Hi,
I'm the founder of a small independent mobile app company based in Istanbul, Turkey.
I'm sharing this because I'm trying to understand whether anyone else has experienced something similar and whether there are any realistic paths forward after a final Apple Developer Program termination.
In April 2026, our app received several App Review rejections. We addressed the issues raised by Apple and submitted updated versions of the app as requested. On April 27, 2026, we received a Pending Termination Notice alleging App Review circumvention. We submitted a formal appeal on April 28 and followed up with additional information and documentation on May 15.
On June 2, Apple informed us that our appeal was insufficient and that our membership would be terminated. What caught my attention was that the same communication also stated that submitting a reinstatement request could potentially lead to reconsideration.
I took that seriously. We immediately shifted our focus toward a complete compliance review of the app, brought in outside assistance, and reviewed everything we could think of: app metadata, screenshots and marketing assets, user flows, source code, business logic, and third-party integrations.
The changes were not cosmetic. Entire features were removed, workflows were redesigned, and significant parts of the application's architecture were revised. Our goal was to address every concern we could identify and submit a comprehensive reinstatement request.
Then, on June 6, before we were able to complete and submit that request, we received the final termination notice. To be clear, I'm not claiming Apple made the wrong decision, nor am I posting this to generate outrage. What I found difficult to understand was being told that reinstatement could be considered, investing significant time and resources into preparing that submission, and then receiving a final termination before having the opportunity to submit it.
For context:
- We never used external payment systems.
- We never purchased or manipulated ratings or reviews.
- We never distributed binaries hidden from App Review.
- We never intentionally attempted to deceive Apple or bypass review procedures.
I'm 24 years old and this is my first company. Looking back, I can see that some of my decisions came down to inexperience. That's exactly why I took the reinstatement process seriously. I wanted to fix what I could. A few questions:
- Has anyone received reconsideration after a final Apple Developer Program termination?
- Has anyone experienced receiving a final termination while actively preparing a reinstatement request?
- Are there any official communication channels available once App Store Connect access has been removed?
Thank you for reading. Batuhan Özdemir
Founder, Liquid Apps
Team ID: 7K3Z69D85W
