HUAWEI AppGallery Review Guidelines

HUAWEI AppGallery is a mobile app distribution platform that recommends curated apps for users, and allows them to search, install, manage, and share their favorite mobile apps with greater ease. The platform bridges the divide between developers and users, helping you maximize the value of your work.

We have provided this document with the goal of familiarizing you with our review guidelines, so that you can enjoy quick app approvals. Before submitting your app for release, please ensure that your app is in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations, the prevailing social and cultural values, and the standards detailed in this document. By releasing an app on HUAWEI AppGallery, you have authorized us as your commercial agent, and HUAWEI AppGallery as the official distribution channel. When detecting that such an app is being distributed through other channels, AppGallery is obliged to notify users of potential risks. This document is subject to changes to meet the constantly changing environment and requirements.

Please be aware of the following issues that may lead to a prolonged app review process or even rejection. Before submitting your app for review, please confirm that:

1. Your app information and metadata are complete and accurate.
2. Your app does not crash or experience bugs while running.
3. Your contact information is authentic and valid, so that you can be reached when necessary.
4. You can provide a valid test account and sign-in information, as well as any hardware or resources that may be required for app review. For example, the resources or information required for special configurations or special test environments need to be clarified.
5. Your app is available for use during the review period.
6. Your app complies with the relevant rules detailed in the following documents:

a. Registration guide: HUAWEI ID Registration
b. Testing service guide: Cloud Testing Guide
c. Paid promotion guide: HUAWEI AppGallery Paid Promotion
d. HUAWEI AppGallery access guide: App Management
e. HMS Core guide: HMS Core Development Guide

1. App Information

When uploading an app, you will need to provide the required app information, including but not limited to your app package format, name, introduction, icon, and screenshots, which must match the actual functions of your app. Details are as follows:

Basic information

1.1 App package format: APK and RPK are supported.
1.2 Compatible devices for the app.
1.3 App name: Your app name cannot be the same as any other existing app name, should not be a generic, common, or non-recognizable term, and cannot contain special characters, including the following: “*” and “&”.
1.4 App category: Select an appropriate category for your app, consistent with the app's functions. For details, please refer to Categorization.
1.5 Language: Select proper supported languages for your app.

App Details

1.6  The app basic information, including but not limited to the app name, icon, introductions, screenshots, and demo video, must be consistent with the app functions, and cannot contain any misleading, irrelevant, or inappropriate information.
1.7 Upload at least three different screenshots for your app.
1.8 The app name, introduction, icon, screenshots, and promotion video must be suitable for all audiences, and not contain any content from other device brands or mobile app platforms, or content that may violate the applicable laws and regulations.
1.9 Terms indicating that the intended audience is kids, such as "For kids" or "For children", are reserved only for apps under the Kids category.
1.10 The actual icon, name, version, functions, and content of your app must be the same as those inputted when the app is submitted for release.
1.11 If your app requires sign-in, provide a valid test account and sign-in information for HUAWEI AppGallery review team to review your app. 

2. App Security

You are legally obligated to ensure that your app must not attempt to improperly use any network or device, interfere with other apps, or engage in other behavior that may pose security risks to users. Please confirm that: 

2.1 Your app does not contain any harmful functions, such as viruses, Trojans, or suspicious code.
2.2 Your app does not automatically connect to the Internet on a frequent basis, unnecessarily consuming user data without obtaining the user's consent.
2.3 Your app does not disable or interfere with the normal communications functions on user devices.
2.4 Your app does not enable system services, such as Bluetooth and GPS, without first obtaining the user's content.
2.5 Your app does not contain any third-party apps or SDKs that load executable code.
2.6 Your app does not compromise the device functions, including but not limited to by automatically modifying default system settings, resulting in the modified settings not being able to be modified once again, or causing function buttons to not work normally.
2.7 Your app does not perform any malicious operations that could harm user interests, such as stealing data, secretly monitoring the user, or maliciously affecting or blocking other apps.
2.8 Your app does not involve any functions that modify the content of other apps, such as data and archives.

