Electron Apps Being Rejected by Mac App Store’s Automated Review Process

As pointed out by several macOS developers, Mac App Store’s automated review process has started rejecting apps made using Electron, a framework that allows companies to ship web apps in a native app wrapper (via 9to5Mac).

Git

The source notes that Apple is rejecting the apps because of their usage of private API calls, which are not in the app itself but are part of the underlying Electron framework.

Although the framework has used these APIs for the past many years, it appears that Apple has made some changes to its automated app review processes which are detecting violations of its App Review guidelines more closely, including this private API usage:


At a surface level, it seems like it should be relatively straightforward for Electron to remove the API references and use alternative approaches. It’s just that the work hasn’t been done yet which means people depending on Electron are currently in a bind.

The rise in Electron rejections is being interpreted by some as a crackdown against Electron in the wake of the introduction of Apple’s Catalyst framework, which helps developers quickly port native iPad apps to the Mac.

You can learn more about the issue at this GitHub page.

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