Building the app is most of the work, but publishing it is where first-time app owners often get stuck. Accounts need verification, forms ask questions nobody prepared answers for, and a review can come back with a rejection for something that has nothing to do with the code.
I have taken apps through both stores many times, including Pro Clean+ and the Local Meals app for Order of Malta Lebanon, which is on the App Store and Google Play. This is the process, and the details that save weeks.
Store rules change regularly. Treat this as a map, and check the current requirements in Apple's and Google's documentation when you start.
1. Developer accounts in your name
Both stores need a developer account:
- Apple Developer Program, with a yearly membership fee.
- Google Play Console, with a one-time registration fee.
Register as an organization, in your company's legal name, rather than as an individual. The store listing then shows your company as the publisher, which builds trust. Organization accounts on both stores require verification of the business, and Apple uses a D-U-N-S number for this. If your company does not have one, requesting it can take time, so start early.
Most importantly, the accounts should belong to you, not to your developer or agency. Add your developer as a team member with the permissions they need. If you ever change developers, you keep your app, its reviews and its users. Transferring an app between accounts later is possible but tedious.
Payments for the fees need a card that works for international online payments, which is worth checking in advance.
2. Prepare the store listing
Each store needs:
- App name and a short subtitle or description.
- A full description, in each language you support. For Lebanon this often means English and Arabic.
- Screenshots for the required device sizes, and on Apple for iPad if the app supports it.
- An app icon at the required resolution.
- Category, contact email and a support URL.
- A privacy policy URL, which must be a real, public page.
Write the description for people, not keywords. Explain what the app does and who it is for in the first lines, since that is what shows before "more".
3. Privacy declarations
Both stores ask detailed questions about the data your app collects: Apple's privacy "nutrition labels" and Google's Data safety section. You must declare what you collect (name, phone, location, photos, usage data), why, whether it is linked to the user and whether it is shared with third parties, including analytics and crash reporting tools.
Your developer should give you an accurate list based on the code and the libraries used. Answers must match what the app actually does. Mismatches can lead to rejections or later enforcement.
4. Account deletion and logins
Two requirements catch many first submissions:
- If users can create an account in your app, they must be able to delete their account from within the app, and Google also asks for a web link for deletion requests.
- On iOS, if you offer sign-in with third-party social accounts, Apple has rules about also offering Sign in with Apple or an equivalent privacy-focused option. Check the current guideline for your case.
Build these in from the start rather than discovering them at review.
5. Test tracks before release
Never go straight to production.
- iOS: use TestFlight. Internal testers on your team get builds quickly. External testers need a brief beta review first.
- Android: Google Play has internal, closed and open testing tracks. Newer personal developer accounts must run a closed test with a minimum number of testers for a minimum period before they can publish to production. Organization accounts have different rules. Check what applies to yours early, because it can add weeks if you discover it at the end.
Use this phase to have your staff and a few real customers use the app for real tasks.
6. Review
Apple reviews every release. Google reviews too, with timing that varies. Help reviewers succeed:
- Provide a working demo account if the app needs a login, with data in it.
- Explain anything that is not obvious, such as features only available in certain areas or roles, in the review notes.
- Make sure every permission prompt (location, camera, photos, notifications) has a clear, honest explanation of why the app needs it.
Common rejection reasons
From experience, the usual suspects:
- Broken or empty demo account. The reviewer cannot get past login.
- Crashes or obvious bugs on the device the reviewer uses.
- Vague permission text, such as "This app needs your location" without saying why.
- Placeholder content, like lorem ipsum, test products or "coming soon" screens.
- Missing account deletion.
- Payments that break the rules. Digital goods sold inside an app generally must use the stores' in-app purchase systems. Physical goods and services, like a cleaning visit or a meal, can use other payment methods. Know which side your product is on.
- Too little functionality, for apps that are really just a website in a wrapper.
A rejection is not a disaster. Read the message carefully, fix exactly what it says, reply in the resolution center if something was misunderstood, and resubmit.
7. Release strategy
When approved, you can release manually rather than automatically, so the app goes live when your team is ready. Google Play supports staged rollouts to a percentage of users, and Apple offers phased releases for updates. Use them: if something goes wrong, it affects fewer people.
Coordinate the backend: the server must support the new app version before it reaches users, and keep supporting older versions that are still installed.
8. After launch
- Reply to reviews, especially negative ones, briefly and helpfully.
- Watch crash reports daily for the first weeks.
- Keep your listing accurate as the app changes.
- Plan for yearly updates. Both stores require apps to target recent OS versions, so an app untouched for a long time may need work before its next update is accepted. More on that in app maintenance after launch.
A short checklist
- Organization developer accounts in your company name, with D-U-N-S ready.
- Privacy policy page live.
- Screenshots, icons and descriptions in every language.
- Privacy and data safety answers that match the code.
- In-app account deletion.
- Demo account for reviewers.
- Test track run with real users.
- Manual or staged release plan.
If you want your app built and taken through both stores for you, see my work and get in touch. For the full journey before publishing, read how to build a mobile app for your business in Lebanon.