If you have submitted to the Apple notary service and you are watching the status, the usual answer is that it finishes in minutes, not hours. Notarization is an automated scan, so it is much faster than App Review, but a flagged or oversized submission can stretch it out. Here is the typical time, what the service is doing, and why a notarization sometimes stalls.
Short answer
Most submissions to the Apple notary service are notarized quickly, usually within minutes. Per Apple's notarization documentation, most uploads are processed fast, though some are held for in-depth analysis and take longer. macOS notarization is a fully automated scan for malicious code and signing issues, while iOS Notarization for EU alternative distribution adds basic checks, so it can run longer than macOS notarization but is still faster than full App Review. A flag, a very large binary, or service load can push it to hours. Use notarytool, since altool is no longer supported, and staple the ticket once it completes.
What you should know
- Minutes is typical: most notarizations complete within a few minutes.
- It is automated, not a review: macOS notarization is a malware and signing scan, not a content review.
- Some are held for analysis: Apple may hold an upload for deeper analysis, which takes longer.
- iOS notarization is broader: EU alternative distribution adds basic checks beyond the macOS scan.
- Use notarytool: altool is deprecated and no longer supported for notarization.
What is the notary service checking?
It checks that your software is free of known malicious content and is correctly signed, then issues a ticket. The notary service runs an automated security scan on the uploaded binary, looks for code-signing problems, and on success produces a ticket you staple to the app so the system can verify it offline. This is not a human reading your app; it is a machine checking it is safe to run. For macOS, that ticket is what lets Gatekeeper open your app outside the Mac App Store. For iOS apps distributed in the EU outside the App Store, Notarization adds a baseline check of integrity and accuracy on top of the security scan.
How long does it usually take?
Usually a few minutes, with occasional long tails. Apple's guidance is that most uploads are notarized quickly, while some are held for in-depth analysis and take longer to complete, and that the system learns your apps over time so you see fewer delays. In practice many submissions finish in under fifteen minutes, and small ones in a few. The cases that stretch to hours tend to involve a very large binary, a slow upload of that binary, periods of heavy service load, or a submission held for deeper analysis. Those longer waits are the exception rather than the norm. A practical way to read the wait is by binary size: a lean app often clears in a couple of minutes, while a large bundle with many frameworks both uploads slower and gives the scanner more to inspect. If a small app sits for an hour, that points at service load or in-depth analysis rather than anything in your build.
macOS notarization or iOS Notarization: which one are you waiting on?
They share a name and a security scan but differ in scope. The table sorts them.
| Aspect | macOS notarization | iOS Notarization (EU) |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Let Gatekeeper run apps outside the Mac App Store | Allow iOS apps via alternative marketplaces or web distribution in the EU |
| What it does | Automated malware and signing scan | Security scan plus basic checks of integrity and accuracy |
| Typical speed | Minutes | Longer than macOS, faster than full App Review |
| Output | A ticket you staple to the app | Approval to distribute through the alternative channel |
Knowing which one you submitted explains the wait: a macOS notarization that sits for an hour is unusual, while an iOS Notarization taking longer is more expected because it does more.
Why is my notarization stuck or taking hours?
A handful of causes account for most long waits. The submission may be held for in-depth analysis, which Apple does for some uploads. The binary may be large, both to upload and to scan. The service may be under load, which queues submissions that normally clear in minutes. Or there may be a signing problem that the scan is working through. Check the status with notarytool rather than guessing, and read the log it returns, since a failure usually points at a specific signing or content issue you can fix and resubmit. Switching off the deprecated altool, if you are still on it, removes one common source of stalled or rejected submissions. It also helps to notarize early rather than as the last step before a release, because the rare submission that does get held for analysis is far less stressful when it is not blocking a launch you have already announced.
What to watch out for
The first thing is the tool: altool is no longer supported for notarization, so use notarytool, and remember to staple the ticket after success or the app can still be blocked offline. The second is treating notarization as App Review; it is a faster, automated check, so do not expect it to catch the design and policy issues a human reviewer would, and do not assume passing it means your app is free of every security problem. A pre-submission scan such as PTKD.com (https://ptkd.com) reads the compiled binary against OWASP MASVS for signing and other issues before you submit, which reduces the chance the notary service flags it and the wait that comes with a flag. Notarization confirms the binary is clean of known malware; it is not a full security audit.
What to take away
- Most notarizations finish in minutes; some are held for in-depth analysis and take longer, but hours-long waits are the exception.
- macOS notarization is an automated malware and signing scan, while iOS Notarization for the EU adds basic checks and runs a bit longer.
- Long waits usually mean a large binary, service load, deeper analysis, or a signing problem; check the status and log with notarytool.
- Use notarytool and staple the ticket, and run a pre-submission scan such as PTKD.com first so a signing or security flag does not stall the notary service.
