How to Get Your Bubble App Approved by Apple: 10 Battle-Tested Tips

Spent weeks building your Bubble app only to get rejected by Apple within 24 hours?

Here’s what nobody tells you about getting your app approved: it’s not about having perfect code or the prettiest design. It’s about understanding Apple’s game and playing by their rules from day one.

Over the last few years, we’ve helped dozens of clients get their Bubble applications approved in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. And let me tell you, I’ve seen every rejection reason in the book — the vague ones, the infuriating ones, the ones that make you want to throw your computer out the window.

But here’s the cool thing: once you know what they’re actually looking for, you can breeze through the approval process, sometimes on the first try.

Today, I’m giving you the exact 10-step checklist we use to get our clients’ apps approved fast. No fluff, no theory — just the battle-tested strategies that work in 2025.

Tip #1: Test Using TestFlight, Not Just Bubble Go

This is huge. Test your app using TestFlight with the exact test account you’re going to submit to the App Store. Don’t just rely on Bubble Go.

I can’t tell you how many times something worked fine in Bubble Go and then failed when you actually use the build code inside TestFlight natively. Everything looked perfect, smooth — you submit, and within 18 hours you get a notice back saying something didn’t work or there’s a bug.

The truth is that TestFlight runs in a native iOS environment with all the quirks, permissions, and security protocols that the actual App Store uses. Bubble Go gets close, but it doesn’t replicate that perfectly.

When you test in TestFlight, you’re catching the stuff Apple’s reviewers will catch: permission issues, crashes on specific iOS versions, weird layout bugs.

Use the exact test account that you’re submitting with — not your personal Apple ID, not a random burner account. The exact one. Because Apple’s going to test your app with that account, and if something breaks, you’re toast.

Tip #2: Read Apple’s Pre-Distribution Documentation Like It’s Scripture

Look, I know it’s boring. I know it’s dense. But these docs come back to bite you hard if you ignore them.

You’re excited, you just want to ship, but Apple’s guidelines aren’t suggestions — they’re commandments. And the tricky part is they’re intentionally vague in some areas.

Apple doesn’t want to give you a recipe. They want to see if you understand the spirit of their rules.

Things like in-app purchases, subscription flows, data privacy disclosures — these are all minefields for getting rejected.

Let me give you an example. If your app collects any user data, even something as simple as an email address, you need to clearly disclose that in your app’s privacy policy and in the App Store listing. Miss that? Back to square one.

And here’s a pro tip: create a checklist as you read through, cross-referencing with your app. Triple check before you submit. It sounds tedious, but I promise it’ll save you weeks of back-and-forth with Apple’s review team.

Tip #3: Keep Your Screenshots Honest and Current

Make sure all of your screenshots are accurate. Not hyped up, not aspirational, not “coming soon” — just accurate.

Here’s a fun one. We once worked with a startup building this amazing productivity app in Bubble. Beautiful design, great UX. But in their App Store screenshots, they showed a feature that wasn’t live yet. It was almost done, like 80% there, so they figured, eh, it’s close enough.

Apple downloaded the app, tried to use that feature, couldn’t find it, and boom — rejected. They don’t care if it’s almost done or launching next week. If it’s in your screenshots, it better be in the app. Period.

And honestly, this goes beyond just avoiding rejection. It’s about trust with your users. If they download your app expecting a feature they saw in the screenshots and it’s not there, they’re going to leave you a one-star review and uninstall.

So here’s what we do: we take screenshots after the app is 100% finished. No exceptions. We show exactly what the user will experience. No mock-ups, no Photoshop magic, just the real deal.

Remember, you can always update your screenshots. So when that cool feature goes live, change the screenshots in the App Store and put it front and center. But don’t put the cart before the horse.

Tip #4: Use Private Distribution for Internal Tools

If your app is really only for a single organization — kind of like an internal tool or something just for a specific company or one specific client — don’t try to list it publicly. You need to request what’s called private listing or unlisted app distribution.

