How to Launch an App on the App Store and Play Store

A practical guide to getting your app approved and live — requirements, the review process, and how to avoid rejection.

You have built your app — now you have to get it live on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and each has its own accounts, requirements, review process, and ways to reject you. For first-timers, this final stretch is often more confusing than the build itself, and avoidable mistakes here can cost weeks.

This guide walks through what it takes to launch on both stores, the common reasons apps get rejected, and how to plan the release so going live is smooth rather than stressful.

Accounts and Prerequisites

Before anything, you need developer accounts: an Apple Developer Program membership (an annual fee) and a Google Play Developer account (a one-time fee). Crucially, these accounts should be owned by you or your business, not your development agency — they hold your app, your reviews, and your users, so ownership matters. Set them up under your own company identity from the start.

You will also need the supporting pieces both stores require: a privacy policy, app icons and screenshots, a description, and the right metadata. Getting these ready before you submit avoids last-minute scrambles that delay launch.

Apple App Store Review

Apple reviews every app before it goes live, and its guidelines are stricter than Google's. Reviewers check that the app works as described, does not crash, follows Apple's design and content guidelines, handles privacy correctly, and — for apps selling digital goods — uses Apple's in-app purchase system where required. Review typically takes from a day to a few days.

Apple rejections are common on first submission and usually specific: a crash on a particular device, a missing privacy detail, a login they could not test, or a guideline breach. Rejections come with reasons, and most are quick to fix and resubmit — but they add days, so building to the guidelines from the start saves time.

Google Play Review

Google Play's process is generally faster and somewhat more lenient than Apple's, though Google has tightened review over time and it is no longer instant. You will complete content ratings, data-safety declarations (what data you collect and why), and target the required recent Android API level. Google also offers staged rollouts, letting you release to a small percentage of users first.

Common Play issues involve the data-safety section, permissions that are not justified, and policy compliance around content and monetisation. As with Apple, accurate declarations and following the policies from the start are what keep your launch on schedule.

Avoiding Rejection

Most rejections are preventable. Test thoroughly on real devices so the app does not crash during review; provide reviewers with working test credentials if your app has a login; be accurate and complete in your privacy and data declarations; justify every permission your app requests; and follow each store's design and content guidelines rather than assuming what works on one works on the other.

A good development team builds to these requirements throughout, not at the last minute, and handles the submission process for you. If you are launching yourself, read both stores' review guidelines before you submit — an hour of reading prevents days of rejection cycles.

Planning the Launch

Treat launch as a coordinated event, not a button you press when the code is done. Build in time for review (and possible resubmission), prepare your store listings — screenshots, description, and keywords that help people find and understand your app — and set up analytics and crash monitoring so you can see how the app performs the moment real users arrive.

Plan for a stabilisation period after going live, because some issues only surface with real-world usage across many devices. A calm, planned launch with monitoring in place beats a rushed release where problems surface as one-star reviews before you even notice them.

Frequently Asked Questions

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