Metadata Accuracy

Skill: Metadata Accuracy

Purpose

Detects mismatches between features claimed in App Store metadata descriptions and features actually implemented in the codebase, enforcing Guideline 2.3.1 which prohibits misleading app descriptions.

Apple Guideline

• Primary: 2.3.1 — Performance: Accurate Metadata — App Descriptions
• Related: 2.3.10
• Reference: references/guidelines/2-performance.md

Real-World Rejection Cases

• Case: App description mentioned "AR features" but app had no ARKit code — rejected for misleading metadata

Source: Apple Developer Forums (Guideline 2.3.1 enforcement) Root cause: App description must accurately represent actual features in the submitted build — reviewers test claimed features and will reject if they cannot find them

• Case: App description referenced Android-only features — rejected under 2.3.10

Source: mobiloud.com/blog/avoid-app-rejected-apple Root cause: Metadata must focus on Apple platform experience only — references to other platforms mislead App Store users and violate platform-specific metadata requirements

• Case: React Native cross-platform app displayed Android package name strings (e.g., com.android.vending, "Get it on Google Play") inside the onboarding flow — reviewer saw Android-specific UI text on an iOS device — rejected under 2.3.10

Source: Apple Developer Forums (multiple cross-platform developer reports) Root cause: Cross-platform apps built with React Native, Flutter, or Capacitor sometimes include Android-specific strings, icons, or navigation patterns that surface in the iOS build — reviewers flag any visible Android platform references inside the running app, not just in the App Store description

Trigger

Invoke on any iOS/macOS project before App Store submission to verify metadata accurately reflects the app's implemented features.

Inputs

| Name | Type | Default | Description | |------|------|---------|-------------| | project_root | path | cwd | iOS/macOS project root | | shared_context | object | nil | Pre-collected context from appstore-full-audit Phase 1 |

Actions

Phase 1: Context Collection

Skip this phase if shared_context is provided.

1. Glob **/fastlane/metadata/** or **/metadata/** — locate metadata/description files.
2. Glob **/*.txt in metadata directories — locate description text files.
3. Glob **/*.swift — collect Swift source files for feature cross-reference.

Phase 2: Checks

1. Android/cross-platform references

Grep pattern "Android"|"Google Play"|"Play Store"|"on Android"|"Android version" in metadata/description text files. Any match → 🟠 HIGH. App Store metadata must not reference competing platforms.

1. Coming soon / planned features

Grep pattern "coming soon"|"future update"|"planned feature"|"will be added"|"in a future release"|"soon available" in metadata/description text files. Any match → 🟠 HIGH. Descriptions must only reflect features present in the submitted build — describing future features may cause rejection.

1. AR feature claim vs ARKit presence

Grep pattern "AR"|"augmented reality"|"ARKit" in metadata/description text files. If found, Grep ARKit|RealityKit|ARSCNView|ARSession in **/*.swift — if absent → 🟠 HIGH. Claimed AR features must be implemented in the build being submitted.

1. AI/ML feature claim vs CoreML presence

Grep pattern "AI"|"artificial intelligence"|"machine learning"|"ML model"|"on-device AI" in metadata/description text files. If found, Grep CoreML|CreateML|MLModel|NaturalLanguage|Vision in **/*.swift — if absent → 🟠 HIGH. Claimed AI/ML features must be implemented in the build being submitted.

1. Android platform strings visible inside app

Grep pattern "com\.android"|"google\.play"|"Get it on Google Play"|"Android"|"Play Store" in **/*.swift and **/*.strings. Any match in a UI string, label, or localizable string → 🟠 HIGH. Android platform references visible inside the iOS app are flagged by reviewers under 2.3.10 — common in cross-platform codebases where Android strings leak into the shared bundle.

Phase 3: Output

Collect all findings from Phase 2 and build the prioritised findings list below. Include file paths and line numbers. Omit tiers with no findings.

Output Format

## Metadata Accuracy — Findings

### 🔴 CRITICAL — Guaranteed rejection
- [ ] TODO:  — `file:line` — Guideline 2.3.1

### 🟠 HIGH — Very likely rejection
- [ ] TODO: Remove "Android" reference from App Store description — `fastlane/metadata/en-US/description.txt:8` — Guideline 2.3.10
- [ ] TODO: Remove Android platform string "Get it on Google Play" from in-app onboarding UI — visible to iOS reviewer — `OnboardingStrings.strings:14` — Guideline 2.3.10
- [ ] TODO: Remove "coming soon" feature claims from description — only describe features in the current build — `fastlane/metadata/en-US/description.txt:22` — Guideline 2.3.1
- [ ] TODO: Remove AR feature claim or implement ARKit — description mentions "AR experience" but no ARKit code found in codebase — Guideline 2.3.1
- [ ] TODO: Remove AI/ML claim or implement CoreML — description mentions "AI-powered" but no CoreML/CreateML usage found — Guideline 2.3.1

### 🟡 MEDIUM — Possible rejection
- [ ] TODO: Manually review all description bullet points against actual app features — verify each claimed capability is accessible to the reviewer

### 🟢 LOW — Best practice
- [ ] TODO: Keep a feature parity checklist — update description only after features ship; maintain a staging description for upcoming features outside of App Store Connect

Tools Used

Glob, Grep, Read

Constraints

• Read-only. No file edits.
• No network calls.
• Skip Phase 1 if shared_context is provided by orchestrating agent.
• Works on Swift, Objective-C, React Native, Flutter projects.

Quick Commands

Run these in your project root to check manually:

# Check for Android references in metadata
!grep -rn "Android\|Google Play\|Play Store" . --include="*.swift" --include="*.strings" --include="*.md"

# Check for ARKit usage (if AR mentioned in description)
!grep -rn "ARKit\|RealityKit\|ARSCNView\|ARFrame" . --include="*.swift" | wc -l

# Check for CoreML usage (if AI/ML mentioned)
!grep -rn "CoreML\|MLModel\|VNCoreMLRequest\|CreateML" . --include="*.swift" | wc -l

# Check for "coming soon" in strings
!grep -rn "coming soon\|future update\|planned feature" . --include="*.swift" --include="*.strings" -i

Swift Anti-Pattern Reference

examples/swift/QualityPatterns.swift

Detection Steps

1. Find target files

• Glob: **/fastlane/metadata/, **/Info.plist

1. Search for rejection patterns

• Read fastlane/metadata/en-US/description.txt — extract feature claims
• Cross-reference claimed features against actual Swift implementation (grep feature keywords)
• Read fastlane/metadata/en-US/keywords.txt — check for competitor brand names
• Check fastlane/metadata/en-US/support_url.txt — runtime check: verify URL resolves (HTTP 200); flag if file is missing

1. Determine verdict

• Feature described in metadata but no matching Swift code found → 🟠 HIGH (Guideline 2.3.1 — accurate marketing, all advertised features must be present)
• Competitor brand name in keywords → 🟠 HIGH (Guideline 2.3.7 — accurate keywords)
• Support URL missing or unreachable → 🟠 HIGH (Guideline 1.5 — support contact / 2.1 — accurate metadata)
• All described features implemented, support URL reachable → 🟢 pass

1. Report

• Feature claims with no matching code
• Keywords containing competitor names
• Fix: Remove unimplemented feature claims from description; remove competitor names from keywords; ensure support URL returns HTTP 200

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: cruisediary
• Source: cruisediary/apple-app-review-skills
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.