Now this is one that trips people up because it seems easier just to throw it on the public App Store. And to be honest, Google will probably let you get away with that.

But Apple’s review team will ask, “Who is the target audience for this app?” If you say, “Well, it’s just for employees of XYZ Corp” or “It’s for clients of this company,” they’re going to reject you and tell you to go the private distribution route.

Look, they have legitimate reasons for this. The public App Store is for apps that serve the general public. If your app is locked behind a corporate login or only useful to a handful of people, it really doesn’t belong there.

The good news is that Apple does have solutions for this: unlisted app distribution, even the Apple Business Manager for enterprise deployments.

So before you submit, ask yourself: is this app truly for the masses, or is it just for my team? Be honest. It’ll save you a rejection and a lot of wasted time.

Tip #5: Explain Every Permission in Plain Language

Be sure to adjust the text strings for any device access your app requires: camera, microphone, location, photos, whatever.

These are in your app’s language settings. And here’s the thing: Apple requires that you explain to users why you need that permission in plain, simple language.

If you’re asking for camera access and your app explanation just says “App needs camera” — not good enough. Apple wants context.

I’ll give you an example. We built an app for a client in the real estate space. Users could take photos of properties and upload them directly. Makes sense, right?

But when we submitted the first time, we got rejected because our camera permission text just said, “This app requires access to your camera.”

Apple came back and said, “Not specific enough.”

So we changed it to: “We need access to your camera so you can capture and upload photos of properties directly within the app.”

Boom. Approved.

These permission strings are in the language settings of your Bubble application. And be careful, because those specific settings have default placeholder text in there, so you have to go in and change those so that they actually reflect the specifics of your app.

Tip #6: Freeze OTA Updates During App Review

Do not submit an over-the-air update for app review. This is a Bubble-specific thing, so be careful here.

Bubble has this awesome feature called over-the-air updates (OTA updates) where you can push changes to your app without going through the App Store review process again. Sounds amazing, right? And it is amazing once your app is live.

But here’s the trap. If you submit your app for review and you’ve got an OTA update pending, Apple’s reviewers might open your app and immediately get hit with an “App needs to update” message. And guess what? They’ll just reject you without even testing the app, because from their perspective, they can’t review an app that won’t let them in.

So here’s the rule: when you’re preparing for App Store submission, freeze your OTA updates. Lock in the version you’re submitting. Don’t push any changes until after you get approved.

I know it’s tempting. You spot a typo, a tiny bug, and you think, “Oh, I’ll just push a quick fix.” Don’t. Just don’t. Wait until you’re through the review process, and then push it as an OTA and it’ll work fine.

Tip #7: Vet Your Plugins Hard

Be really careful with the plugins you use. Plugins can cause crashes in production that don’t show up during testing.

Okay, story time. We once had a client who was building a messaging app — think WhatsApp, but for a super specific niche. Cool concept. They used a third-party plugin for real-time messaging.

During development, everything worked perfectly. Smooth as butter. They submitted to Apple, got approved, launched, celebrated.

Then within 48 hours, users started reporting crashes. Random crashes, no pattern, just boom — app closes.

We dug into it and it turned out the plugin had a memory leak issue that only appeared under heavy concurrent usage, something we couldn’t replicate in testing with just a few users.

Apple didn’t catch it in review because their reviewers are testing with low loads. But in the real world with hundreds of users messaging at once? Crash city.

The lesson: test your plugins hard. Use TestFlight with real users. Load test. Stress test. And if possible, stick to plugins with strong reviews, active support, and a proven track record.

Especially now that we’re still kind of in the beta version of these native mobile apps, be really careful with the plugins. Because there’s nothing worse than having something go wrong in your app that you can’t fix.

And sometimes we’ve had to go back and actually substitute a different plugin because the one that we were using just wasn’t up to par. So be really careful with that.

And better yet, just build the custom functionality yourself when you can, or work with a team like us so that we can vet your plugins thoroughly. We know what we’re doing.

