Apple polyphenols are the secondary metabolites of apple fruit， including phenolic acids， flavanols， flavonols， dihydrochalcone and anthocyanins. The composition and content of apple polyphenols is closely related to the apple species， of which a series of genes and enzymes related to the expression， synthesis and transformation are the determinative factors. Meanwhile， the accumulation of apple polyphenols is also affected by cultivation method， environmental conditions， fruit maturity and storage conditions etc. The diversity of apple polyphenol resources will affect and determine its functionality in food processing and bioactivity in food consumption. The strong antioxidant potential of phenol hydroxyl， reductive ketone and condensed phenol structure of apple polyphenol is the fundamental functional basis for its utilization in food processing， preservation， as well as the modulation of physiological activity. Based on antioxidant capacity of apple polyphenols， several researches involves lowering blood glucose， lowering blood lipids， repairing tissue and organ damage， preventing and inhibiting proliferation， migration and apoptosis of cancer cells， improving body immunity and physical ability， and promoting hair growth and skin activity have been conducted. This review attempted to summarize the studies on the polyphenol content， composition， biosynthesis， distribution， functionality in food processing and physiological and biochemical function of apple polyphenol in recent years， so as to provide ideas and references for fully recognition and exploring the functional application of apple polyphenol resources.