Apple won't close for App Store submissions through Christmas

App Store icon (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple is continuing to accept apps for App Store review through the Christmas period.
Apple normally closes App Store review but that won't be the case this year.

Apple has confirmed that developers can continue to submit apps for App Store review throughout the Christmas period for the first time. Developers normally have a period of time where apps cannot be submitted, but that won't be the case this year.

That period of time can often cause anxiety for developers who find that they are unable to fix bugs that crop up during the festive period during a time that is often a busy one for the App Store in terms of downloads. People receive new iPhones and iPads as Christmas gifts and want apps to install, but any bugs they uncover cannot be fixed until App Store review re-opens. That changes this year.

This year, we're pleased to continue accepting submissions in App Store Connect throughout the upcoming holidays. Make sure your apps are up to date and ready for the busiest season on the App Store. Due to anticipated high volume, plan to send time-sensitive submissions early. Please note that reviews may take longer to complete from November 24 to 28 and December 23 to 27.

Apple notes that reviews might take longer than usual during the holiday season, however. That's still better than not accepting apps at all, of course.

People will be picking up new iPhone 13 and iPad mini gifts ahead of Christmas, although current delivery windows are already proving problematic. Apple says people should get their orders in soon if they want to stand the best chance of getting the best iPhone and best iPad before Christmas rolls around.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.