How to get an app published on App store: tips and tricks from Kepler Team
Getting your app published on the App Store can be a challenging and time-consuming process, especially if you are doing it for the first time.
Even though Apple offers fairly comprehensive guidelines for developers, reading through all of them is quite a task on its own.
We won’t walk you through the whole process in one single article, but there are certain nuances to bear in your mind before you submit the product for approval. Here are some of the insights from our development team that will help you publish your app on App Store in no time.
Tip #1: Develop a Structurally Native App or Use Cross-Platform Instruments
As a general rule, App Store prefers native apps. However, as long as your app is structurally native, and you integrate your web pages naturally to make them blend in, it can still be approved for publication. Just make sure you don’t leave most of your content web-based – otherwise, chances are high that it will get rejected.
“One of our biggest successes at Kepler was our client’s app Keta MD: we structured it as a hybrid app with web content, which we integrated with the help of Ionic – a framework for developing progressive mobile-ready apps. Ionic provides a library that facilitates the synergy of native development instruments, web-based pages, and local device resources, such as local data storage.”
If you are planning to publish your app on both App Store and Google Play, it might be worth considering cross-platform development technologies, such as Flutter. Although it is often more challenging than using the native programming languages, as it deprives you of access to all the native tools and mechanisms (e.g. enabling Bluetooth, allowing GPS location, and so on), most issues can be solved by implementing a few plugins. The plugins can be written in the native languages (Swift for iOS, or Kotlin for Android). The bonus of this instrument is that it helps your app fit into various screen dimensions, which is a real pain with Android-based devices – thanks to the number of manufacturers, their parameters can be extremely diverse. In that sense, if your goal is to make your app suitable for the majority of smartphones, Flutter will solve most of your problems.
Takeaway: No web-based apps allowed – only use native tools or hybrid apps with a moderate balance of web-based content. For multiplatform use, consider developing your app with Flutter.
Tip #2: Be Transparent About Your Monetization Model.
The reviewers are likely to be interested in your monetization model, the way your users will access your paid services, and so on. Whether you are selling products within the app or showing ads, make sure that App Store understands how you earn money from your application.
Takeaway: When publishing an app on App Store, you have to comply with their monetization policies. Be transparent and don’t attempt to work around the system.
“Warning: whatever paid services you’re offering, they have to be absolutely transparent to the reviewers and billed through the app. The App Store has a zero-tolerance policy against any companies or developers that are trying to violate this rule. That means you can’t just publish an app that would cater to the users who have paid for your services via your website or in any other way that prevents Apple from taking their margin.
If the business attempts to cheat this system, and the reviewers eventually discover it, not only will the app be deleted – the whole company will be banned from the App Store with no chance to appeal against their ban. To avoid any ambiguity during the review process, make sure your app allows the users to register an account on their mobile devices. If you are only offering an option to log in with an existing account, the reviewers may suspect a potential violation.”
Tip #3: Make Sure Every Feature Works, But Watch Out for Reviewers’ Mistakes
The reviewers will be clicking on every single button you design on your app. If even one of them doesn’t respond, the app gets rejected. What it means is, to make sure you test every feature during your internal pre-submission checks. If something doesn’t work, and you can’t find an immediate solution, you might consider taking this feature down until the next app update – or delaying the release. If you made sure everything worked on your end, but the app still got rejected, thoroughly analyze the feedback you got. Reviewers are humans, too – and they can make mistakes.
Sometimes something as simple as a typo in the login details can lead to the app being rejected. If you are sure that the problem isn’t on your side, you don’t even have to start the publication process from scratch – just inform the reviewers politely about your observations, and the problem will most likely be sorted.
Watch out for confusion: sometimes the reviewers may interpret the guidelines in a way that may not be 100% correct in your particular case. Certain features and options may not be obligatory to include, but the reviewer may still reject your app if they are missing. In this case, you can appeal the rejection if you can prove that your product does not need these features.
Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to challenge rejection if you have discovered any mistakes in the process – but to ensure a positive outcome, perform meticulous testing in advance.
“When we were publishing Wake Up Warrior, an option to restore purchases wasn’t included. The reviewer considered it a flaw, but we managed to prove that, under the existing guidelines, we did not have to include this functionality. So it’s all about analyzing the feedback and correcting it in a constructive way whenever necessary”
Tip #4: Mind the Industry-Specific Data Protection Laws
A detailed guide on ensuring the general data safety on your app is provided in the official App Store guidelines. If you are operating in the HealthTech field, you also have to be HIPAA compliant and ensure your product has a multifactor authentication feature. One of the latest updates of the App Store now requires every app to let users delete their accounts.
Simply letting them log out is no longer enough – the user profile has to become unavailable for future use. However, that may not necessarily free you from the obligation to store the data itself.
Takeaway: Check industry-specific data protection regulations and make sure your app complies with them. If you store any health records, provide the capacity to keep them for 6 years after the account termination.
“We had this issue with the HireMe app when we were just about to publish the latest update. The App Store had just released its updated policy that required the developers to include that feature to delete the user’s account.
We hadn’t included that in the new version of the app, so we had to add it to pass the next review. The tricky thing is, while we have to enable the users to delete their data, we are required by HIPAA law to keep their medical records for six more years.
So the accounts can be deleted, but the medical data has to be stored for the users to retrieve upon request. We had to work out a solution for this controversy with the Keta MD app, and we did. Our user accounts may be labeled as inactive, but their medical records are kept for as long as the legal requirements oblige us.”
Tip #5: Test Your App in Challenging Conditions
Always test your app with a poor internet connection, as that is what the reviewers will do to see if your product would function properly for users residing in different geographical regions. If your app is sensitive to Internet speed, make sure it has push notifications to inform the user of restricted functionality due to low connectivity.
Takeaway: Test your app under low connectivity and include any relevant push notifications to notify the users of potential problems. It’s also worth thinking through where you can avoid or substitute the content that seems too heavy.
“It’s a common practice to load as much app data as possible while the user is watching some animation happening on the splash screen. However, when the testing is conducted on a slow connection, it slows down the data loading, and therefore the app may not pass the review.
When we were working on the KetaMD app release, one of our concerns was the splash screen with an animation of a rising sun. The screen in fact consisted of several screens – this trick made the loading of the first screen easier on a slow connection. ”
Your Ultimate Checklist to Publish an App on App Store
By complying with all the official guidelines, you can get your app up on the App Store in under 24 hours. To make it happen, make sure you follow this checklist:
Prepare an app description that clearly describes what your product is about
Create a separate document with an outline of all app permissions (such as access to GPS, Bluetooth, camera, etc) thoroughly explained
Provide high-quality screenshots that illustrate the app’s main functionality
Check your payment algorithm and make sure it’s fully transparent to the user
Check if the user can delete their account (not just log out, but fully erase it)
Test your app under different Internet speed conditions
Obviously, the main functionality of the app should be in perfect working condition by the time you decide to publish it. Pretty much the same principles apply to most updates to your apps. We often update our apps on Thursday or Friday, and by Tuesday the new versions are usually up and running – unless something is wrong.
If you are looking for a way to publish your app with little to no hassle, in the shortest amount of time possible – we are here to help. Our team has contributed to the publication of dozens of apps, some of which we have developed out of a bare idea. Reach out to us to discuss your project and find out how to make your app stand out on App Store!