Tip #8: Plan Your Timeline With Buffer

Give yourself ample time for submitting. It’s likely going to take several attempts, even with this awesome list I’m giving you. Something will probably show up. And it’s not instantaneous, although I have to say that both Google and Apple are pretty good about the review process — they’ve got it really honed in.

But every time you get rejected, you’re going to lose probably at least a day or two, or maybe three, depending on what it takes you to fix it. So give yourself some time.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if this is your first app submission, you’re probably going to get rejected. And that’s okay if you’ve given yourself some time. Just go through the process.

So here’s my advice: if you need your app live by a certain date — let’s say a product launch or a client deadline — start the submission process at least three weeks in advance.

That gives you buffer for rejections, fixes, and resubmissions without too much stress. And trust me, you’ll be grateful you did that.

Tip #9: Google Play Is Easier — But Still Has Gotchas

In general, Google Play is easier to get approved on than Apple. However, you will need to request an extension to their page size requirements, because Bubble hasn’t updated their technology to support the new requirements yet.

So quick context: Google has these rules about app page sizes — basically how big your app’s downloadable bundle can be. It’s a technical thing, but the short version is Bubble apps sometimes exceed those limits because of how Bubble packages the app.

The good news is Google does allow you to request an extension. You have to fill out a form explaining why your app needs more space. Usually they’ll grant it within a couple of days.

So don’t panic if you get a warning about page size during your Google Play submission. Just request the extension, wait for approval, and you’ll be good to go.

And honestly, compared to Apple, Google’s review process is way more forgiving. They’re looking for major policy violations: malware, spam, inappropriate content. They’re not really nitpicking your permission strings.

So if you’re feeling discouraged after an Apple rejection, hey, at least you’ve got Google on your side.

Tip #10: Master Your Version Control

Be really careful with your versioning. If you accidentally deprecate a version that’s been accepted to one of the app stores, it will cease to work for your users.

This one almost gave me a heart attack a few months back.

We had a client with a live app in the App Store. Everything running smoothly, users happy, no complaints. And then one day, we were cleaning up old versions in the Bubble editor — you know, just tidying up. And someone on the team accidentally deprecated the live version.

Within minutes, users started reporting that the app wouldn’t load — just a blank screen. Total meltdown. We scrambled, went through the process, but it was a pain.

So here’s the thing: when you deprecate a version in Bubble, you’re essentially telling the system, “This version doesn’t exist anymore.” And if your live app is pointing to that version, it breaks.

So here’s what you do. Once your app is live in the App Store or Google Play, label that version clearly — something like “DO NOT TOUCH” or whatever it is. And when you’re developing new features, work on a separate development version.

And you do need to be really careful when you’re using the Starter plan on Bubble, because you only really get three versions that you can work with for the mobile native apps. So a little paranoia goes a long way, trust me.

The Bottom Line

And that’s it. Ten tips to help you get your native Bubble app approved on the first try — hopefully — or at least avoid the most common pitfalls that trip people up.

But here’s the thing: getting your app approved is just the beginning. Once you’re live, you’ve got to think about performance optimization, SEO for app stores, integrating with external APIs, scaling your database.

Key takeaways:

1. Always test in TestFlight with your exact submission account — don’t rely solely on Bubble Go
2. Read and follow Apple’s guidelines as explicit rules — they’re not suggestions
3. Keep your screenshots accurate and current — never show features that don’t exist yet
4. Use private distribution for internal or limited-audience apps — don’t submit to public stores unnecessarily
5. Explain every permission in plain language — tell users exactly why you need access
6. Freeze OTA updates during review — lock your build and only update after approval
7. Vet your plugins thoroughly — test under real load conditions before launch
8. Allocate at least three weeks for submission cycles — expect rejections and build in buffer time
9. Google Play is easier but still requires attention — request bundle size extensions proactively
10. Label your live version clearly — never deprecate an approved, active version

Getting your Bubble app approved by Apple doesn’t have to be a nightmare. With the right preparation, clear understanding of the rules, and attention to detail, you can dramatically improve your approval odds and get to market faster.