How to publish an app on the App Store and Google Play: a practical checklist

Building the app is only part of the job: getting it through the App Store and Google Play reviews is where many launches lose weeks. This is the checklist we follow for our own apps and for clients’ apps.

1. Developer accounts (start early)

• Apple Developer Program: 99 USD per year. Enrol as a company if the app belongs to a company. You will need a D-U-N-S number, which can take days to get.
• Google Play Console: a one-time 25 USD fee. Identity verification can take a few days, and new personal accounts must run a closed test (currently at least 12 testers for 14 days) before they can publish to production. Organisation accounts are exempt.
• Open both accounts in your own name or your company’s name, so the apps, reviews and revenue stay yours. Give your developer access through team roles.

2. Store listing assets

• Name and subtitle (App Store) or short description (Google Play), with the words people actually search for.
• Description that explains the value in the first lines.
• Screenshots for the required device sizes (iPhone and, if supported, iPad; phone and tablet on Google Play) and, on Google Play, a feature graphic.
• App icon in the required sizes, without transparency on iOS.
• Support URL, privacy policy URL and, on iOS, a marketing URL if you have one.

3. Privacy and compliance

• A public privacy policy that matches what the app really does. Reviewers check it.
• App Store privacy details (the “nutrition label”) and Google Play’s Data safety form: declare every data type you or your SDKs collect.
• Account deletion: if users can create an account in the app, both stores require a way to delete it from inside the app.
• Age rating questionnaires on both stores.
• If you use tracking across apps on iOS, the App Tracking Transparency prompt.

4. Payments and subscriptions

• Digital goods and subscriptions sold inside the app must use Apple In-App Purchase and Google Play Billing in most regions. Configure products, prices and subscription groups before submitting.
• Add restore purchases, clear subscription terms and links to your terms and privacy policy on the paywall. Leaving them out is a frequent reason for rejection.

5. Testing before review

• TestFlight on iOS and internal/closed testing tracks on Google Play.
• Test on real devices, small and large screens, slow networks and with the latest OS version.
• Provide reviewers with a demo account and notes if parts of the app need a login or special hardware.

6. Submitting and review

• iOS reviews usually take from a few hours to a couple of days. Google Play reviews vary from hours to several days, especially for new accounts.
• Common rejection reasons: crashes, broken links, incomplete metadata, missing account deletion, paywalls without restore or terms, and features that do not match the description.
• On Google Play, use a staged rollout for big updates.

7. After launch

• Watch crash reports (Xcode Organizer, Android vitals) and reviews in the first days.
• Keep up with the yearly requirements: new iOS SDK versions and Google Play’s target API level deadlines.
• Plan updates: apps that are not updated for a long time lose visibility and can be removed.

Summary

Open the accounts early, prepare privacy and payments with care, test on real devices and give reviewers what they need. That turns store review into a formality. If you want help with the build or the launch, see our iOS, Android and React Native services, or write to us.