How to publish an app on the App Store and Google Play
Last reviewed 3 November 2026
Getting an app live involves more than pressing a button. There are accounts to verify, listings to prepare and reviews to pass, and some of it needs starting well before launch day. Here’s the whole route.
Create developer accounts in your company’s name, which can take time because of identity checks. Prepare your listing, privacy policy and test account, test the release version with real people, then submit for review. Google may also require a closed test first. Start the accounts early, since they’re the part you can’t speed up.
1. Set up your developer accounts
| App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | 99 USD per membership year, which can vary by region | 25 USD, one time |
| For a company | Needs a D-U-N-S Number, a legal entity, and a website and work email on your domain | Also needs a D-U-N-S number for organisation accounts |
| Name shown publicly | Your organisation’s name appears as the seller | Your developer name appears on your profile |
- Use your company’s accounts, not your developer’s. Moving an app later is possible but it’s extra work, and it depends on the other person cooperating. Add your developer as a user.
- Get your D-U-N-S number early. Google notes that applying through Dun & Bradstreet is free, and warns about third parties charging for it.
2. Prepare what the stores ask for
- App name and description that match what the app really does. See Apple’s listing rules.
- Icon and screenshots of the real app in use.
- Privacy policy at a working web address, plus Apple’s App Privacy details and Google’s Data safety form.
- Support link with up-to-date contact details.
- Age rating answers.
- A demo account for the reviewer, with sample data and no two-step code.
- Account deletion in the app, if people can create accounts. See what Apple expects.
- In-app purchases set up and tested, if you sell digital features. See the payment rules.
3. Test with real people
- On iPhone: use TestFlight, Apple’s testing app, and test the same version you plan to release.
- On Android: Play Console has internal, closed and open testing tracks.
- Google’s rule for new personal accounts: those created after 13 November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers, opted in for at least 14 days in a row, before applying for production access. Line up your testers early.
4. Submit for review
- Apple: says it typically reviews at least half of submissions within 24 hours and 90% within 48 hours. Complex apps can take longer.
- Google: also reviews apps before release, and review time can vary. Leave some room before any launch date.
- Write useful review notes. Explain anything the reviewer might not find, and include your demo account.
- Expect to be sent back at least once. Rejections are common and usually fixable. Our rejection guides cover the common ones.
5. Launch, then keep it live
- Choose your release timing. You can release the app manually after approval, so it doesn’t go live before you’re ready.
- Allow for store delays. Apple says it can take up to 24 hours to appear on every storefront.
- Watch crash reports and reviews in the first days, and keep someone available to fix problems.
- Keep memberships active. If an Apple membership lapses, your apps stop being available until you renew.
Questions founders ask
Can I publish an app myself without a developer?
You can, if the app is ready. The store setup isn’t technical so much as detailed. Preparing the release build usually needs someone technical.
Should the app be under my developer’s account?
No. Publish it from your company’s account, so the listing, reviews and customers stay with you. See our developer disappeared checklist for what can happen otherwise.
Do I need both iPhone and Android at launch?
Not always. If most of your customers are on one, launching there first can save money and teach you faster. See our guide to app costs.