adjudicate; if you can't produce documentation a reviewer accepts, removal is the practical path.

Rule text: “Make sure your app only includes content that you created or that you have a license to use. Your app may be removed if it steps over the line and uses protected third-party material.” — App Review Guidelines §5.2.1, retrieved 2026-10-23

5.2.2 — Third-Party Service Use Must Be Permitted

Your app uses a third-party service (its API or content) in a way that service's terms don't permit — for example scraping a service, using an API beyond its terms, or displaying service content in a prohibited format. Apple can ask you to provide proof the service authorizes your use.

Severity: blocker · Decoder confidence for this class: B (see the honesty note below)

The fix

1. Identify the exact use (API endpoints, embedded content, downloaded media) and check it against the service's current terms and developer policies.
2. Move to the service's official API/embed mechanisms where required.
3. Collect evidence: the terms section that permits your use, or written authorization from the service — attach to the reply.
4. Remove any use the terms prohibit (scraping, offline caching of streamed content, removing attribution/watermarks).

Resubmission checklist

• Use pattern checked against the service's current terms
• Official API/embed in use where required
• Authorization evidence attached to the reply

Reply draft

Hello App Review Team,

Thank you for the feedback regarding [SERVICE]. Our use is via [OFFICIAL API/EMBED], which is permitted under the service's terms at [SECTION/LINK]. [Written authorization is attached, if applicable.] We have also removed [ANY NON-COMPLIANT USE] in build [X].

Thank you for your time.

[NAME]

What the decoder can diagnose here: Which service and use pattern is in question when Apple names them, and that the reply needs evidence: the service's terms permitting the use, its official API, or written authorization. What it cannot: Whether the service's terms actually permit your use — read the current terms for your exact use case; if they prohibit it, the fix is changing the integration, not the reply.

Rule text: “If your app uses, accesses, monetizes access to, or displays content from a third-party service, ensure that you are specifically permitted to do so under the service's terms of use. Authorization must be provided upon request.” — App Review Guidelines §5.2.2, retrieved 2026-10-23

5.2.3 — No Saving/Downloading Third-Party Media

Your app lets users save, convert, or download media from third-party sources (Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo, etc.) without that source's explicit authorization. Downloader/converter functionality aimed at those sources is prohibited outright in practice.

Severity: blocker · Decoder confidence for this class: A (see the honesty note below)

The fix

1. Remove the ability to save/convert/download media from the named third-party sources.
2. Re-scope the feature to media the user owns or sources that explicitly permit downloading through an official API.
3. Clean the metadata too: descriptions/screenshots advertising 'download videos from X' trigger the same rejection and 2.3.1 issues.

Resubmission checklist

• Third-party download/convert functionality removed
• Metadata no longer advertises it
• Remaining media features use owned/authorized sources only

Reply draft

Hello App Review Team,

Thank you for the feedback. In build [X] we removed the ability to save or download media from [SOURCE(S)]. The remaining media features operate only on [USER-PROVIDED MEDIA / AUTHORIZED SOURCE]. Metadata referencing the removed functionality has also been updated.

Thank you for your time.

[NAME]

What the decoder can diagnose here: That the download/convert feature for third-party sources has to go (or be re-scoped to the user's own media / authorized sources) — this class rarely clears by explanation alone. What it cannot: Whether your authorization claim will be accepted — only written authorization from the source itself carries weight, and for the major sources it is essentially never granted for downloader apps.

Rule text: “Your app should not facilitate the saving, converting, or downloading of media from third-party sources (e.g., Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo, etc.) without explicit authorization from those sources.” — App Review Guidelines §5.2.3, retrieved 2026-10-23 (paraphrase-tightened; see guideline text)

Related guides

• Rejection decoder — paste your message, get the fix
• App Store Pre-Flight — the full check and $29 Founding pre-sale
• Google Play Pre-Flight — deadlines and declarations
• Guideline 2.3.7 — Trademarks in names and keywords

Sources

• App Review Guidelines §5.2.1, retrieved 2026-10-23
• App Review Guidelines §5.2.2, retrieved 2026-10-23
• App Review Guidelines §5.2.3, retrieved 2026-10-23 (paraphrase-tightened; see guideline text)

Last updated October 23, 2026. Rules change; the retrieval dates above say when this page was last checked against the store's published text.