To get an app on the App Store, you enroll in the Apple Developer Program, create your app in App Store Connect, upload a build of the app, fill in its listing and privacy details, and submit it to Apple for review. Once Apple approves it, the app goes live. Membership costs $99 a year, and Apple says that on average 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. This guide walks you through each step and the most common reasons apps get rejected.
Anyone can put an app on the App Store, but it has to be published from an Apple developer account. You can enroll as an individual, in which case your own name appears as the seller, or as an organization, in which case your company name appears. To enroll as an organization you need the authority to sign legal agreements for the company, a public website, an Apple ID with two-factor authentication, an Apple device to sign in on, and a D-U-N-S number, a free company identifier that Apple uses to check that your business exists. Getting a D-U-N-S number can take some days, so start early.
App Store Connect is Apple's website for managing your apps. Here you register a bundle ID, the unique technical name of your app, and create the app record with its name, language and category. If someone else builds the app for you, such as a developer or a platform like Audiorista, you invite them as a user in App Store Connect so they can upload builds in your name.
A build is the finished app file. Developers upload it from Xcode, Apple's development tool. If you use a no-code app builder, the platform creates the build and uploads it for you, so you never have to open Xcode. Before you submit, test the build on your own phone through TestFlight, Apple's test app.
Your listing is what people see in the App Store, and Apple reviews it together with the app. It includes the app name, subtitle, description, keywords, screenshots for the device sizes you support, an app icon, a support URL and a privacy policy URL. You also answer Apple's questions about age rating, the data your app collects, and whether you have the rights to the content in it. Accurate answers here prevent many rejections. Good keywords and screenshots also help people find your app, as our guide to App Store optimization explains.
When the build and listing are ready, you select the build in App Store Connect and submit the app to App Review. The status changes to Waiting for Review and then In Review. If Apple approves the app, you can release it straight away, on a set date, or manually. After release it can take up to 24 hours before the app shows up in the App Store.
Most rejections come from a few causes. An app that crashes or has broken links fails review quickly, so test everything first. Missing or vague information is another common reason: Apple needs a working demo login if your app requires one, and a clear explanation of any feature it cannot see. Apple also rejects apps that offer too little, such as an app that only wraps a website, so make sure your app gives users something they cannot get in a browser. Finally, if you sell digital content or subscriptions inside the app, Apple generally requires you to use its in-app purchases, with some exceptions that vary by country. Read more about what in-app purchases mean in the App Store.
If your app is rejected, Apple explains why in App Store Connect, and you can reply, fix the problem and submit again.
Apple's fee is $99 a year for the developer program. When you sell through the app, Apple also takes a commission on each purchase. The largest cost is usually building the app itself: custom development means paying developers for the first version and for every update, while a no-code app builder replaces that with a monthly subscription.
With Audiorista you build your app in a dashboard, with your audio, video and articles and your own branding. You enroll in the Apple Developer Program in your company's name and invite Audiorista to App Store Connect. Audiorista builds the app and uploads it, you submit it for review, and our team helps you through any questions from Apple. The same app can be published to Google Play for Android users. See how it works in our iPhone app builder guide.
Yes, as long as you enroll in the Apple Developer Program and your app follows Apple's App Review Guidelines. Individuals and companies can both publish apps.
The Apple Developer Program costs $99 a year. Apple also takes a commission on purchases made in the app, and building the app has its own cost.
Apple says that on average 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. Reviews can take longer around holidays or if Apple has questions about your app.
Developers usually build and upload apps with Xcode on a Mac. If you use a no-code platform that builds and uploads the app for you, you can manage the rest in App Store Connect from a browser.
Want your own app in the App Store without coding? See how Audiorista works.
