From Lovable or Bolt to the App Store: What Review Checks That Your AI Builder Didn't

You built an app in Lovable, Bolt, Rork or another AI builder. It works on your laptop, maybe even on your phone. Now you want it in the App Store and Google Play.

This is where a lot of AI-built apps stall. Not because the code is bad, but because the stores check things the builder never asked you about. This guide walks through what Apple and Google actually look for, with the guideline numbers, so you can fix it before review instead of after a rejection.

Is my app more than a website?

Apple's guideline 4.2 Minimum Functionality says your app "should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website." Guideline 4.2.2 adds that apps shouldn't primarily be marketing material, web clippings or a collection of links.

This matters most for builders that produce a web app. Wrapping that web app in a WebView and submitting it is the classic 4.2 rejection. What helps:

• A real native build, for example React Native with Expo, rather than a WebView shell
• Native behaviour where it makes sense: push notifications, offline handling, camera or file access, haptics
• Screens designed for a phone, not a desktop page squeezed into one

If your builder already outputs React Native or Expo code, you're in a much better position. If it outputs a web app, plan for a conversion step.

Do I need Sign in with Apple?

If you use Google, Facebook or another social login for the main account, Apple's guideline 4.8 Login Services requires you to also offer an equivalent login option that:

• limits data collection to the user's name and email address, and
• lets users keep their email address private when setting up their account.

Sign in with Apple is the usual way to meet this. The main exception is an app that only uses your company's own account system (email and password, for example).

AI builders often add "Continue with Google" because it's one click to set up. That alone can trigger 4.8 on iOS.

Can users delete their account?

Both stores require this if users can create an account:

• Apple, guideline 5.1.1(v): "If your app supports account creation, you must also offer account deletion within the app."
• Google Play: you must provide an in-app path to delete the account and associated data, and a web link where users can request deletion. You declare that link in the Data safety form.

A "contact us to delete your account" email address doesn't meet Apple's requirement. The deletion has to be reachable inside the app.

Apple's same guideline also says that if your app doesn't include significant account-based features, people should be able to use it without logging in. A login wall in front of a simple app is its own rejection risk.

Can the reviewer get in?

Guideline 2.1 App Completeness asks you to include demo account info, and to "turn on your back-end service," if your app has a login.

For AI-built apps, the back end is often a Supabase or Firebase project on a free tier. Check before you submit:

• The demo account exists and works on a fresh install
• The back end won't pause or hit a limit during the review window
• Any email verification or OTP step doesn't block the reviewer (give them an account that's already verified)

Do I have a privacy policy, in both places?

Apple's guideline 5.1.1(i) says all apps must include a link to their privacy policy in App Store Connect and inside the app, in an easily accessible place. Google Play requires a privacy policy to complete its Data safety form.

Then fill in each store's privacy questions honestly:

• Apple: App Privacy details in App Store Connect. These must include data collected by third-party SDKs (analytics, crash reporting, payments), not just your own code.
• Google: the Data safety form, which every app on Google Play must complete, even if it collects no data.

Pre-submission checklist

If you'd rather not do this yourself

I work on LetsDeployIt, which takes apps built with tools like Lovable, Bolt, Rork, FlutterFlow or RapidNative and gets them approved on both stores: native conversion, store listings, privacy labels and the Data safety form, account deletion, and submission with resubmissions until approval. The checklist above is what we start from, and it works just as well on your own.

FAQ

Will Apple reject an app built with Lovable or Bolt?

Not because of the tool. Apple reviews the app, not how it was made. Rejections come from what the app does: a web wrapper (4.2), social login without a private option (4.8), no account deletion (5.1.1(v)), or a login the reviewer can't get past (2.1).

Do I need Sign in with Apple if I only use email and password?

No. Guideline 4.8 applies when you use a third-party or social login, such as Google or Facebook, for the primary account. An app that only uses its own email and password sign-in is one of the listed exceptions.

Is a "delete my account" email enough?

Not for Apple. Guideline 5.1.1(v) requires account deletion inside the app. Google Play also requires an in-app path, plus a web link where users can request deletion.

Do I need a privacy policy if my app collects no data?

Yes. Apple requires a privacy policy link for all apps, and Google Play requires one to complete the Data safety form, which every app on Google Play must fill in.

Wrapping up

Most first rejections for AI-built apps come from the same handful of rules: a web wrapper, social login without an Apple option, no in-app account deletion, a reviewer who can't log in, or missing privacy details. None of them are hard to fix. They're just easy to miss when the tool that built your app never mentioned them.

Which of these caught you out, or which one are you least sure about for your own app?