Demo, all content is generated
Question

Apple rejected my app under Guideline 4.2 Minimum Functionality, it's my Lovable site in an Expo WebView

Solved · 4205 views · asked by renata_builds · edited

I built a recipe planner in Lovable (web). Customers kept asking for "the app" so I followed a tutorial: Expo project, one screen, a <WebView source={{ uri: 'https://myplanner.app' }} /> and that's it. Submitted it, got this back after 3 days:

Guideline 4.2 - Design - Minimum Functionality. We found that the usability of your app is limited because it only provides a web page experience...

Is there a way around this or do I have to rebuild everything in React Native? I paid the 99 dollars already and I have zero mobile experience. Lovable can't make native apps as far as I know.

What I’ve tried

Replied in App Store Connect explaining that my users want an app. Got the same rejection text back a day later. Added a splash screen and an app icon, resubmitted, rejected again.

Comment
Does the site work offline at all? That's usually the first thing reviewers poke. wes_codes · edited
No, white screen without internet. renata_builds · edited
White screen offline is a guaranteed rejection by itself. At least show a native 'you're offline' screen. ben_mobile · edited
Same situation here with a booking site. Following. gabriel_ss · edited

3 answers

Marked as helpful by the asker
ben_mobile · edited

There's no trick around 4.2, and arguing in Resolution Center won't work. The reviewer's question is: "what does this do that Safari doesn't?" A WebView with nothing else answers "nothing".

You don't need to rebuild everything, but you need some genuinely native value. Things that usually get a hybrid app through:

  • Native navigation: a real tab bar (Expo Router tabs) with 3–4 sections, where some tabs are native screens and some can still be WebViews.
  • Push notifications that do something useful ("your meal plan for tomorrow is ready").
  • Something device-specific: camera to scan a recipe, offline access to saved recipes, a share extension, a home screen widget.
  • No browser tells: no pull-to-refresh bounce showing a white page, no web login form that opens Safari, no cookie banners.

A realistic path for a recipe planner: native "Today" and "Shopping list" screens that read from your existing backend (Lovable uses Supabase, so @supabase/supabase-js works in Expo directly), plus push, plus the rest in a WebView. That's a few weekends with Claude Code or Cursor, not a rewrite.

Also: when you resubmit, write in the review notes what the native features are and how to find them. Reviewers spend minutes on your app.

Comment
Thank you, this is the first explanation that doesn't just say 'make it more native'. The shopping list offline is actually something people asked for. renata_builds · edited
The review notes part is underrated. Tell them exactly where to tap. kofi_mensah · edited
Update for anyone finding this: native Today + Shopping list tabs, push for the weekly plan, rest is WebView. Approved on the second try. Took me 3 weekends. renata_builds · edited
kofi_mensah · edited

Counterpoint so you know the option exists: if your users mainly want an icon on their home screen, a PWA (installable web app) might be enough and costs nothing. iOS supports web push for installed PWAs since 16.4. You won't be in the App Store though, so if "findable in the App Store" is the point, go with the native-screens route above.

Comment
I didn't know about PWAs on iPhone. Might do both. renata_builds · edited
jonas_k · edited

One more thing that trips people up after fixing 4.2: if you have accounts, Apple will also ask for in-app account deletion (5.1.1(v)). Add it before resubmitting so you don't lose another review cycle.

Comment
can confirm, that's literally what happened to me next tariq_builds · edited