react-native-background-geolocation: App Store Submit Rejected due to UIBackgroundModes key in Info.plist file

Hi. Thanks for publishing such a great library.

I’ve built an iOS app by using this library and now, I am trying to submit it to app store. My app uses real time background geolocation tracking when the user continuously moves with the iOS device such as driving and working and etc. Depend on your library, if user don’t moves and stay in a same place, background geolocation is not working and it only works on motion state.

Please check this (This is apple app submit rejection issue) Performance - 2.5.4 Your app still declares support for location in the UIBackgroundModes key in your Info.plist file but does not have any features that require persistent location. Apps that declare support for location in the UIBackgroundModes key in your Info.plist file must have features that require persistent location.

Apple review team claims when I put UIBackgroundModes key in Info.plist, it requires persistent location and my app doesn’t used persistent location.

But actually, my app uses realtime background tracking even the app is in background and even the device has been restarted and this thing only happens when user moves with the device and I think they are testing this without moving the device. Maybe not by a human and by auto testing with some robotic programs.

BackgroundGeolocation.configure({
            ...
            stopOnTerminate: false,  
            startOnBoot: true,        
            ...
});

I configured this service like this.

I’ve explained about this to apple review team many times and they continuously reject my submissions with this reason several times.

How can I pass this app review by apple?

Do you have experience submitting apps which are using this library to app store before?

Thanks Bin

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 8 years ago
Reactions: 6
Comments: 29 (14 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

Hi. Sorry for delay.

I’ve succeeded uploading it to app store by having phone call with apple developers. Below is the sad story how I passed apple review. When I upload the app, apple reviews with a program in a robotic way. I am not sure what kind of programs they use for review the app. I think, they have made the program for beta review of submitted apps. After pass this ‘robotic’ review, real human starts reviewing the app.

But my app was continuously rejected again and again by this ‘robotic’ reviewing stage. I’ve explained them ‘I really use background location fetching functionality in my app, but it only occurs when iOS device moves with the user’s movements such as user is driving or working’. But that ‘robot’ tests the app in a fixed position without any movements and how that background geolocation tracking is fired? and how ‘robot’ can understand my explanations? I’ve rejected with this same issue more than 4 times. I am really get angrier and finally, I called the apple review team and explained everything and they understood and passed the apple review. That’s all.

+11

binzailani3136 on Jan 5, 2017

See Setup docs for react-native-background-fetch regarding Background Processing.

christocracy on Mar 3, 2020

And, of course, preventSuspend is impossible without background location capability,

christocracy on Mar 2, 2020

@firdaussoberi just to commiserate, they allowed something like 20 versions of my app before they requested I switch to useSignificantChanges (which works well, by the way), then allowed another 20 or so versions and rejected for something else that had been there all along. Dealing with Apple is frustrating in the extreme. Good luck with your app 😃

mikehardy on Mar 2, 2020