Yes, Apple changed the App Store review phone format

Did Apple change the App Store review contact phone number format

Yes. Apple now requires the App Review contact phone number to be entered in international format, with a plus sign and country code. Digits-only entry is no longer accepted in App Store Connect, so a plain local number can fail submission or stay incomplete.

The part people get wrong is simple: they treat the field like a normal phone field and type only digits, often with spaces or a local prefix. Apple’s current App Store Connect help says the field must use international format, for example a number starting with +852, and it explicitly says the field does not accept numbers-only entry.

Apple’s change is recent enough that older screenshots and old habits are a bad guide. The App Store Connect release notes say this requirement was added in the August 19, 2026 editorial update. If you last filled out review metadata before that date, you should recheck the contact phone field instead of assuming the same format still works.

The correct fix is to enter the full international number in the contact field, not to rewrite the rest of your review notes around it. Apple separates the App Review contact information from the app description, the support URL, and the demo account fields, so only the contact phone field needs the international format change.

If your team works across countries, use the same rule for every review submission: country code first, then the rest of the number in a format Apple accepts. That avoids ambiguity for the review team and keeps the contact entry machine-readable inside App Store Connect. Apple’s documentation is explicit that the review team uses this information if they need additional information during review.

One inconvenience is that this field is not just informational. It is part of the required App Review details, alongside the contact name and email address, and Apple says the review information is required for App Review. If the field is malformed, you do not just have a cosmetic problem, you have metadata that may block a clean submission flow.

A practical example: if your old entry was 020 1234 5678, Apple’s current rule pushes you to convert it into international form, such as +44 20 1234 5678. The exact spacing is less important than the leading plus and country code, because Apple says numbers-only entry is not accepted.

The safest habit is to check the review contact phone field every time you prepare a new version, especially if you copied metadata from an older build. Apple’s release notes show that App Store Connect requirements do change, and the review details documentation shows that the contact phone is still a required review attribute. In practice, that means old metadata can become wrong even when the app itself has not changed.

If you are also setting up testing or internal workflows, keep this field separate from anything related to TestFlight or your own tools. The review contact number is for Apple’s App Review communication, not for user support, not for beta testers, and not for marketing contact details. Apple’s App Review pages and App Store Connect reference pages treat these as distinct pieces of submission metadata.

If you want a place to keep your release and tester workflow organized, DevConnect is free to use and focused on exchanging test time rather than paid shortcuts. For App Store submissions, though, the phone-number rule comes from Apple and should be followed exactly as Apple documents it. https://devconnectplatform.com

The safest answer is yes, Apple changed the format requirement, and the new rule is international format with a plus sign and country code. If your submission used digits-only before, update it before you send the build for review.

What to check in App Store Connect

Open the App Review information for the version you are submitting. Verify the contact name, contact email, and contact phone number together, because Apple treats them as a package of review details. The phone number should be entered in the international form Apple describes, not as digits-only text.

What happens if you leave the old format in place

The common failure is not a dramatic error message, it is a submission that stops being clean because the metadata does not match Apple’s current rule. That is inconvenient because the fix is trivial, but only if someone notices it before a review cycle starts. Apple’s documentation says the field does not accept numbers-only entry, so the bad format is not something you can rely on.

The part people miss

People often remember to update screenshots, descriptions, and privacy details, then overlook the review contact number. Apple’s August 19, 2026 release note is easy to miss because it is listed as an editorial update, but the line changes the actual accepted input. If you copied an old App Store Connect form, revalidating that one field is the shortest path to avoiding a preventable submission problem.

FAQ

Does Apple require a plus sign in the review contact phone number

Yes. Apple says the number must be in international format, including a plus sign and country code, and it says digits-only entry is not accepted.

Is this the same as the App Store support phone number

No. Apple separates App Review contact information from user-facing support details. The review contact number is part of the metadata for App Review, while the support URL and contact information serve different App Store and customer-support purposes.

When did Apple change the requirement

Apple’s App Store Connect release notes say the international-format requirement was added on August 19, 2026.

Does Apple accept local formatting with spaces or dashes

Apple’s help text is clear about the required shape, international format with a plus sign and country code. The important part is that the field does not accept numbers-only entry, so a local-only number is not enough.

Where do I change it

In App Store Connect, in the App Review information for the version you are submitting. Apple’s reference pages say this review detail can be edited there.