How to Publish an App on the App Store and Google Play
To publish an app, enroll in the Apple Developer Program and open a Google Play Console developer account, then create your app record in App Store Connect and in Play Console. Upload a signed build, fill in the store listing, privacy policy, privacy forms and age rating, and test with TestFlight and a Play closed test. Then submit each version for review and choose when it goes live.
This guide gives you both stores' current requirements side by side, two step-by-step checklists and a launch order that avoids the usual delays.
Compare what each store asks of you
Start with the differences, because they decide your launch order:
| Apple App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Developer account | Apple Developer Program | Google Play Console |
| Fee (official page, checked 26 September 2026) | 99 USD per membership year; Apple lists local prices during enrollment | US$25 one-time registration fee |
| Identity | Apple Account with two-factor authentication and your legal name; organizations need a D-U-N-S Number and a public website on their own domain | Google Account holder aged 18 or older; identity verification that can ask for a government ID and a card in your legal name |
| Where you set up the app | App Store Connect | Play Console dashboard |
| Build format | A build you choose for each app version | Android App Bundle for any app you create today; only apps from before August 2021 can still use APKs |
| Technical floor | Follow Apple's current SDK requirements | From 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) |
| Testing before launch | TestFlight, optional | Closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 days, required when you opened a personal account after 13 November 2023 |
| Privacy | Privacy policy link in App Store Connect and inside the app | Privacy policy link in Play Console and inside the app, plus a Data safety section for every app |
| Review | Apple says 90% of submissions get a review in less than 24 hours on average | You apply for production access, then roll out a release |
| Release control | Manual, automatic, or automatic no earlier than a date you pick | Start the rollout yourself from the release page |
Fees and requirements change. Check both official pages on the day you enroll.
Decide whose name goes on the store
Both stores show a seller name on your listing, so decide who owns the app before you enroll.
- Individual on the App Store: Apple displays your personal legal name as the seller.
- Organization on the App Store: Apple displays your organization's legal name. You need legal authority to bind the company, a D-U-N-S Number, a work email on the company domain and a working public website. Apple refuses DBAs, trade names and branches.
- Personal or organization on Google Play: you choose the account type during sign-up. If you opened a personal account after 13 November 2023, Google's 12-tester closed-test rule applies to you.
If a company pays for the app, enroll the company. Keep the developer accounts, the code and the store listings in the company's name, even when a freelancer or a studio builds the app for you. Moving an app between accounts later costs you time you would rather spend on users.
Publish on the App Store in seven steps
- Enroll in the Apple Developer Program. Use an Apple Account with two-factor authentication turned on and your real first and last name. An alias or a company name in those fields delays your approval.
- Sign the latest agreement. The Account Holder signs it in the Business section of App Store Connect. Apple blocks new app records until you do.
- Create the app record. In App Store Connect, open Apps, click the add button and choose New App. Enter the platforms, app name, primary language, bundle ID and SKU, then set user access. Your record starts in the Prepare for Submission status.
- Upload a build and test it in TestFlight. Invite your team and a few real users, and fix crashes before anyone outside sees the app. Our mobile app testing checklist lists what to check on real devices.
- Complete the product page. Add your description, screenshots, age rating, privacy details and support URL. Apple's App Review Guidelines require a privacy policy link in the App Store Connect metadata field and inside the app.
- Fill in App Review Information. Give Apple a working demo account if your app has a login, and keep your backend running during review. Apple's guideline 2.1 asks for final versions without placeholder text or empty websites.
- Choose a release option and submit. Pick manual release, automatic release, or automatic release no earlier than a date. Select your build, click Add for Review, then Submit for Review. Your status changes to In Review when Apple starts.
If your approved version sits in Pending Developer Release for more than 30 days, Apple emails you a reminder.
Publish on Google Play in seven steps
- Create your Play Console developer account. Sign in with a Google Account, accept the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement, pay the registration fee, pick Personal or Organization, and complete identity verification. Newer personal accounts also verify access to an Android device through the Play Console mobile app.
