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The app is built, but a few steps remain before it appears on the App Store and Google Play. Accounts need to be set up, store listings prepared and reviews passed. This article describes the process at Apple and Google and shows where submissions commonly fail.
Step 1: Set up developer accounts
You need a developer account for each store (as of November 2026):
| Apple App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Programme | Apple Developer Program | Google Play Console |
| Fee | USD 99 per year; local currency price may differ | USD 25 one-time |
| Companies | D-U-N-S number required | D-U-N-S number required |
| Identity verification | yes | yes, including ID and payment method |
The D-U-N-S number is a company identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet. It is free in most countries, but issuing it can take time. Apply early, before the app is finished.
Important: register the accounts in your company's name, not the agency's or an individual employee's. Your development partner then receives access rights. This keeps the app in your hands for the long term.
Step 2: Prepare the store listing
The store listing is your app's shop window. You will need:
- app name, subtitle or short description and full description
- screenshots in the required screen sizes, showing the actual app
- app icon in the required formats
- category and age rating, determined via a questionnaire
- a link to the privacy policy and a support address with current contact details
- privacy information: "App Privacy" details at Apple and the "Data safety" section at Google, where you describe which data the app collects and why
Allow time for this content. Texts, screenshots and privacy details must match the app and be consistent with your privacy policy.
Step 3: Test before release
Both platforms offer testing channels. At Apple this is TestFlight; at Google, internal, closed and open testing tracks in the Play Console.
Google has an important hurdle for personal developer accounts created after 13 November 2023: before the app can go public, a closed test must run with at least 12 testers who stay opted in for at least 14 consecutive days. Only then can production access be requested. According to Google's help page, this requirement does not apply to organisation accounts, but a test run is still worthwhile.
Step 4: Submission and review
Apple App Review
At Apple, every app and every update is checked by App Review. According to Apple, on average at least 50 percent of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours and 90 percent in less than 48 hours. Incomplete submissions take longer.
Google Play
Google also reviews apps before publication; the duration can vary, especially for new accounts. There is also a technical requirement: since 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target at least Android 16 (API level 36). The API level indicates which Android version an app is built for. Different values apply to Wear OS, Android TV and other device categories.
The most common rejection reasons at Apple
Apple publishes its own list of typical issues. According to Apple, more than 40 percent of unresolved issues relate to guideline 2.1 on app completeness. The key points:
- Crashes and bugs: only submit finished, tested builds.
- Placeholders and broken links: all text, images and links must work, including the support and privacy links.
- Missing login details: if the app has a login, reviewers need a demo account, and the backend must be reachable.
- Unclear permission requests: if the app asks for camera, location or contacts, a clear purpose must be stated.
- Accounts without deletion: apps that let users create an account must also let them delete it within the app.
- Misleading screenshots: they must show actual functionality.
- Too little functionality: an app that is essentially a website in a wrapper is often rejected under guideline 4.2.
- Wrong submitting entity: apps in regulated areas such as banking, healthcare or gambling generally have to be submitted by the company providing the service.
- Digital content without in-app purchase: unlocking digital features generally requires Apple's in-app purchase. Different rules apply to physical goods and services.
If your app is rejected
A rejection is no disaster. In App Store Connect, Apple names the relevant guideline and usually adds an explanation. You can fix the app and resubmit, or correspond with the reviewers in the App Review section of App Store Connect to clear up misunderstandings. If you believe your app was misunderstood, you can submit an appeal to the App Review Board.
Checklist before submitting
- Developer accounts registered to your company, D-U-N-S number in place
- App tested on real devices with current operating system versions
- No placeholders, all links working
- Privacy policy online and linked in the app
- Store privacy details complete and consistent
- Demo account created for reviewers, backend running reliably
- Account deletion available in the app if there are user accounts
- Permission texts for camera, location and so on clearly worded
- Screenshots and description show the real app
- For Google: target API level met; for personal accounts, closed test completed
After publication
Approval marks the start of maintenance. New operating system versions, changing guidelines and rising minimum requirements at Google make regular updates necessary. Budget time and money for this so your app can still be updated in the years ahead.
Publishing with Simplify Data
Simplify Data, based in Kiel, Germany, develops apps with Flutter and React Native and supports companies in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and remotely across Germany all the way to approval in both stores. We help with accounts, store listings, test phases and reviewer questions. Learn more on our app development page.