First-time iOS App Store submission

• A Mac with Xcode — Xcode on Mac App Store ↗
• Apple Developer Program membership — $99/year. Enroll ↗. Takes 24–48 hours to be approved for new accounts.
• A working iOS app — runs on a real device, not just the simulator.
• Marketing materials — app icon (1024×1024), screenshots, description, privacy policy URL.

Bundle ID is your app's unique identifier (e.g., com.yourname.yourapp) — used by Apple, by signing, and by every system that talks to your app.

developer.apple.com → Identifiers ↗ → + → App IDs → App. Fill in:

• Description — internal name; whatever you want.
• Bundle ID — Explicit, reverse-domain (com.yourname.yourapp). Cannot be changed later.
• Capabilities — check anything your app uses (Push Notifications, iCloud, Sign In with Apple, etc.). Can edit later.

Make sure your Xcode project's Bundle Identifier (target → General → Identity) matches exactly.

App Store Connect → My Apps ↗ → + → New App. Fill in:

• Platforms — iOS (check macOS / tvOS too if applicable).
• Name — what users see in the App Store. Max 30 chars. Subtitle (max 30 chars) is separate.
• Primary Language — your default localization.
• Bundle ID — pick the one you just registered.
• SKU — internal; you make this up (e.g., YOURAPP-001). Used in reports.
• User Access — Full or Limited; for solo devs, Full.

Click Create. You're now on the app's detail page with a long list of fields to fill in.

Left sidebar: App Information. The fields:

• Subtitle — 30 chars, shown below the app name. Critical for SEO.
• Privacy Policy URL — required, must be live. Generator if you don't have one ↗.
• Category — Primary + optional Secondary. Affects browsing discovery.
• Content Rights — confirm you have rights to all content.
• Age Rating — answer the questionnaire. Most utility apps end at 4+; anything with user-generated content jumps to 17+.

Left sidebar: 1.0 Prepare for Submission. This is where most of the work is.

• Promotional Text (170 chars, editable any time without resubmission) — for time-sensitive blurbs.
• Description (max 4000 chars) — full marketing description. Top 3 lines matter most; users see those before "more."
• Keywords (max 100 chars total, comma-separated, no spaces) — search ASO. Don't include your app name or category — those are auto-indexed.
• Support URL — required, live.
• Marketing URL — optional product page.
• Version — 1.0 for the first submission.
• Copyright — e.g., © 2026 Your Name.

Required sizes (you only need one of these and Apple auto-scales):

• iPhone 6.7" or 6.9" (most recent iPhone Pro Max) — 1290×2796 or 1320×2868. Required.
• iPhone 5.5" (older devices) — 1242×2208. Strongly recommended for broader compatibility.
• iPad Pro 12.9" — 2048×2732. Required only if you ship to iPad.

Up to 10 screenshots per size. Full screenshot specs ↗.

Generate from Xcode Simulator (File → New Screenshot) or use:

• fastlane snapshot ↗ — automates capture across devices/locales.
• Shotbot ↗, Previewed ↗ — add device frames + marketing text.

The App Store icon is set in your Xcode project's asset catalog — the 1024×1024 PNG, no alpha slot. Apple pulls it from the build automatically; you don't upload separately.

Common mistake: alpha channel or transparency. PNG must be opaque. If your icon design has transparent corners, fill them with a solid background — Apple rounds the corners.

Icon generators that handle all sizes: appicon.co ↗, makeappicon.com ↗.

Left sidebar: App Privacy → Get Started. Apple asks what data your app collects, why, and whether it's linked to identity / used for tracking.

Categories include: Contact Info, Health & Fitness, Financial Info, Location, Sensitive Info, Identifiers, Usage Data, Diagnostics, etc.

• Be honest. Under-disclosing is the most common reason for rejection at this step.
• For each data type: pick linked to user or not linked, and tracking or not tracking.
• If you use any analytics SDK (PostHog, Mixpanel, Firebase Analytics) — that's "Usage Data, Diagnostics," likely linked, and possibly tracking.

App Privacy docs ↗.

Left sidebar → Pricing and Availability.

• Price — Free or a tier ($0.99 through $999.99). Can change later (with caveats for paid → free transitions).
• Availability — by country/region. "All territories" is the default and usually right unless you have legal reasons to restrict.
• Distribution methods — usually just App Store; can also pick Volume Purchase Program or pre-order if applicable.

If your app has IAP / subscriptions, configure under In-App Purchases / Subscriptions in the sidebar. Each product needs a Product ID (string), display name, description, and price tier. Subscriptions get a "subscription group" for grouping mutually-exclusive plans.

This is its own non-trivial flow; Apple's IAP docs ↗ walks through it.

Same as the re-upload tutorial:

• Xcode → destination: Any iOS Device (arm64).
• Menu → Product → Archive.
• In Organizer → Validate App → fix any issues → Distribute App → App Store Connect → Upload.

Wait for Apple's server-side processing (~5–30 min). New build appears in App Store Connect → TestFlight tab.

Full flow: Re-upload an iOS build to TestFlight.

Before submitting to the App Store, ship the build through TestFlight first. You catch your own bugs; a handful of testers catch the rest.

App Store Connect → TestFlight tab → enable for internal testers (up to 100 from your team, no review needed). 1–2 days of beta testing eliminates 80% of the bugs that cause App Store rejections.

Back on 1.0 Prepare for Submission: scroll to Build. Click + (Add Build) and pick the build you uploaded.

Scroll to App Review Information. Fill in:

• Contact info — name, phone, email for the reviewer.
• Demo Account — if your app requires sign-in, give the reviewer a username + password. The most common rejection reason is "couldn't sign in to test." A test account avoids this entirely.
• Notes — anything Apple's reviewer needs to know. "To test the premium feature, tap Settings → Upgrade and use sandbox card 4242 4242 4242 4242."
• Attachments — optional; for video walkthroughs of complex flows.

Version Release section — pick one:

• Manually release — after approval, you click a button to launch. Right for coordinated launches.
• Automatically release — goes live the moment Apple approves. Common.
• Phased release — 7-day gradual rollout. Right if you want safety margins.

Top-right: Add for Review button (becomes active once every required field is filled). Click. Then Submit to App Review.

Status: Waiting for Review → In Review → Pending Developer Release (or Ready for Sale if auto).

Timing:

• 24–48 hours typical (per Apple's published timing ↗).
• 3–7 days for first submissions or content-heavy apps.
• Up to 2 weeks if your app raises edge-case flags.

If rejected, you'll find the message in Resolution Center (top nav of your app's App Store Connect page). Reply with a fix and resubmit.

• Guideline 2.1 – App Completeness — couldn't sign in, demo account didn't work, app crashed on launch, blank screens.
• Guideline 5.1.1 – Privacy — App Privacy form doesn't match what your app actually does. Reviewers test this by intercepting network traffic.
• Guideline 4.0 – Design — looks like an iPhone web wrapper, not a native iOS app. Use UIKit/SwiftUI patterns, not raw web views.
• Guideline 3.1.1 – IAP — using something other than IAP to sell digital goods, or directing users to external payment sites.
• Missing required content — no app icon, broken privacy policy URL, screenshots from a different app.

Full ruleset: App Store Review Guidelines ↗.

• Your app appears in the App Store within 1–24 hours of approval (Apple's CDN propagation).
• Future updates use the simpler re-upload flow — most of these metadata steps don't repeat.
• Watch downloads + ratings in App Store Connect Analytics; crash rates in Xcode Organizer.
• Respond to reviews in App Store Connect → Ratings and Reviews.