How to Publish Your App on App Store and Google Play: Step-by-Step Guide

You've finished developing your app and you're ready to launch it to the world. But the publishing process on App Store and Google Play has its own rules that can delay your launch if you don't know them. This guide walks business owners through the whole journey: what the accounts cost, who should own them, how long reviews really take, why apps get rejected, and exactly what your development agency must hand over.

Updated: July 3, 2026. Written for founders and business owners publishing their first app — especially those working with an external development agency.

Step 1: Developer Accounts

Both stores require a developer account before anything can be submitted, and their pricing models differ:

	Apple App Store	Google Play
Cost	$99/year (annual membership)	$25 one-time registration
Verification	D-U-N-S number for organizations	Government ID + identity verification
Account approval time	Typically 1-5 business days	Typically 1-2 days once verified

The Apple Developer Program costs 99 USD per membership year, as listed on the official enrollment page; organizations also need a free D-U-N-S number, which can take extra days to obtain, so start early. Google charges a US$25 one-time registration fee, confirmed in the official Play Console getting-started guide, and asks for a valid government ID during verification.

One nuance that surprises many first-time publishers: Google applies extra requirements to personal accounts created after November 13, 2023. Before such an account can publish to production, the app must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in continuously for 14 days, per Google's app testing requirements. Organization accounts are exempt — one more reason to register as a company.

Who Should Own the Accounts (Read This Before Anything Else)

The developer accounts must belong to your business — always. Registered with your company email, your D-U-N-S number, and your payment method. Your agency should be added as a team member with appropriate permissions, never as the account owner.

Why it matters: the account owner controls the app's listing, its updates, its revenue payouts, and its very existence in the store. If your app lives inside your agency's account and the relationship sours — or the agency simply disappears — you face a formal app transfer process to recover it. Apple supports transferring an app between accounts and Google documents transferring apps to a different developer account, but both require the current owner's cooperation. You do not want your app held hostage during a dispute.

Red flags when evaluating a provider:

They insist on publishing under their developer account "to make things easier."
They register the accounts with their own email and won't share owner-level access.
The contract doesn't state that accounts, code, and signing keys belong to the client.
They can't explain how an app transfer would work if you ever left.

A trustworthy agency sets up the accounts in your name from day one. This is standard practice at serious shops — and a quick way to filter out the rest. Our guide on choosing a development company lists more contract points worth checking.

Step 2: Prepare Assets

App icon: 1024x1024 px PNG, no transparency for iOS
Screenshots: Minimum 2 per required device size; the first two carry most of the conversion weight
Descriptions: Short/promotional text plus a long description (4,000 chars max)
Privacy policy URL: Mandatory on both stores, and it must accurately describe your data practices
Privacy declarations: Apple's privacy "nutrition labels" and Google's Data Safety form both require an accurate inventory of what data the app collects — inconsistencies here are a common rejection trigger
Demo account: If your app requires login, reviewers need working test credentials

Step 3: App Store Optimization (ASO)

ASO is the SEO of app stores. Key factors: title with main keyword, first 3 lines of description, first 2 screenshots, ratings and reviews, download count, retention rate. Decide your app's name and keyword strategy before submission — changing an app's store identity after launch costs you accumulated momentum.

Step 4: Apple Review — Real Timelines and Rejection Reasons

Apple states on its official App Review page that, on average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. In practice, plan for 1-3 days on a first submission, and longer if the reviewer raises questions. Every rejection-and-resubmission cycle adds days, which is why avoiding the common rejections below is the real time-saver.

The most frequent rejection reasons, by guideline number in Apple's App Review Guidelines:

Guideline 2.1 (Performance): The app crashes, has broken features, or the reviewer couldn't log in — always provide working demo credentials.
Guideline 4.3 (Spam/design minimum): The app looks like a template clone or offers too little unique functionality.
Guideline 5.1.1 (Privacy): Missing or inaccurate privacy policy, or requesting data the app doesn't visibly need.
Guideline 3.1.1 (In-App Purchase): Selling digital content through external payment systems instead of Apple's in-app purchase — physical goods and real-world services are exempt.

