How To Get Your Awesome App Available In The App Store

Are you wondering what it takes to get your iOS mobile app in the App Store?

Besides actually thinking of, developing and testing your application – things which aren’t covered in this post – you’ll need to go through some steps to get your app available in the App Store.

Get Your App In There

I want to share the overall steps that are required to go get your own iOS app available in the App Store. This is what needs to be done besides creating and finishing your awesome app.

I advise you to start early and think about how you want to sell your app. Think of the title, what value and what features do you want to add.

What screen shots will you feature in the App Store?

What You Need To Do

The steps are simple, but not really easy. Check out the star indication with each step to find out how easy (one star) or difficult (five stars) the step is:

  1. [★☆☆☆☆] Buy a Mac (mini, iMac, macbook, macbook pro, as long as it runs Mac OS – and van run the most recent version)
  2. [★★☆☆☆] Install Xcode and accompanying tools. You can find XCode on the Mac OS app store and download it as the easiest way
  3. [★★★★★] Make sure your app adds value and complies with Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines. Those contain ethical, functional, and technical rules you need to obey
  4. [★★★★☆] Compile and test your app both in the simulators and on physical device(s) to make sure it is working. You could use online physical testing services like Microsoft App Center Test Cloud or Saucelabs Mobile App Testing
  5. [★★★☆☆ Buy and configure yourself a developer account at https://developer.apple.com. It will cost ya. $100 per year but it’s worth it. The contracts stuff can be a little complicated in the beginning but it’s explained way better than ten years ago
  6. [★★★☆☆] Compile, sign and upload your app using the Xcode and other submission related tools as Instructed in the App Store Connect Help documentation, especially the chapter “Publish on the App Store”.
  7. [★★☆☆☆] Make sure you enter and fill out all necessary imagery, App Store texts, information, testing instructions for the review team, and pricing info. This step may – as you can assume – take some time to complete. It can be tedious but isn’t really complicated.
  8. [★☆☆☆☆] Submit your app for the review by Apple’s review team. You can check how many days that might take on this website (indicator by averaging review periods that developers pass go them, quite accurate but not to the hour)
  9. [★★★☆☆] Wait until you get response from Apple and possibly change anything that’s wrong (ie: you got debug stuff like console outputs in there or some bugs you need to fix those). Rejoice when your app is approved. Three difficulty stars since reworking your app might be an unforeseen complication.
  10. [★★★☆☆] Sell or provide your app to the store after the review. You can plan your release or push a button to launch it.
  11. [★★☆☆☆] Once you’re up there, review your app functionality each year. Check if new OS versions will need rework and fix accordingly. Nobody likes apps that are crashing or half functioning because you don’t put in the maintenance.

There you have it, all the necessary steps to get your app in the App Store.
If you have any questions or need an affordable expert who can guide you through these steps, let me know ✌?.

Make your launch count ?.
Do it mindfully and make it a big bang (minus the collision)!

Now, go and get your product shipped ??