What to Put in Your App Review Notes (A Template That Actually Helps Reviewers)
The App Review Notes field is easy to skip. It's tucked at the bottom of your App Store Connect submission, it's optional, and plenty of developers leave it blank. That's a mistake. When your app flips to "In Review," the notes field is one of the only places you get to speak directly to the person — or the process — evaluating your app. Used well, it prevents rejections. Used poorly (or not at all), it leaves a reviewer guessing about how your app works.
This guide breaks down what to include, gives you a copy-paste template, and explains why each piece matters from the reviewer's side of the screen.
What Happens When Your App Goes "In Review"
Understanding the review flow makes it obvious why good notes matter. When a submission enters review, it first goes through an automated system check. That check either clears the app or flags it for a human to look at more closely. If it gets flagged, a reviewer opens the submission, tests the app against the relevant guidelines, and returns a result.
The variation in review times you've probably noticed — ten minutes for one submission, several hours for another — usually isn't the reviewer staring at your app the whole time. Submissions move through a queue, and many are handled in parallel. A long wait often just means yours was further back in line, not that anything is wrong.
The practical takeaway: when a human does open your submission, everything they need to test your app correctly should be right there in the notes. If it isn't, they either dig for it or reject and ask — and that costs you a full review cycle.
The Four Things Every Reviewer Wants
Good App Review Notes are short and answer four questions:
- How do I log in and test the app? — Demo credentials plus instructions.
- What is this app supposed to do? — A one- or two-line summary of the core functionality.
- Is there anything I need to handle specially? — Compliance, entitlements, regional behavior.
- Who do I contact if I get stuck? — A name and a reliable contact method.
That's it. The notes field is not the place for marketing copy, feature roadmaps, or a plea for approval. Reviewers want to test the app efficiently and move on. Make that easy.
The Template
DEMO ACCOUNT
Username: reviewer@yourapp.com
Password: Review2026!
Notes: This account has full premium access enabled. No purchase needed to test paid features.
HOW TO TEST CORE FEATURES
1. Log in with the credentials above.
2. Tap "New Match" on the home screen to reach the main scoring flow.
3. The [feature name] appears after you complete step 2 — it's the primary function of the app.
WHAT THIS APP DOES
[App Name] is a [one-line description of the core functionality]. The main user flow is [X → Y → Z].
COMPLIANCE NOTES
- All third-party content is properly licensed.
- Location access is used only for [specific purpose] and is requested at [specific moment].
- This build contains no changes to payment or account logic since the last approved version.
WHAT CHANGED IN THIS VERSION
Minor update — bug fixes only. No new features, no changes to permissions or purchases since version [X.X].
CONTACT
[Your Name], [email], [phone]. Available [timezone / hours] if you have any questions.
Trim the sections you don't need. A free app with no login doesn't need a demo account block. A first submission doesn't have a "what changed" section. But the structure holds for almost any app.
Why Each Section Earns Its Place
Demo credentials and test steps
This is the single most valuable thing you can provide. A huge share of avoidable rejections come from a reviewer being unable to reach a feature — the account they were given doesn't work, the paid feature is locked, or the flow to trigger the key function isn't obvious. Give a working account, confirm it has whatever access is needed to see the full app, and spell out the exact taps to reach your core feature. If a feature only appears under specific conditions (a certain date, a completed workout, a connected device), say so and describe how to reproduce it.
If the main flow is hard to demonstrate with text, attach a short screen recording in the App Review Information section and reference it in the notes.
The one-line "what this app does"
Reviewers see an enormous range of apps. A single clear sentence about your core functionality orients them immediately and reduces the chance they misread a feature. Keep it factual and plain — describe what the app does, not why it's great.
Compliance notes
If your app touches anything that tends to draw extra scrutiny — privacy-sensitive permissions, special entitlements, licensed content, region-specific behavior — pre-empt the question. Explain what a permission is for and when it's requested. Confirm content is licensed. If sandbox entitlements or privacy labels are involved, a quick note that they're configured correctly saves a round trip.
The "what changed" note for updates
This one is underused and genuinely helps. The review process can't always tell how small a change is. If your update is nearly identical to the last approved build, say so explicitly: "bug fixes only, no changes to permissions or purchases." Precision here is what smooths out the frustrating experience of a near-identical resubmission getting a different result than last time. When you're exact about what changed and what didn't, there's less room for an inconsistent read.
Contact info
Give a real name, email, and phone number, and note when you're reachable. It rarely gets used — but when a reviewer has a quick question, being able to reach you can turn a would-be rejection into a two-minute clarification.
What to Leave Out
- Marketing language. "The world's best fitness app" tells the reviewer nothing useful and reads as noise.
- Long essays. If the notes are a wall of text, the important parts get buried. Short beats thorough here.
- Comparisons to other apps. "App X does this and got approved" doesn't help your case and can hurt it — every submission is evaluated on its own.
- Anything you can't back up in the build. If your notes claim a feature works a certain way, make sure the reviewer can actually see that in the app.
A Note on Consistency
Well-written notes won't override a genuine guideline problem — no amount of formatting fixes an app that violates a rule. But when the difference between approval and rejection comes down to whether a reviewer could reach and understand your feature, the notes field is exactly where you win or lose that. Treat it as a short, honest brief to the person testing your app, and you remove one of the most common avoidable reasons for rejection.
For related reading, see our guides on what to check before App Store review and how to contact Apple App Review if a submission goes sideways.
Keep an Eye on Your App After It's Live
Getting approved is only the first step — once your app is live, user reviews shape your rating and your ranking. AppStoreReview monitors your app across 175+ countries, sends instant alerts for new and negative reviews, and lets you filter by keyword — so you catch problems the moment they appear.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I write in the App Review Notes field?
Keep it to four things: demo account credentials with instructions on how to use them, a short summary of what your app's core functionality is, any compliance information that's relevant (privacy, entitlements, regional restrictions), and a contact method in case the reviewer has a question. The goal is to answer the questions a reviewer would otherwise have to guess at — not to write an essay.
Do App Review Notes actually get read?
Yes. When a submission needs a manual look, the reviewer opens your notes to understand how to test the app and whether anything needs special handling. Clear notes with working demo credentials and reproduction steps directly reduce the chance of a rejection caused by the reviewer being unable to reach a feature. Vague or empty notes make the reviewer fill in the gaps themselves — and their guesses may not match your intent.
Should I mention that my update only has minor changes?
Yes. If a new version is nearly identical to the last approved one, say so explicitly in the notes. The review system can't always tell how small a change is, and pointing it out gives the reviewer confidence there's nothing new to scrutinize. Being precise about what changed — and what didn't — makes the reviewer's job easier and tends to smooth out inconsistent re-review outcomes.
Where do I enter App Review Notes?
In App Store Connect, open your app's version, scroll to the App Review Information section, and use the Notes field. That same section is where you add demo account credentials, a contact name, phone number, and email, and where you can attach files like a screen recording. All of it goes to the reviewer handling your submission.