Apple changed the App Review phone number field

Did Apple change the App Review phone number requirement in App Store Connect

Yes. Apple now requires the App Review contact phone number in App Store Connect to be entered in international format, with a plus sign and country code, not as digits only. Apple’s App Store Connect release notes added that requirement on August 19, 2026, and the App Store Connect reference page shows the same rule in the App Review Information section.

The important part people get wrong is simple: Apple did not remove the phone number requirement, it tightened the format. The field still exists because App Review may need to contact your team. What changed is the accepted entry format, so a local number typed without a country code can now fail validation or get rejected by the form.

The current rule is specific enough to follow directly. Enter a number such as +852 for Hong Kong, or the equivalent international form for your region. Apple says the field does not accept numbers-only entry. That means a plain local string, even if it is a real working phone number, is not enough for App Store Connect.

This matters during submission because App Review information is part of the metadata Apple checks before review. Apple’s App Review page says to enter all of the details needed for review in App Store Connect, and the reference page lists the contact name, email, and phone number as App Review information. If the phone field is malformed, you are fixing metadata, not debugging your app.

The inconvenient part is that teams often keep a single-country support number in their internal records and assume it is fine everywhere. Apple is asking for a format that can be read across regions and systems. If your company number is stored without a country code, someone has to normalize it before submission, and that is now a real release task, not a bookkeeping detail.

If you are updating an existing app, do not assume yesterday’s saved value is still acceptable. Apple’s release notes describe the change as an editorial update, which means the guidance itself changed in the docs, and the App Store Connect field description now spells out the international-format requirement. A value that once looked acceptable can become a problem when you resubmit a version.

A practical check is straightforward. Open the version’s App Review Information section, confirm the contact phone uses a plus sign and country code, and make sure the number is one that your team can answer or route during review hours. If the app needs a demo account, keep that credential in the same review package so App Review does not have to chase basic access details.

If your submission is already blocked, the fix is not to add more text in Notes and hope the reviewer guesses the number. Replace the phone entry with a proper international format and resubmit. If the app requires a callback during review, make sure the listed number reaches someone who can respond, because Apple uses App Review contact details when it needs additional information.

For teams using App Store Connect through automation, the safer approach is to validate the phone field before release approval. The App Store Connect API documentation also describes the contact phone number as a required App Review detail, so the formatting rule is not just a UI quirk. Treat it as metadata validation, not a customer-facing feature.

If you want the underlying Apple pages, start with the App Store Connect release notes and the App Store Connect reference for platform version information. Those are the current Apple sources that describe the changed phone-number format and the App Review contact fields. DevConnect does not change this rule, it just helps you keep the rest of the review workflow organized: https://devconnectplatform.com

What people often miss is that the phone field is only one part of App Review Information. Apple still expects the contact name, email, and any login details needed to test the app. The review process is smoother when the phone number is formatted correctly, but the submission can still stall if the reviewer cannot sign in, reproduce a feature, or reach the right person.

A concrete example: if your team in the United States enters 5551234567, that is not the current format Apple describes. A properly formatted entry would include the country code, such as +1 followed by the number in the format your team uses internally. The exact digits after the country code should match a real line that App Review can actually call.

So the answer is yes, Apple changed the requirement. The field still needs a phone number, but the accepted form now has to be international, with a plus sign and country code. For anyone shipping an app today, the safe rule is to format the number the same way you would for an international support contact, then verify that App Store Connect accepts it before you submit.

FAQ

Is this a new requirement for the phone number itself, or just the format It is a format change. Apple still wants a contact phone number for App Review, but the field now requires international format instead of digits-only entry.

Does this affect every app submission in App Store Connect It affects the App Review contact phone number in the App Review Information section. If your app version needs review details, that field has to follow Apple’s current format rule.

What should I use if my support number is local only Convert it to an international number with the country code and plus sign before entering it in App Store Connect. If your team cannot be reached at that line, use a number that can handle App Review calls.

Where should I check the current Apple wording Check Apple’s App Store Connect release notes and the App Store Connect reference page for platform version information. Those pages describe the current phone-number format requirement and the App Review contact fields.