# Guideline 2.3.8 - Accurate Metadata: Mature Content in App Store Screenshots

**Guideline:** 2.3.8 · **Store:** Apple App Store · **Severity:** low · **Fix difficulty:** easy · **Typical turnaround:** 2-8 hours

Canonical URL: https://appstorereject.com/rejections/apple/2/guideline-238-accurate-metadata-mature-content-in-app-store-screenshots

## Description

Apple is rejecting your app because the App Store screenshots or preview videos contain content that is not suitable for a general audience. App Store screenshots must be appropriate for a 4+ rating regardless of the app's actual age rating. This catches many developers off guard -- even if your app is rated 17+, your screenshots must be family-friendly. The rationale is that anyone browsing the App Store can see your screenshots, including children. The actual app content can be age-restricted, but the marketing materials (screenshots, app previews, promotional text) cannot contain violent, sexual, or otherwise mature imagery. This rejection commonly hits: games with violent or gory screenshots, dating apps showing suggestive imagery, apps with profanity visible in screenshots, and apps where screenshot text overlays contain mature language.

## Common variations

- Screenshots contain content not appropriate for all ages
- App preview video includes mature or violent imagery
- Screenshots include profanity or suggestive content
- Marketing materials are not suitable for youngest App Store audience
- Screenshots must be appropriate regardless of app's age rating

## Example rejection email

```
Guideline 2.3.8 - Performance - Accurate Metadata

Your app's screenshots contain content that is not appropriate for all ages. Specifically, the screenshots include imagery that is not suitable for the youngest App Store audience.

App Store screenshots and previews must be appropriate for all ages, regardless of the app's age rating.

Next Steps:
Please replace your screenshots with images that are appropriate for all ages. The screenshots should still accurately represent the app experience, but without mature content.
```

## Resolution steps

## Quick Assessment
- **Risk level:** Low
- **Resolution path:** Replace screenshots in App Store Connect (no new binary needed)
- **Typical turnaround:** 2-8 hours (time to create new screenshot assets)

## The Fix

1. **Identify the problematic screenshots** -- Review all screenshots and preview videos through the lens of 'would this be appropriate for a 7-year-old browsing the App Store?'

2. **Replace with family-friendly alternatives** -- Capture screenshots that showcase the app's features without mature content. For a game with combat, show strategic planning or character customization instead of battle scenes. For dating apps, show the matching UI, not suggestive profile photos.

3. **Check text overlays** -- Ensure any marketing text on screenshots doesn't contain profanity, sexual innuendo, or violent language.

4. **Review app preview videos** -- The same rules apply to app preview videos. Every frame must be appropriate for all ages.

5. **Verify across all localizations** -- If you have localized screenshots, check every language version.

## Prevention
- Apply the 'browsing with a child' test to all marketing materials
- Choose screenshots that highlight features and UI, not content
- Keep a set of 'review-safe' screenshots specifically for the App Store
- Remember: your app can be 17+, but your screenshots must be 4+

## Before / after examples

**Before:** Horror game screenshots showing graphic zombie imagery and blood splatter to showcase gameplay
**After:** Screenshots showing the game's atmospheric environments, inventory management screen, and map exploration -- all conveying the genre without graphic content
**Why it works:** Your screenshots need to sell the experience without showing content that wouldn't pass a 4+ rating. Focus on atmosphere and features over graphic content.

## Common questions

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

Typical turnaround is 2-8 hours (difficulty: easy). 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-238-accurate-metadata-mature-content-in-app-store-screenshots*