Publishing on the App Store and Google Play: the full process

Publishing on the stores is the final ten percent of the project that surprises clients the most. It is not "upload a file and done": there are registrations, identity checks, legal texts, graphic assets and reviewing people and systems that can send the app back for fixes. The good news: when you know the steps and prepare what is needed in time, the process is predictable. Here it is from start to finish.

An illustration of a rocket lifting off from a smartphone screen, a symbol of the app's launch on the App Store and Google Play — Publishing is a launch with a checklist. The fuller the checklist, the fewer the delays.

Step 1: accounts and fees

It all starts with developer accounts, and in the name of your company, not the agency. That way the ownership of the app, the reviews and the revenue stays with you.

Apple Developer Program: registration with an annual fee. For a company account Apple requires the firm to have a D-U-N-S number and it goes through an organization verification that can take days.
Google Play Console: registration with a one-off fee and identity verification. For new personal accounts Google also requires closed testing with real testers before the app can go public.

The exact amounts and conditions change, so check them on the official pages of the programs. Plan the registrations at the start of the project, not at the end: checks of company data are not sped up by requests.

Step 2: preparing the assets

The stores want much more than a compiled app: a name and description, an icon, screenshots for devices of different sizes, a category, an age rating, a declaration of what data the app collects and a link to a privacy policy. This step also decides how your store page will look, and that is the first thing a potential user sees.

Step 3: Apple and Google’s review processes

This is where the two stores differ most noticeably. Apple reviews every submission against its detailed App Store Review Guidelines: functionality, design, privacy, payments and more are all checked. The review combines automated checks and live reviewers and is known for its stricter standards, especially towards the quality and completeness of the product.

Google publishes its rules and processes in the Google Play Console. The checks are more heavily automated, but the policies for data, permissions and content are being enforced ever more strictly, and violations after publication can lead to the app being taken down.

In both cases the math is similar: from hours to a few business days for a single review, more on the first submission and when issues are sent back. The practical rule: build in a buffer of one to two weeks between “the code is ready” and the date on which you want the app to be public.

The common reasons for rejection

Bugs during review. A broken screen, a login error, an unreachable server during the check: the most banal and most common reason.
Incomplete privacy. A missing privacy policy, an inaccurate declaration of the data collected or a request for permissions that the app does not explain.
Misleading metadata. Screenshots and descriptions that promise features the app does not have.
Circumventing payments. Digital products sold outside the in-app payment systems, against the store’s rules.
Too thin a product. Apple rejects apps that are simply a wrapped website with no added value for the mobile user.
Missing demo access. If the app requires a login, the reviewers need to be given a test profile. Forget it and the rejection is automatic.

Who does what: the agency and the client

Criterion	App Store (Apple)	Google Play (Google)
Developer fee	Annual	One-off at registration
Verification at registration	Company verification, D-U-N-S number	Identity and data verification
Review style	Stricter, with live reviewers against detailed rules	More heavily automated, with strict policies
Typical duration	From hours to a few business days	From hours to a few business days
Quirks at launch	Requires test access for apps with a login	Closed testing for new personal accounts

The division of labor on our side is clear. The agency prepares: the compiled builds for both platforms, certificates and signing, screenshots and icons in the required sizes, filling in the technical declarations, the test profiles for the reviewers and the submission itself, plus communication with the stores when issues come up. From the client we need: the developer accounts in their name, the company data for the checks, texts or approval of the texts for the store page, a privacy policy and terms of service (prepared with their lawyer) and a decision on the price if the app is paid.

An illustration of a smartphone with a published mobile app and orbiting modules that are added with each successive update — Publishing is not the finish line. Every update runs down the same runway, only faster.

After publication: updates

Every new version goes through review again, usually faster than the first submission. That is why updates are planned: you group fixes and improvements into meaningful versions instead of submitting every day. Changes that come from the server, such as new content or prices, do not require a new version and reach users immediately. Keep an eye too on the yearly changes in the rules and in the operating systems: an app that goes a long time without updates sooner or later runs into a requirement it no longer meets.

If you have a publication coming up, or the whole journey from idea to the store, see how we work on the page for mobile app development: publishing and the first updates are part of our process, not an extra add-on.

Frequently asked questions

How much do developer accounts on the App Store and Google Play cost?

The Apple Developer Program is paid with an annual fee, while the Google Play Console has a one-off registration fee. The exact amounts are published on the official pages of the two programs and are subject to change, so check them there before you start.

How long does it take to get a new app approved?

With both Apple and Google, the review of a new app usually takes from hours to a few business days. The first submission is often slower than updates, and when the reviewers raise issues the process lengthens with each further iteration. That is why it is wise to build in a buffer of one to two weeks before an important date.

In whose name should the accounts be: the client's or the agency's?

The client's. The accounts are the ownership of your presence on the stores: names, reviews, version history and revenue. The agency gets access as a team member and does the technical work, but control stays with you.

What are the most common reasons an app is rejected?

Bugs and broken features during testing, a missing or incomplete privacy policy, misleading descriptions and screenshots, circumventing the rules for in-app payments and a product that is too thin, which Apple may judge does not deliver enough value compared to an ordinary website.

Does every update go through review?

Yes, every new version of the app goes through the review process of the respective store, although updates are usually approved faster than the first publication. Content changes that come from the server do not require a new version and reach users immediately.