- Create the app. Go to Home, then Create app. Enter the default language and app name, say whether it is an app or a game and whether it is free or paid, add a contact email, and accept the declarations, including the Play App Signing Terms of Service.
- Complete the dashboard tasks. Play Console lists mandatory setup tasks on your app's dashboard, and you finish every one before launch. Declare your app content, add your privacy policy link, complete the Data safety section so it matches your privacy policy, choose a category and build your store listing.
- Build for the current target API level. From 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36). Google lets you request an extension to 1 November 2026 if you need more time.
- Run your closed test. If you opened a personal account after 13 November 2023, keep at least 12 testers opted in for at least 14 days in a row. Recruit more than 12, so one tester who opts out does not drop you below the minimum.
- Apply for production. Open the Dashboard and click Apply for production. Google asks about your closed test, your app and your production readiness.
- Roll out your production release. Click Create new release, add your app bundle, write release notes, review the draft and click Start rollout. Once you publish to an open track, your signing key stays fixed, so set up Play App Signing carefully.
Plan your launch in the right order
The two stores run on different clocks. Line them up so neither one blocks your launch date:
| Order | Apple App Store | Google Play |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Accounts | Enroll; organizations confirm their D-U-N-S Number first | Register and verify identity |
| 2. App record | Sign the latest agreement, create the app record | Create the app, start the dashboard tasks |
| 3. Testing | Upload a build to TestFlight | Start the closed test on day 1 of your 14-day minimum |
| 4. Listing | Screenshots, privacy details, age rating, review notes | Store listing, Data safety, content declarations |
| 5. Review | Submit with a release option set to manual or a date | Apply for production after your test window ends |
| 6. Launch | Release the approved version | Start the production rollout |
Start the Google closed test as early as your build allows. That 14-day window sets the shortest path to Google Play for a new personal account, and Apple's review usually fits inside it.
Avoid the rejections you can prevent
You can prevent many first-submission problems before you press submit. Run this check before you submit to either store:
- Remove placeholder text and test content. Apple's guideline 2.1 asks you to scrub temporary content and include fully working URLs.
- Provide a demo account for any feature behind a login, with the backend switched on.
- Link your privacy policy in the store console and inside the app, on both stores.
- Match your Data safety answers on Google Play to what your privacy policy says.
- Show the app in use in your screenshots. Apple's guideline 2.3.3 asks you to show the app in use, beyond a title screen, login page or splash screen.
- Check your target API level against Google's current deadline before you upload.
After launch, plan updates for each new iOS and Android release. Our guide to mobile app maintenance covers what that involves. If you have not built the app yet, start with our guide on how to make an app and scope a mobile app MVP first.
Take your app from build to both stores with Doved Studio
Publishing touches accounts, privacy forms, test tracks and review notes, and one missing field can push your launch date. Bring Doved Studio your build status, the account type you chose for each store and your target launch date. We work with you directly from scoping to launch, across design and development for iOS, Android and web, and we transfer the code, accounts and product ownership to you. Send us those three details and we start from your current step.
Common questions
How much does it cost to publish an app?
Apple lists the Apple Developer Program at 99 USD per membership year, with local prices shown during enrollment. Google charges a US$25 one-time registration fee for a Play Console account. Check both official pages on the day you pay, because fees can change.
How long does App Store review take?
Apple says that on average, it reviews 90% of submissions in less than 24 hours. An incomplete submission, such as one without a demo account for a login, can take longer or fail review.
Why can't you publish your app to production on Google Play yet?
If you opened a personal account after 13 November 2023, Google requires a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for at least 14 days before you can apply for production. Check your Dashboard for the Apply for production button once your test meets that bar.
Do you need a company to publish an app?
No. You can enroll as an individual on both stores. On the App Store, Apple then shows your legal name as the seller. Enroll as an organization when you want the company name on the listing and the accounts owned by the business.