Apple, the company which has developed its own mobile operating system called iOS, also has an official store where its users can download and install new applications. It was launched in July 2008, with 500 applications. It presently has over 1.8 million apps and is the major source of delivering tools to the users. The apple store has both iPad OS and iOS applications, developed by people around the world. The company makes sure every application is compatible with many Apple devices including Apple TV, and their smartwatches. Because of this, the company makes sure every app finishes what is called beta testing and review. The app store has also a high rejection rate, and it is important to know the correct steps to submit your application correctly.
It is one of the largest application stores for mobile apps and only lags behind Google’s play store in the number of applications. Since the company is more strict than many similar stores it may seem difficult to launch your application in the store. But applications developed for Apple’s app store gain more revenue than the applications developed for the Android Platform. Apple has paid more than 100 billion US dollars in revenue for developers since the store has started. Users are more interested in paying for the applications and in-app purchases in Apple devices so it is more profitable to develop for the iOS platform.
By correctly following all the steps, developers can easily eliminate rejection from the store and get certified by the store. Following are the important instructions on how to submit an iOS app in the official Apple store. We will also see how the approval process takes place and what to do if your application does get rejected in the app store.
Once you have your developer program account, you need a separate distribution provisioning profile and a certificate for distributing the app to the app store. This is because the default developer program account comes with a provisioning profile for specific devices. The easiest way to do this is with the Xcode development environment. It will handle device registration, creation of certificates and signing identities once automatic signing is turned on. Here is how you enable automatic signing
Xcode will automatically detect new devices and register them to your team provisional profile as it is a prerequisite for the app launch to occur in the device.
You can create an apple store connect account by being the team agent and enrolling into the developer program with your Apple ID and your password. This will create your own app store connect organization. You can also be invited for Admin, app manager or a technical role by users in existing app store connect organizations. Through App store connect, one fills in all the necessary information which include terms of payment. These steps are necessary for paid apps.
After completion of the above, Apple will verify the information you have provided and the contract will now appear in contracts in effect. This process takes about an hour.
After this step, you can create your app store connect record by correctly adding details like platform, app name, bundle ID and SKU number. You cannot change these details later, so it is better to do it after verification. You should use keywords in your app name to optimize the discovery rate. The bundle ID must match exactly with the Xcode project info.plist file. The SKU number is up to you to decide and enter.
Before submitting your app for review, you must upload the build project into Xcode, which can be done in the following manner.
Click Done once this process is complete. This way you are one step closer to your app launch.
Under the Apple store connect record, one can easily fill the application metadata like privacy policies, languages and categories it belongs to.
Scroll to the build section for the apple app store connect record. Click on the “select the build before you submit your app” button. Click the build you uploaded through Xcode, and then select submit for review after you save the selection. Answer the export compliance, content rights and advertising identifier questions.
You can check the status of the application by selecting activity on the top horizontal menu and then clicking app store versions in the left-hand panel. It takes about 24 hours to get your app approved by the apple store. You will be notified via email about the status of your app at each stage. If you are on a tight schedule and need to release your app in accordance with a specific event or you need to update your app with bug fixes, you can request an expedited review.
When your application has been reviewed successfully, it gets published in the apple store. You can view the number of downloads, sales, reviews and ratings directly from your app store connect.
If your application is rejected, you will have to resubmit your app for review after making the necessary changes. You can submit an appeal if you believe your application is wrongfully rejected. The most common reason for rejection is performance issues within the app. Using a bug reporting tool will help fix your app performance in the beta testing phase.
It is important to know the right steps in the upload process of apps to go through with the app launch process. With the right development and submission practices, one can easily get multiple iOS apps ready to download for millions of people. Nextbrain Technologies is one of the leading mobile app development companies in Bangalore, India. It provides end to end app development services in both iOS and Android platforms. It also provides constant client support in the development process and therefore has gained a number of clients around the world.
Saran
May 05, 2021 Author