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Question

App review says they can't log in, but my login is a magic link

Open · 481 views · asked by dirk_vl · edited

Rejected under 2.1 App Completeness: "We were unable to sign in". My app only has Supabase magic link login. I put my own email in the review notes but obviously they can't open my inbox. How do other people handle this?

What I’ve tried

Asked Claude Code, it suggested adding a hidden password login just for the reviewer, which feels sketchy and I don't know if Apple allows that.

Comment
Do you use deep links to open the app from the magic link email? If the reviewer tapped it on a device without the app it would also fail. hannah_reyes · edited

2 answers

amir_h · edited

A reviewer account with a password is normal and allowed. Apple's own form has "Sign-in required" with username and password fields for exactly this. The sketchy part would be a hardcoded backdoor, so do it properly:

  • Create one real user in Supabase with a password (supabase.auth.admin.createUser with email_confirm: true).
  • In the app, add a small "Sign in with password" link under the magic link button. It's fine for everyone to see it.
  • Give that account demo data so the reviewer sees something.

Don't hardcode the password anywhere in the app.

Comment
Agree. Also make the demo account's data realistic, empty screens look broken to reviewers. hannah_reyes · edited
Approved with the reviewer account. Thanks all. dirk_vl · edited
ben_mobile · edited

Alternative that keeps the UI magic-link only: switch to email OTP (a 6 digit code). Supabase supports it with the same email template, just use {{ .Token }}. Then for the reviewer email you can set a fixed OTP... except Supabase doesn't support fixed OTPs, so you'd still need the password route. I'd just do what amir_h says.

Comment
ok password route it is. will report back after review dirk_vl · edited