Step 5: Google Play Publication

Google's process is more automated but not faster by default. Google's official publishing documentation notes that certain apps and newer accounts undergo extended reviews that can take up to 7 days, or longer in exceptional cases. Plan your launch date assuming a week, and treat anything faster as a bonus.

Justify every permission your app requests — unexplained permissions trigger policy reviews
Complete the Data Safety section accurately; it must match what the app actually does
Use testing tracks in order: Internal → Closed → Open → Production
Remember the 12-tester/14-day closed-testing requirement for newer personal accounts
Use gradual rollout (10-20% first) so a critical bug reaches a fraction of users, not all of them

What Your Agency Must Hand Over

Publishing is also a handover milestone. Before you consider the project delivered, make sure you have:

Owner access to both developer accounts (they should already be yours — see above)
Source code in a repository you control, at the exact version submitted to the stores
Android signing keys or Play App Signing configuration: without the upload key, nobody can ship an update to your existing app
iOS certificates and provisioning profiles, or confirmation they are managed inside your Apple Developer account
Backend and third-party credentials: servers, databases, Firebase/analytics consoles, push notification keys, payment gateway dashboards
Store listing assets: editable source files for icons, screenshots, and promotional graphics
A release document: how to build, sign, and submit an update — so any competent developer could take over tomorrow

Pre-Launch Checklist

Developer accounts created under the company's name and verified
App tested on real devices, both platforms, including poor-network conditions
Privacy policy live at a stable URL and consistent with both stores' data declarations
Demo credentials prepared for reviewers
Icon, screenshots, and descriptions finalized with ASO keywords
Crash reporting and analytics wired in before launch, not after
Gradual rollout configured on Google Play
Support email and response plan ready for day-one user feedback

Publishing costs are minor next to development itself — if you are still budgeting the full project, see our breakdown of mobile app development costs in Ecuador.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to publish an app in 2026?

Apple charges $99 per year for the Developer Program membership; Google Play charges a $25 one-time registration fee. Beyond that, budget for asset preparation (icon, screenshots, store copy) and a few days of your team's or agency's time to configure listings, privacy declarations, and releases properly.

How long does app review really take?

Apple reports that on average 90% of submissions are reviewed in under 24 hours, though first submissions with issues can stretch to several days across rejection cycles. Google Play reviews are often fast but can officially take up to 7 days — or longer — for newer accounts and certain app categories. Plan launch dates with a one-week buffer per store.

Should the developer account be mine or my agency's?

Yours, without exception. The account owner controls the app's existence, updates, and revenue. Register both accounts under your company, then grant your agency team-member access. If an agency insists on publishing under its own account, treat it as a serious red flag for vendor lock-in.

Why was my app rejected by Apple?

The most common causes are crashes or login failures during review (Guideline 2.1), privacy policy problems (5.1.1), using external payments for digital content (3.1.1), and minimal or template-like functionality (4.3). Most rejections are avoidable with working demo credentials, an accurate privacy setup, and a polished first build — and a rejection is not a ban; you fix and resubmit.

Can I publish on Google Play immediately with a brand-new account?

If it is a personal account created after November 13, 2023, no — Google first requires a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in continuously for 14 days before you can apply for production access. Organization accounts are exempt from this requirement, which is one more argument for registering as a business from the start.

Conclusion

Publishing requires preparation, but none of it is mysterious: register accounts under your own company, prepare honest privacy declarations, provide demo credentials, and plan around real review timelines. Most rejections are avoidable, and most ownership disasters are preventable with one sentence in a contract. Plan 1-2 weeks for asset preparation plus up to a week of review per store, and your launch date will survive contact with reality.

Need help publishing your app? At MisterProSoft we handle the entire process — always with accounts registered in your name. Contact us.