# Guideline 1.1.2 - Safety: Realistic Violence or Encouragement of Violence

**Guideline:** 1.1.2 · **Store:** Apple App Store · **Severity:** high · **Fix difficulty:** medium · **Typical turnaround:** 2-8 hours

Canonical URL: https://appstorereject.com/rejections/apple/1/guideline-112-safety-realistic-violence-or-encouragement-of-violence

## Description

Apple is rejecting your app because it contains realistic portrayals of violence — people or animals being killed, maimed, tortured, or abused — or content that encourages violence. For games, this also covers enemies that solely target a specific race, culture, real government, corporation, or real entity. This rejection is most common in games with realistic graphics, but it can also hit news apps, educational apps, or social platforms that display graphic content. The key word is 'realistic' — stylized or cartoonish violence is generally acceptable, but photorealistic depictions cross the line. Apple differentiates between 'mature' content (which can be allowed with proper age rating) and content that is gratuitously violent or encourages real-world violence. If your game has realistic violence but an appropriate age rating, the issue may be specific scenes that go too far rather than the overall theme.

## Common variations

- App contains realistic portrayals of people being killed or maimed
- Content encourages violence against individuals or groups
- Game enemies solely target a specific race, culture, or real government
- App includes graphic depictions of torture or abuse

## Example rejection email

```
Guideline 1.1.2 - Safety - Objectionable Content

Your app contains realistic portrayals of violence that are not appropriate for distribution on the App Store. Specifically, your app includes content depicting people being killed or seriously harmed in a realistic manner.

Next Steps:
Please review your app content and remove or modify content that contains realistic portrayals of violence.
```

## Resolution steps

## Quick Assessment
- **Risk level:** High
- **Resolution path:** Fix & Resubmit
- **Typical turnaround:** 2-8 hours (if specific scenes can be toned down)

## The Fix

01. **Identify the specific violent content** — Request details from Apple about which scenes or content triggered the rejection.

02. **Reduce realism or intensity** — Options include: reducing blood/gore effects, using ragdoll physics instead of graphic death animations, adding a content filter toggle, or stylizing the art direction away from photorealism.

03. **Check enemy representation** — If your game features identifiable real-world groups as enemies, diversify or fictionalize them.

04. **Update the age rating** — Ensure your age rating accurately reflects the violence level. If you've toned things down, update the rating questionnaire accordingly.

05. **Add content warnings** — For apps with mature themes (news, educational), add appropriate content warnings before graphic material.

## Prevention
- Set the correct age rating from the start
- Use stylized rather than photorealistic violence where possible
- Avoid targeting identifiable real-world groups as game enemies
- Test with Apple's age rating questionnaire before submission

## Before / after examples

**Before:** Game features photorealistic death animations with blood splatter effects when enemies are eliminated
**After:** Death animations replaced with stylized fade-out effects, blood splatter replaced with impact particles, age rating set to 17+
**Why it works:** Reducing realism in violent depictions while maintaining gameplay impact satisfies Apple's concern.

## Common questions

**How long does this typically take to fix?**

Typical turnaround is 2-8 hours (difficulty: medium). After resubmission, most re-reviews complete within 24-48 hours.

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*Machine-readable source: https://api.appstorereject.com/api/rejections/detail?slug=guideline-112-safety-realistic-violence-or-encouragement-of-violence*