Guideline5.1.1
Privacy
5.1.1 is about what you collect and how you explain it. A permission you never use, a vague purpose string, or tracking without ATT is enough.
§ 01What this rejection usually means
- Apple is not debating your product. They are rejecting the data request or the explanation.
- Privacy Nutrition Labels that disagree with the binary are in the same family of problems.
- Some 5.1.1 notes can be answered with a reply (why you need the data). Unused entitlements need a new build.
§ 02Common causes
- Camera, photos, contacts, tracking, or location requested without a precise purpose string.
- A permission in Info.plist that the current build never calls.
- Clipboard, pasteboard, or tracking used before a prompt.
- App Privacy answers that do not match the SDK list.
- ATT missing when a third-party SDK fingerprints or requests IDFA.
§ 03How to diagnose your case
- Dump Info.plist purpose keys and match each to a user-visible feature.
- If a key has no feature, remove it and ship a new build.
- If the feature is real but the string is vague, a tighter string plus a short reply can be enough.
§ 05What to inspect in your project
Checklist
- NSCameraUsageDescription and every other purpose string
- PrivacyInfo / Privacy Manifest for third-party SDKs
- App Privacy answers in App Store Connect
- ATT prompt timing vs. first tracking call
- Pasteboard and contacts access on first launch
§ 06What not to do
Do not
- Do not copy a generic “for a better experience” purpose string.
- Do not leave an unused permission “for later.”
- Do not tell the reviewer you will add ATT in the next version. Add it now.
§ 07Questions people ask next
- Is ATT always Guideline 5.1.1?
- Tracking usually lands in 5.1.2, but reviewers often write 5.1.1 and mention tracking in the same note. Treat the wording as the signal.