Localized resources shipped but CFBundleLocalizations not declared
Check PB-43 · App Store Review Guideline 2.1 / 2.3.3 · Review warning · verified 2026-09-16
Why App Review rejects under Guideline 2.1
2.1 is the single most common rejection because it is a catch-all: crashes, dead links, placeholder content, a demo account that does not work, a feature the description promises but the build does not have. The reviewer runs the app on a real device for a few minutes and reports whatever breaks. The frustrating part is that most 2.1 rejections are mechanical and visible in the build before you upload: a framework that was not embedded (crash on launch), a support URL that returns 404, a leftover localhost address from development. Fix what they named, then look for what they did not name — on the next round they only re-check the diff.
How to fix it
iOS picks the app language from CFBundleLocalizations (and CFBundleDevelopmentRegion) in Info.plist, not from the .lproj folders you ship. Without the key, a reviewer's device can open the app in the wrong language and the rejection reads like a vague 2.1 'does not match' note. Declare every shipped language: Expo: app.json → expo.ios.infoPlist.CFBundleLocalizations: ["en", "ar"] (or expo-localization's config plugin); Xcode: project → Info → Localizations. Also read the device language at first launch instead of hardcoding one.
How RejectProof detects it
The scan reads your .ipa in the browser (or locally with npx rejectproof): Info.plist, entitlements, the privacy manifest, embedded frameworks and the executable itself. Check PB-43 reports the exact evidence it found — the key, the symbol, the file or the URL — so you can confirm it in your own project before changing anything. Nothing is uploaded; only a small redacted summary is sent to build the report, and you see it first.
Related Guideline 2.1 checks
- PB-30 Development server references left in the build
- PB-33 Dead links inside the app
- PB-34 Embedded framework missing — crash on launch
- PB-35 Missing arm64 slice / unsupported architecture
- PB-36 Minimum iOS in Info.plist does not match the binary
- PB-42 WKWebView links open in a new window but nothing handles the popup