How long does App Store review actually take?

The short answer

Apple states that about 90% of apps are reviewed within 24 hours, and most of the rest clear within 48 hours. That number covers the 'In Review' stage itself — the time a human or automated system actively spends on your build.

The stage before that, 'Waiting for Review', can add its own delay depending on how busy the queue is, and it isn't included in Apple's 24-hour figure.

Treat 24–48 hours as the normal case, not a guarantee. Some categories and some accounts consistently take longer.

What actually changes the timeline

Account history: new developer accounts and apps with recent rejections tend to get closer manual scrutiny than an established app with a clean track record.

App category and complexity: apps handling health data, financial transactions, kids' content, or account creation are more likely to be reviewed manually rather than fast-tracked.

Metadata-only vs binary changes: a metadata-only update (screenshots, description) can sometimes go through a lighter review path than a new binary.

Timing: submissions around major Apple events, holidays, or right after a new iOS release tend to sit in the queue longer simply from volume.

What each status actually means

Waiting for Review: your build is queued but not yet assigned. This is where most of the variable wait time happens.

In Review: a reviewer or automated check is actively evaluating your app. This stage is usually fast — often under a few hours.

Rejected / Metadata Rejected: review finished, but something needs to change before it can move forward. Every rejection resets you toward the back of the queue.

Pending Developer Release or Ready for Sale: review passed. If you chose manual release, the app won't go live until you release it yourself.

How to avoid adding days to your own review

Fill in App Review notes with exact test steps — don't make the reviewer guess how to reach a gated feature.

Provide working demo credentials if the app requires login, and keep them valid until the app is approved.

Don't resubmit an unchanged build hoping for a different outcome — fix the actual issue first, since repeated identical resubmissions do not speed things up and can flag the account.

Reserve Expedited Review requests for genuine, time-sensitive issues like a critical bug fix — overusing it reduces its usefulness for when you actually need it.

When to actually worry

If a submission sits in 'Waiting for Review' well past 48 hours with no Apple system-wide slowdown reported, check Resolution Center for a message you might have missed — sometimes a build is quietly waiting on you.

If it's been several days with total silence, that's the point to check Apple's System Status page and, if that's clear too, contact App Review support through App Store Connect.