How to Request an Expedited App Store Review (and Actually Get One)
Apple's standard review queue works well for routine updates, but sometimes you genuinely can't wait 24–48 hours. A payment processing bug is losing you money every hour. A security vulnerability is exposing user data. Your app has a live event integration and the window is closing. Expedited review exists for these scenarios — but it's not a magic shortcut, and how you make the request matters enormously.
What Qualifies for Expedited Review
Apple evaluates expedited requests on a case-by-case basis, but the criteria they've communicated (through documentation and developer community experience) center on three categories:
1. Critical bug fixes
- App crashes on launch for a significant portion of users
- Payment or purchase flows are broken
- Core functionality is completely unavailable
- Data corruption or loss affecting users
2. Security vulnerabilities
- Active exploits or security vulnerabilities in the shipping version
- Credentials, tokens, or user data exposed
- Authentication bypass issues
3. Time-sensitive, event-driven features
- Integration with a live event (conference, sports season, product launch) with a specific, near-term date
- Regulatory compliance deadline
- Legal requirement with an imminent deadline
- Apple-recommended update following a platform change (new iOS compatibility fix, for example)
What does not qualify:
- "We want to launch before our competitor"
- "Our marketing campaign starts next week"
- Routine feature releases
- Updates that could have been submitted earlier with proper planning
- A review queue delay that is simply taking longer than expected
Apple reviewers read dozens of expedited requests per day and are good at distinguishing genuine urgency from impatience.
How to Submit an Expedited Review Request
Step 1: Prepare your submission first Make sure your app is already submitted and in the review queue before requesting expedited review. The request applies to a specific, active submission — you can't get expedited treatment for a build that hasn't been submitted yet.
Step 2: Go to the developer contact form Navigate to developer.apple.com/contact/app-store/ and select Request Expedited App Review.
Step 3: Fill in the required information
- Your app's Apple ID (the numeric identifier from App Store Connect)
- Current version number
- Brief description of the urgent issue
Step 4: Write a compelling justification
This is where most developers lose the request. The justification needs to be specific, factual, and free of marketing language. Compare these two examples:
Weak justification (likely denied):
"We have an important update with new features for our users and would like to get it approved as quickly as possible for our upcoming marketing push."
Strong justification (likely approved):
"Version 4.2.1 fixes a crash-on-launch bug affecting iOS 17.4+ users, which represents approximately 60% of our active user base. We've received 200+ crash reports in the past 48 hours through our crash reporting tool. The crash occurs during app initialization due to a deprecated API that began failing in iOS 17.4. Our fix is minimal and targeted: we updated one deprecated method call. We need to push this fix urgently to prevent continued user churn and negative reviews."
The difference: the strong version includes a quantified user impact, a specific technical cause, and evidence that the fix is targeted and low-risk.
What to Include in Your Justification
Regardless of which qualifying category applies to you, your justification should include:
Quantified impact: How many users are affected? What percentage of your active user base? How many crash reports, support tickets, or negative reviews has this generated?
Specific technical description: What exactly is broken or vulnerable? Which iOS versions or device types are affected? What does the fix change?
Evidence: Screenshots of crash reports, links to crash data, support ticket screenshots, or other documentation that verifies the problem is real and current.
Timeline (for event-driven requests): The specific date of the event or deadline, and why the current review timeline doesn't accommodate it.
Scope of the fix: Apple is more comfortable approving expedited reviews when the change is targeted and minimal. A one-line bug fix is easier to expedite than a major feature release. If your update is small, say so explicitly.
Success Rates and Realistic Expectations
The developer community doesn't have precise data on expedited review approval rates, but based on collective experience:
- Genuine critical bug fixes with clear user impact: high approval rate
- Security vulnerability fixes: very high approval rate (Apple takes these seriously)
- Time-sensitive event integrations with specific dates: moderate approval rate, depends on timing
- Feature releases with business urgency: low approval rate
One important nuance: Apple approves the request, not the app. Your submission still goes through a full review. If there are other issues with the build beyond the one you cited, you'll still receive a rejection — just faster.
After Submitting the Request
You'll receive an automated acknowledgment immediately. Apple typically responds to expedited requests within a few hours to 1 business day, either approving the request (and moving your submission to the expedited queue) or declining and explaining why.
If your request is approved, watch App Store Connect closely — expedited reviews can move very quickly. Make sure someone on your team is available to respond to any follow-up questions from reviewers immediately, as delays in responding to an expedited review can result in the submission falling back to the standard queue.
Alternative: The Resolution Center for Stuck Reviews
If your issue isn't urgent enough to justify an expedited request but your submission appears genuinely stuck in the queue, a polite inquiry through the Resolution Center often moves things along. See our guide on what to do when your App Store review is stuck for that approach.
Monitor Your App Store Reviews Automatically
Staying on top of every review is crucial for maintaining your rating and catching issues early. AppStoreReview monitors your app across 175+ countries, sends instant alerts for negative reviews, and lets you set keyword filters — so you never miss a critical review again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does an expedited App Store review take?
Apple does not guarantee a specific turnaround for expedited requests, but most approved expedited reviews are completed within 24–48 hours. In some cases, particularly for critical security fixes, reviews have been completed within a few hours.
How many expedited reviews can I request?
Apple doesn't publish a formal limit, but the implicit expectation is that expedited requests are reserved for genuine emergencies. Developers who regularly submit expedited requests for non-urgent submissions report lower success rates over time, as Apple's system appears to weight your request history.
Does the expedited review queue replace the normal review?
Yes. When an expedited request is approved, your submission is pulled from the standard queue and placed in a separate, faster-moving queue. This does not guarantee approval — your app must still pass all standard review criteria. Requesting expedited review does not lower the bar for compliance.
What if my expedited request is denied?
Apple will typically send a response explaining that your submission doesn't qualify for expedited review and asking you to wait in the standard queue. You can submit a new expedited request if circumstances change (for example, if a critical user-facing issue is reported after you submitted the initial request), but repeated requests for the same submission are unlikely to be approved.