How An App Gets Into Both App Stores

You might have wondered how your app gets into both App Stores? If you book the Business or Enterprise plan, we will take care of the app submission for you. In this article we would like to show you what is generally necessary to submit an app. It should be noted that both Apple and Google require some steps to be taken.

App Submission to Apple

An Apple Developer Account is required to submit an iOS App. This gives you access to Apple’s developer portal and iTunes Connect, which is also important for submitting an app. Automatically there is also access to iTunes Connect, which is also important for the app submission. In addition, a credit card is also required, as the use of the Developer Account is 99 US dollars per year.

What Do I Need For The App Submission?

A Mac computer is required to submit the app. As we are submitting the app, this will be done on our Mac computers. All our customers need to do is open the developer account (also applies to the Google Play Store). Generally speaking, the app is transferred to the xCode development environment for submission. Developers and companies who want to create their own apps can use xCode. Apple offers this tool for free download.

The Apple Developer Program To Submit An App

An Apple ID is required for the Developer Program. It is best to create a completely new ID and not to use the already privately used Apple ID (access information). Thus, the app to be submitted has its own identification number.

Setup: Individual Or Company Account

Either an Individual or Company Account can be created:

Individual Account

An Individual Account is aimed at private individuals. The Individual Account also contains the name of the private individual as the App Publisher in the Store.

Company Account

The Company Account is reserved for companies. In the Company Account, the company name is therefore displayed in the Store as App Publisher. In addition to the tax number, the Company Account also requires a so-called D-U-N-S number. This is an identification number to verify companies. The advantage of a Company Account is that several employees have access to the app project and can edit it.

A small hint: Self-employed people should use an Individual Account here. It is possible to apply for a D-U-N-S number, but Apple will not assign a Company Account. More information about the Company Account can be found here.

Create Apple Certificates

Every iOS app requires signed certificates to be available on the App Store. These certificates are important, for example, to enable push messages or to sign your app so that nobody can copy it. They can be created using the Developer Account.

Prepare App ID

Every iOS app needs an app ID. This is a recognition feature of the app and consists of two parts: an automatically assigned identifier (ID) and an ending defined by the developer or app owner.

Explicit Or Wildcat ID

An Explicit ID must be regenerated for each new App ID, but allows push messages, in-app purchases and other features. The Wildcat ID does not allow this access, but can be used for multiple apps at once.

Creating A Provisioning Profile For The App

This profile is a collection of certificates, the device registration and App ID, which are combined into a single profile. This profile connects the Developer Account with registered test devices, among others. This profile must be installed on each device on which the app code is to run. The registered devices contained in the profile can also only be used for testing by those whose developer certificates are contained in the profile. If this profile is not created, the app cannot be submitted to Apple.

Submit App Via iTunes Connect

Use iTunes Connect to set the app. Here you can determine whether it is a paid or a free app. For both types, a contract between Apple and the developer or app responsible must be drawn up and accepted.

App Page In The Store

After that, we will create the app page in the App Store and fill it with content to introduce the app. This should encourage users to download the app. For this purpose, an app icon, app screenshots, app name, a description of the app and matching keywords etc. are required.

Apple’s App Review Process

Even though the iOS app has been submitted, it is not yet available. Apple has all apps go through a review process. In this way the company ensures that the existing guidelines for the app (e.g. app content, app design and added value for the user, etc.) have been adhered to. This process usually takes at least two days. The status of the review process can be viewed at any time via iTunes Connect.

Care And Maintenance Are Important!

However, once the app has been successfully submitted, the work does not end. Regular checks for error messages and bugs are important. If these occur more frequently, the app can be removed from the App Store by Apple. Once errors have been identified and fixed, a new iOS version of the app should be resubmitted to the store. In this context, the ASO (App Store Optimization) also helps to optimize the App Store appearance and make the App easier to find. You can find helpful information about ASO here.

Submit App To The Google Play Store

For the Google Play Store, there are of course some factors that must be present in order to successfully submit the Android App

The Android App Requires A Signed APK File

The Android app must be in the so-called APK format to be installed on an Android device. This file contains all information in a compressed form and also has to be signed. This signature is necessary to identify the originator of the app. This signature can be valid for several apps in parallel.

Registration With Several Google Accounts

Before the app can be submitted to the Google Play Store, several Google accounts are required. These are: one general Google Account. This Google Account is used to log in to the Google Play Console. The cost for this developer account is a one-time fee of 25 US dollars. If you want to charge for the app, another Google Account, the Google Payments merchant account, must be created.

App Review Process From Google

Just like Apple, however, the app is not yet directly in the Play Store. It must also go through a review process. Here Google checks whether the app complies with the prevailing guidelines. Experience shows that the app submission takes a few hours to a maximum of one day. The app is uploaded via the Google Play Console with the APK file.

App Page In The Google Play Store

The Google Play Store also has an app page to introduce the app. For this purpose, information about the app must be provided: the app name, a short and long description, graphic elements (app screenshots), categorization of the app and keywords, etc.

Classification Of The Content

Is the app subject to an age limit or should content only be visible for certain regions?

Email Address As Contact Information

Deposit of a valid e-mail address; here, for example, the address of the general Google account is suitable.

Privacy Policy

A privacy statement should be included in the app. Especially if the app accesses personal information. Some templates of such a declaration can be found on the Internet.

Free Of Charge Vs. Chargeable

In the case of a free version, it should be determined in which countries the app should be available.

If it is a paid app, the price for the app must be set in the Google Play Console. You can also specify whether the price should be converted for other countries or completely different.

App Submission Successful: Is There Anything Else I Need To So?

Again: the successful app submission does not mean that the work is done. The Android app should always be checked for bugs or other error messages. Google also reserves the right to remove the app from the store if it has too many errors. The Play Console will show possible error messages so that they can be fixed. The updated Android app version should also be resubmitted. The new version of the Android app should also be marked accordingly for a better overview. The ASO can also be used for the Google Play Store to increase the findability of the app.

Sources
https://www.ionos.de/digitalguide/websites/web-entwicklung/die-eigene-app-entwickeln-eine-ios-app-veroeffentlichen/
https://www.ionos.de/digitalguide/websites/web-entwicklung/die-eigene-app-entwickeln-android-app-veroeffentlichen/
https://medium.com/@abhimuralidharan/what-is-a-provisioning-profile-in-ios-77987a7c54c2
https://developer.apple.com/de/support/certificates/
https://www.dev-insider.de/was-ist-apple-xcode-a-653433/