3. App Functions

To provide an optimal user experience, your app must offer users the normally expected functions and features at minimum, such as basic, normal, and complete functions, in accordance with good practices in the app market. You must ensure that:

3.1 Your app has good overall compatibility, is compatible with mainstream Huawei devices, and can be installed, started, and uninstalled properly. Furthermore, that your app does not crash frequently when running, and can be easily uninstalled without the need for third-party software.
3.2 Your app has one shortcut icon at most after it is installed.
3.3 Persistent push messaging from your app can be disabled by the user.
3.4 Listed app functions are available, and can be used as normal. Apps with incomplete functions may be rejected.
3.5 Your app does not force users to download other apps.
3.6 Your app does not contain hidden or imperceptible functions.
3.7 Your app does not have any root function.
3.8 Your app does not update automatically, including but not limited to by downloading executable components from websites, either yours or third-party websites.
3.9 If your app's main functions can only be unlocked by payment, your app provides users with free trials for these functions. 

4. App Content

To better serve your users, your app should contain wholesome, original, and high-quality app content, without any harmful or improper content. 

Basic content requirements

4.1 Your app is not a collection of website pages, developed from templates, a combination of third-party content, lists of links, or ads, but provides differentiated, useful, and innovative content for users.
4.2 Your app is not an app distribution platform, including but not limited to an app store or a game center.
4.3 You cannot submit multiple apps with a large amount of similar content. Avoid submitting apps in a category that is already saturated on AppGallery, for example, basic tools for device OS.

Inappropriate content restrictions

4.4 Your app does not include illegal money transactions, gambling, or other content prohibited by applicable laws and regulations.
4.5 Your app does not include nude, pornographic, or other vulgar content.
4.6 Your app does not include realistic descriptions of killing, mutilation, torture, or abuse of humans or animals, or content that encourages violence.
4.7 Your app does not include content that propagates cults and/or feudal superstition or is offensive to a religious or racial group, sexual orientation, gender, or other group to which individuals self-identify.
4.8 Your app cannot incite acts of terrorism, organize violent activities, or include content that encourages the illegal use of weapons or dangerous goods, or promotes arms purchases.
4.9 (For apps intended for children) Your app does not provide any content that is inappropriate for children, including but not limited to external links, purchasing opportunities, or other content that may harm children, unless this content is located in a specified device area under parental control.
4.10 Your app does not include content that involves bodily harm, such as illegal drug use, excessive alcoholic intake, driving under the influence (DUI), traffic rule violations, and encouragement of using tobacco or e-cigarettes.
4.11 Your app does not include content that is offensive, insensitive, disturbing, or vulgar.
4.12 Your app does not include content that depicts harm to minors, such as child sexual abuse.

User-generated content requirements

4.13 You must effectively manage such content. Management measures include, but are not limited to, the following: designing filter mechanisms for content that violates regulations, reporting mechanisms for timely responses, and disabling services for users who severely violate regulations.
4.14 You undertake responsibility for managing community sections, and the community sections must not contain any content that violates laws, rules, or other regulations.

5. In-App Ads

If your app displays ads, these ads must only be displayed in the app and they must not appear on the home screen of a phone. Ads must be age-appropriate. Ads in your app must not contain illegal or misleading content, and cannot be malicious and/or disruptive ads.

5.1 Your app does not push content that is irrelevant to its functions.
5.2 In-app ads do not affect user operations.
5.3 In-app ads are appropriate for your app's audience.
5.4 Your app does not push ads anonymously.
5.5 Ads pushed by your app can be cleared by users.
5.6 In-app ads do not force users to install software, or involve bundled download.
5.7 In-app ads do not contain any fraudulent content.
5.8 In-app ads do not promote content released on other mobile platforms.
5.9 Your app allows users to close in-app ads. After your app is closed, the opened in-app ad should also be disabled.
5.10 In-app ads do not access any malicious websites.
5.11 In-app ads do not force or mislead users to tap.
5.12 In-app ads do not interfere with apps, third-party ads, or device functions.
5.13 In-app ads intended for children are appropriate, and are free of any fraudulent content, or content that may lead to unconscious taps by children.
5.14 In-app ads intended for children comply with applicable laws and industry standards.

