My templates are server-driven. Do I still need a new build?

Not always. If nothing intimate is bundled, removing it from the catalog for everyone and replying can be enough. If thumbnails, JSON, or prompts ship in the binary, upload a new build.

Can I keep the templates for users outside review?

No. Showing reviewers a different catalog than users is exactly the behavior Apple treats as dishonest. Remove them for everyone.

What does “Extended Review” mean?

Apple classed the issue as a safety concern. Expect slower reviews, and do not resubmit until the fix is complete.

Guideline1.1

Safety — Objectionable Content

1.1 is Apple judging what your app can produce, not only what it shows today. For generative apps, a template that could be used to create objectionable content is enough — even if the template itself looks harmless.

§ 01What this rejection usually means

Apple is reacting to capability. “Hug” or “kiss” templates are flagged because of what users can make with them, not because the sample thumbnail is explicit.
The message usually names the category to remove. Treat that sentence as the spec for your fix.
An “Extended Review” note means the issue was classed as a safety concern. Repeat submissions with the same problem slow every later review and put the account at risk.

§ 02Common causes

AI photo / video template galleries with couple, hug, kiss, or “intimate” effects.
Templates delivered from a server catalog, so they appear in review even though the binary never mentions them.
Free-text prompts with no filtering that can reproduce the removed templates.
Screenshots, preview videos, or keywords that advertise the same effects.
User-generated content without reporting, blocking, or moderation.

§ 03How to diagnose your case

Copy the exact nouns from the rejection (for example “hugging, kissing, or other intimate templates”) and search every template source for them.
List where templates come from: bundled JSON, remote config, CMS, CDN thumbnails, and A/B test variants.
Check whether a user can recreate the removed effect with a prompt or by uploading two photos.
Walk the App Store listing: if a screenshot or preview shows the effect, metadata has to change too.

§ 05What to inspect in your project

Checklist

Template catalog on the server: names, tags, categories, thumbnails, preview videos
Bundled template JSON and asset catalogs in the binary
Remote config / A/B tests that can re-enable a template group
Prompt input filtering and server-side output moderation
App Store screenshots, preview video, keywords, and promotional text
Ad creatives that still promote the removed effects

§ 06What not to do

Do not

Do not hide the templates only for reviewers, by region, or by review-time flags. That is a feature switch and can escalate to account termination under DPLA 3.2(f).
Do not argue that hugging is harmless. Apple already said the template alone may not be objectionable; the capability is the issue.
Do not resubmit with only a reply. Apple asked for removal.
Do not rely on raising the age rating as the fix.

§ 07Questions people ask next

My templates are server-driven. Do I still need a new build?: Not always. If nothing intimate is bundled, removing it from the catalog for everyone and replying can be enough. If thumbnails, JSON, or prompts ship in the binary, upload a new build.
Can I keep the templates for users outside review?: No. Showing reviewers a different catalog than users is exactly the behavior Apple treats as dishonest. Remove them for everyone.
What does “Extended Review” mean?: Apple classed the issue as a safety concern. Expect slower reviews, and do not resubmit until the fix is complete.