Guideline 1.1.1

Guideline 1.1.1 - Safety: Defamatory or Discriminatory Content

High SeverityMedium FixTypical Fix: 1-3 days0 Reports

Also known as:App includes defamatory or mean-spirited content targeting individuals or groupsContent that could humiliate, intimidate, or place a targeted individual or group in harm's wayApp contains discriminatory content based on religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, or ethnicityUser-generated content includes offensive material targeting protected groups

Our Take

Apple is rejecting your app because it contains content they consider defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited toward a targeted group. This covers references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other protected groups — particularly if the app could humiliate, intimidate, or harm individuals. This rejection often catches developers off guard because the problematic content may be user-generated, sourced from a third-party API, or intended as satire. Apple does exempt professional political satirists and humorists, but the bar for that exemption is high — your app needs to clearly be a satire/humor platform, not an app that happens to contain offensive content. The root cause is usually one of: (1) unmoderated user-generated content that includes slurs or hate speech, (2) app-provided content or imagery that stereotypes or targets a group, or (3) a content feed from an external source that hasn't been filtered. Apple reviewers may flag this even if the content isn't prominently displayed — a single screen or buried section can trigger this rejection.

Resolution Guide

Identify the specific content

Ask Apple via the Resolution Center what specific content triggered the rejection. If they don't specify, audit all text, images, and user-generated content for anything targeting protected groups.

Remove or moderate the content

If it's app-provided content, remove it. If it's user-generated, implement content filtering and moderation to prevent it from appearing.

Add content moderation infrastructure

If your app has any UGC component, implement keyword filtering, a reporting mechanism, and human or AI moderation review.

Review third-party content sources

If your app pulls content from APIs or feeds, add a filtering layer to catch discriminatory content before it reaches users.

Document your moderation approach

In the Review Notes, explain what content was removed and what moderation systems are now in place.

Prevention

Implement proactive content moderation for any UGC features before submission

Use content filtering APIs (Apple's own or third-party) to catch offensive content

Regularly audit third-party content sources for policy compliance

Example Rejection Email

From:Apple App Review Team

Subject:Guideline 1.1.1 - Safety: Defamatory or Discriminatory Con

Guideline 1.1.1 - Safety - Objectionable Content Your app contains content that many users would find objectionable and offensive. Specifically, your app includes defamatory or mean-spirited content that targets individuals or groups based on their religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, or ethnicity. Next Steps: Please review your app content and remove any content that could be considered defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited.

Consider Appealing

Only appeal if the content is clearly satirical from a professional satire/humor platform, or if the reviewer misidentified the content. If the flagged content is user-generated, the fix is moderation — not an appeal.

Generate Appeal

Before & After

Before — Rejected

App displays unmoderated user comments including slurs and hate speech targeting ethnic groups

After — Approved

App implements keyword filtering, user reporting, and human moderation queue — offensive content is removed within 24 hours

What changed: Apple requires active content moderation, not just reactive removal after complaints.

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