You remove an app from App Store Connect using the app's remove action, but you can only do it when the app is not tied up in a review state, which is why the option often seems to be missing. You cannot remove an app that is Ready for Review, Waiting for Review, In Review, Metadata Rejected, or Rejected, nor one that is being transferred or is part of an app bundle. So to delete a rejected or in-review app, you first clear it out of that state. Two permanent catches apply once you remove an app: its SKU cannot be reused in your organization, and if you have uploaded a build its bundle identifier cannot be reused either, and you also lose the app name.
Short answer
Removing an app is straightforward, but its availability depends on the app's status. Per Apple's remove an app guidance, you cannot remove an app while it is Ready for Review, Waiting for Review, In Review, Metadata Rejected, or Rejected, or while it is being transferred or is in an app bundle, so a rejected or in-review app must first be taken out of that state. You do it from the app in App Store Connect. Be aware that after removal the SKU cannot be reused in your organization, the bundle ID cannot be reused if you uploaded a build, and you lose ownership of the app name.
What deleting an app means
Deleting or removing an app in App Store Connect takes the app record out of your Apps list, which is different from taking a live app off the store. If an app has never been released, removing it clears the record you created. Removed apps can only be restored later if the app name is not by then in use by another developer account, so removal is not always fully reversible in practice.
This is distinct from removing a published app from sale. An app that has been on the App Store is taken off sale rather than deleted, which keeps its record and history in your account and lets you make it available again, whereas the full removal covered here applies to app records you want out of your account, typically ones that never went live. So the first thing to be clear on is which you are doing: pulling a live app from sale, or removing an app record entirely.
When you can and cannot remove an app
You can remove an app when it is not in a state that blocks removal, and the blocked states are specific. Per Apple, you cannot remove an app that is Ready for Review, Waiting for Review, In Review, Metadata Rejected, or Rejected. You also cannot remove an app that is currently being transferred to another account, or one that is part of an app bundle, until you take it out of the bundle first. Outside those situations, the remove option is available.
This is the reason the delete button so often appears to be missing: the app is sitting in one of the review-related states, so App Store Connect does not offer removal. The gate is not a bug but a rule that an app cannot be removed while a review is pending or unresolved. So if you cannot find the option, the first thing to check is the app's current status, because a review state is almost always why removal is unavailable.
Can you delete a rejected or in-review app?
Not directly while it is in that state, which surprises people who assume a rejected app is easy to discard. Because Rejected, Metadata Rejected, In Review, Waiting for Review, and Ready for Review all block removal, an app in any of these cannot simply be deleted as-is. You first have to move it out of the blocking state, after which removal becomes available.
In practice that means clearing the version that is holding the app in review. For a version that is waiting for or in review, you cancel or reject the submission so it is no longer under review, and for a rejected version you clear or remove that version so the app is not sitting in the rejected state. Once the app is no longer in any of the blocked review states, you can remove the app record. So the answer is yes eventually, but the order is to resolve the review state first and remove the app second.
How to remove the app, step by step
Once the app is in a removable state, the removal itself is done from App Store Connect. Go to your Apps, select the app you want to remove, and use the option to remove the app, confirming when prompted. If the app is part of an app bundle, remove it from the bundle first, since a bundled app cannot be removed while it is still in the bundle.
Before you confirm, make sure you actually intend a full removal rather than taking a live app off sale, because the two are different actions with different consequences. For an app that never went live, removal clears the record subject to the reuse limits below. For a published app, you would instead adjust its availability to remove it from sale. So the procedure is short, but confirming which action you want, and clearing any bundle membership or review state first, is what makes it go smoothly.
SKU and bundle ID cannot be reused
This is the catch that matters most for planning: removing an app does not free up its identifiers for a new app. Per Apple, the SKU cannot be reused in the same organization, so once you have used a SKU you cannot assign it to a different app later, even after the original is removed. And if you have uploaded a build for the app, its bundle identifier cannot be reused either, so that bundle ID is effectively spent.
The practical consequence is that if you remove an app and want to recreate it, you plan for a new SKU and, where a build was uploaded, a new bundle identifier, rather than expecting to reclaim the old ones. This is worth knowing before you remove anything, because it means removal is not a clean reset of an app's identity. So choose your SKU and bundle ID with the understanding that removing the app will not let you reuse them.
What you lose: the app name
Removing an app also gives up your claim to the app name, which is a consequence people do not always anticipate. When you remove an app, you lose ownership of that app name, and it can become available for another developer to use. So a name you had reserved through the app record is no longer held once the app is removed.
This ties directly to restoration: a removed app can only be restored if its name is not, at that later point, being used by another developer account. So if you might want the app or its name back, removal is risky, because someone else could take the name in the meantime and block a restore. If the name matters to you, weigh that before removing, since the removal releases it rather than keeping it reserved for you.
States and actions at a glance
Matching the app's status to what you can do clarifies the path. The table below maps it.
| App status | Can you remove it? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare for Submission, not in review | Yes | Remove the app directly |
| In Review or Waiting for Review | No | Cancel the submission first |
| Rejected or Metadata Rejected | No | Clear the version, then remove |
| Being transferred | No | Wait until the transfer resolves |
| Part of an app bundle | No | Remove it from the bundle first |
Read the middle column as the gate: only an app outside a review state, a transfer, and a bundle can be removed, which is why status is the first thing to check.
Removal checklist
Working through these steps removes an app cleanly. The checklist below covers them.
| Step | Action | Done? |
|---|---|---|
| Confirm the intent | Full removal, not just remove from sale | [ ] |
| Check the status | Ensure it is not in a review state | [ ] |
| Clear review states | Cancel or clear any pending or rejected version | [ ] |
| Leave any bundle | Remove the app from an app bundle first | [ ] |
| Accept the reuse limits | SKU and, if built, bundle ID are not reusable | [ ] |
| Remove the app | Confirm removal in App Store Connect | [ ] |
The step teams skip most is clearing the review state, since a Rejected or In Review app cannot be removed until it is out of that state, which is why the option looks missing.
Where a scan fits
Removing an app is an account and record management task, so a security tool has no role in the removal itself, and it is worth being clear about that boundary.
A scanner like PTKD.com analyzes your app build for security issues such as exposed keys, over-broad permissions, and risky third-party code, mapped to OWASP MASVS. To be clear about the boundary: PTKD does not remove apps or manage your App Store Connect records, which are yours to handle in your account. If you are removing an app to replace it with a new one, a scan is useful on that replacement build, but the removal itself stays an App Store Connect operation.
What to take away
- You remove an app from App Store Connect from the app itself, but only when it is not in a review-related state.
- You cannot remove an app that is Ready for Review, Waiting for Review, In Review, Metadata Rejected, or Rejected, or one being transferred or in an app bundle.
- To remove a rejected or in-review app, first clear it out of that state by canceling or clearing the version, then remove the app.
- After removal, the SKU cannot be reused in your organization and, if you uploaded a build, the bundle ID cannot be reused, so plan new identifiers.
- Removing an app gives up ownership of its name, and restoration is only possible if that name is still free, so a tool like PTKD.com is for scanning a replacement build, not the removal.