6. App Payment

If your app is not for free, the payment methods must be clear and obvious to users. Using HUAWEI In-App Purchases (IAP) is secure and convenient.

IAP

6.1 App pricing must be appropriate. Overpricing and deceptive pricing are forbidden.
6.2 If you wish to unlock paid features or functions within your app, (including subscriptions, game levels, or access to premium content or full version), HUAWEI IAP is mandatory.
6.3 If your app involves any in-app-purchases, provide clear, accurate, and complete payment details that must not contain any false, fraudulent, or misleading content.
6.4 If your app involves any in-app-purchases, highlight relevant information to users and obtain explicit consent from them, for example, ask users to confirm the purchase and payment separately. Your app cannot contain malicious payment behavior, including but not limited to automatic fee deductions and fee deductions without permission, and must not mislead or trick users into making payments.
6.5 If your app includes IAP, it is recommended that you integrate HUAWEI IAP into your app (For details, please refer to AppGallerykit).

Paid apps

6.6 If your app is a paid app, HUAWEI IAP must be enabled (For details, please refer to Paid Apps).
6.7 Your app can be either free of charge or a paid app as required. Payment methods and pricing must be accurately set.

7. User Privacy

If you process personal data in your app, you must do so with the utmost care and diligence, and ensure that your app complies with the applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for the European Union, Identification Method for Illegal Collection and Provisions on the Cyber Protection of Children's Personal Information for the Chinese mainland, and Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance for Hong Kong (China), Personal Data Protection Act (Singapore) as well as other applicable local privacy laws, as the case maybe. 

The below requirements of Huawei AppGallery are not in any way meant to constitute instructions to you by Huawei based on data protection laws. Huawei, as the app store provider, has its own AppGallery requirements that are in addition to the applicable data protection laws your app is subject to.

Privacy policies

7.1 Your app must have both an easy-to-find in-app link to your app's privacy policy containing consistent and transparent information to your end users about the processing of their personal data when using your app. You also need to submit a link to that privacy policy in AppGallery Connect to allow its display in the app information on AppGallery. Both links should be easy to access.
7.2 The privacy policy link provided by your app must redirect users to the app privacy policy that includes the purpose, method, and scope of personal data collection and use by your app (including entrusted third parties or embedded third-party code and plug-ins).
7.3 The privacy policy must include how a user can exercise their data subject rights such as withdrawing their consent and/or requests for data deletion, as well as an effective channel for user privacy issue feedback. If your app provides an account system, you need to allow users to deregister their accounts.
7.4 Your app must comply with the applicable laws and regulations of data processing when accessing, collecting, using, or disclosing any personal data and ensure that appropriate legal bases are in place for data processing in accordance with any applicable laws and regulations.

Obtaining user consent 

7.5 Your app must clearly provide access to its privacy policy, inform users of relevant information, and obtain user consent.
7.6 Your app must provide a simple and easy-to-understand way for users to withdraw their consent anytime.
7.7 If your app collects and uses personal data for personalized advertising and marketing, an independent option must be provided for users to disable this function.

Collection and use

7.8 User data collection and use must comply with the principle of minimization.
7.9 Your app must not collect and use personal data in a secretive manner, in a manner that exceeds the purpose for which it was collected, and/or in an unreasonable manner.
7.10 Your app must process users’ data in a safe manner, by relying on, for instance, encryption technologies (such as HTTPS).
7.11 If your app discloses personal information, it must state the information to be disclosed, recipient of the information, and purpose of the disclosures in its privacy policy.
7.12 Your app must not sell any personal data.
7.13 You should ensure that any third party to which you disclose personal data must provide protective measures that comply with the stated requirements in your app's privacy policy.
7.14 Your app must not use sensitive personal data or any special category of data, such as call logs, SMS messages, biometric features, or health data, for service improvements, advertising, marketing, or other non-core service functions.
7.15 During transactions using third-party payment services, your app must not record the user's transaction authentication information, or disclose user personal data that is irrelevant to the corresponding transactions, to any third party, unless required by applicable laws or when it is necessary to provide the service.
7.16 If your app is used to handle financial, payment, or identity information, it must not disclose any user personal data, unless it is necessary to provide the service.
7.17 Permission application and use must comply with the principle of minimization.
7.18 Your app must not request the location permission for advertising or data analysis purposes only.

