Getting your store's app onto the App Store is less about code and more about paperwork: an account, a listing, privacy answers and a review by Apple. None of it is hard once you know what is coming. This guide walks through each step in order.
Step 1: Join the Apple Developer Program
Your app is published from an Apple Developer Program membership, which costs $99 a year, paid to Apple. You can enrol as:
- an individual, using your own name and Apple Account
- an organisation, which shows your company's name on the store and needs a D-U-N-S number
If you run a registered business, enrol as an organisation. Shoppers see the seller name on your listing, and your company's name builds more trust than a personal one. Getting a D-U-N-S number is free but can take a while, so request it early.
Step 2: Create the app record in App Store Connect
In App Store Connect you create the app itself: its name, primary language, bundle ID and SKU. Apple only lets the account holder do this, so it is one of the few steps nobody can do for you.
Choose the name carefully. App names are unique across the whole App Store and limited to 30 characters, so check that yours is free before you announce it.
Step 3: Prepare your listing
| What | What to prepare |
|---|---|
| Screenshots | Real screens from your app, in the sizes App Store Connect asks for |
| Description | What shoppers can do in the app, and why it is better than your website |
| Keywords | Words shoppers search for, separated by commas |
| Support URL | A page where customers can reach you |
| Privacy policy URL | Required for every app |
| Age rating | A short questionnaire about your app's content |
Use real screenshots of your app with your real products. Mock-ups that don't match the app can get a submission rejected.
Step 4: Answer the App Privacy questions
Every app shows a privacy label on its listing, built from your answers in App Store Connect: which data the app collects, whether it is linked to the customer and whether it is used for tracking. A typical store app collects contact details for accounts, purchase history and device identifiers for push notifications.
Answer for what your app really does. Apple compares your answers with the app during review.
Step 5: Upload a build and test it
The app is built, signed and uploaded to App Store Connect. Before you submit, install it through TestFlight, Apple's beta testing app, and shop in it like a customer: browse, search, add to bag, sign in and check out.
Step 6: Submit for review
Apple reviews every app and every new version. Store apps are most often held up by these guidelines:
- 4.2 Minimum functionality. An app that is just your website in a frame can be rejected. Native screens, push notifications, accounts and wishlists show Apple that the app is more than a website.
- 5.1.1 Account deletion. If customers can create an account in the app, they must also be able to start deleting it from inside the app.
- 2.1 App completeness. Broken links, empty screens or placeholder text lead to a rejection. Test every tab before you submit.
- Accurate metadata. Screenshots and descriptions must match what the app actually does.
If Apple rejects a submission, the message in App Store Connect says which guideline and why. Fix it, reply and resubmit.
With AppFromShop, the Launch checklist covers each of these steps. We build your iOS app, upload it and submit it for review from your account; you create the app record and answer the privacy questions, which Apple only allows the account holder to do.
After you are approved
You can release the app as soon as it is approved or schedule a date. Later, design changes made in AppFromShop reach installed apps instantly, without another review. New builds are only needed for new app versions.
