Does Apple review apps on weekends and holidays — timelines explained

Does Apple review apps on weekends and holidays, or only business days?

Name: PTKD
Availability: InStock

Written by Laurens Dauchy

Apple primarily reviews apps on business days, with limited activity visible on weekends and major holidays. In my experience planning hundreds of releases, weekday submissions move faster, while weekend/holiday submissions often sit in the queue until business hours resume.

The pattern I use: plan review to start Monday–Wednesday for the best odds of same‑week approval. If you must ship around holidays or iOS release weeks, build in extra buffer. I’ll show the signals I watch and how I adjust timelines.

What happens to submissions over weekends?

"Waiting for Review" usually persists until Monday morning.
Occasional movement can occur, but it’s inconsistent.
Approvals on Saturdays happen, but I never plan around it.

How do holidays affect review?

Major holidays slow the queue; expect 1–3 extra business days.
Year‑end and WWDC periods add volume and guideline changes.
Schedule marketing around the week after the holiday window.

Short walkthrough

Submission timing that works best for me

Submit early in the week (Mon–Wed) and early in the day.
Avoid Friday submissions unless it’s a critical hotfix.
For launches, use Pending Developer Release to control timing.

Reduce review friction before you submit

I use PTKD to catch privacy gaps, risky permissions, and SDK issues that trigger slowdowns—especially around holidays when queues grow.

Start free scan

Effective for GDPR/PDPA/GR71 regions where compliance scrutiny is higher.

Signals I watch to predict delays

Major Apple events (WWDC, new iOS releases).
Regional holidays for your key storefronts.
Backlog hints from community chatter and your own history.

Settings that matter for GDPR/PDPA/GR71

Ensure your privacy policy is complete and accessible.
Confirm consent flows match actual tracking behavior.
Provide a reachable inbox for data rights requests.

References: Apple Review Guidelines, OWASP MSTG, Google Play Data safety.

Internal links to plan your timelines

FAQ

Can I rely on weekend approvals?

No. I plan for weekday approvals and treat weekend approvals as a bonus, not a baseline.

Do expedited reviews work on weekends?

Expedited requests are handled faster, but still primarily during business days. Submit early with strong justification.

What’s a safe buffer around holidays?

Add 1–3 business days, more around year‑end or major iOS releases.

WRITTEN BY LAURENS DAUCHY - FOUNDER OF PTKD — 5 October, 2025