Minor protection

If your app collects sensitive user data from minors, it must comply with applicable minors’ privacy protection laws and regulations, and describe this behavior in the privacy policy.
7.19 Your app must require legal permission from parents or legal guardians of minors before collecting or using any personal data of minors. For sensitive data and permissions relevant to minors, explicit consent from their parents or legal guardians is required. Your app must not use location information from minors.
7.20 If your app is designed specifically for minors, we recommend that your app not access users' locations.

Open Advertising Identifier (OAID)

It is prohibited to force users to tap ads or submit personal data to access all in-app content for advertising purposes.
7.21 An OAID used within your app can only be used for advertising and user analysis.
7.22 An OAID must not be associated with personal identity information nor any permanent device identifier (for example, an SN, a MAC address, or an IMEI), without explicit consent from users.
7.23 Every time that your app uses an OAID, it must check whether Disable personalized ads has been turned on by the user. If so, your app is not allowed to collect and use user data that is based on the OAID.
7.24 After the OAID is reset, the new OAID for your app must not be associated with the previous OAID, or the data derived from it without explicit consent from users.
7.25 All third parties must comply with relevant OAID clauses, in order to share an OAID with your app.

8. Intellectual Property Rights

Make sure that your app includes only content that you created or that you have a license to use, and does not include any misleading, unauthorized, or infringing content. Please make sure that:

8.1 Your app does not sell or promote counterfeit products.
8.2 Your app is not the same as, or similar to any apps released by other developers, with regard to appearance, names and topics, and that your app does not use the same or similar trademarks in an inappropriate manner or without authorization, as this can cause confusion regarding the sources of relevant products or services.
8.3 Explicit authorization is obtained from Huawei for the use of Huawei trademarks. Otherwise, any use of Huawei trademarks may cause trademark infringement or unfair competition.
8.4 Your app is authorized to use any patented content contained. Any unauthorized use is forbidden.
8.5 Qualification documents for your app are issued in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
8.6 Your app is not a cracked version of another copyrighted app.
8.7 Your app does not infringe upon the existing rights of others, including indirect infringement by means of help or guidance.

9. Developer's Behavior

As a developer, you play an indispensable role in app releases and operations. If you violate any of the above rules, or breach the applicable laws or regulations, Huawei reserves the right to remove or delete your app, disable relevant app services, terminate your agreement with Huawei, and/or freeze or delete your developer account. You undertake sole legal responsibility for any harm to Huawei thereby incurred, including but not limited to the expenses incurred and losses suffered by Huawei from compensating the rights holder, or adverse effects on users. If your app contains any illegal content such as infringement of minors or fraud, in addition to the measures above, we will report to relevant authorities.

9.1 You must ensure that all information (including but not limited to company names, legal names, company contact numbers, and email addresses) provided to Huawei is authentic, accurate, and complete.
9.2 You must inform Huawei of any changes to the developer's information.
9.3 You must integrate different versions of the same app based on educational level, location, or other factors into a single version, rather than submitting multiple versions.
9.4 You must inform users (and their guardians if your users are children) of the presence of an expired app, and halt collecting and processing personal data based on applicable laws and regulations.
9.5 You must ensure that the app that you release on HUAWEI AppGallery is the latest version of the said app.
9.6 You must not increase your app's ranking by manipulating downloads, comments, offering rewards, or providing fraudulent user reviews.
9.7 You must not change app signatures, icons, or names on an unreasonable frequent basis.
9.8 Apps that are no longer maintained are subject to being removed from HUAWEI AppGallery.
9.9 Terrorist organizations and associated members, as well as organizers and participants of other violent activities, are prohibited from releasing apps for any purpose.
9.10 Unless full authorization has been obtained from government authorities, non-government agencies shall not submit apps that involve government affairs, including but not limited to those for reporting suspected crime or publishing public health events.
9.11 Apps that handle sensitive user information or provide services that are strictly controlled, such as banking, finance, and healthcare services, must be submitted by legal entities that provide such services, and shall not be submitted by individual developers.