App Store Submission, Step by Step

This is the one page that walks you through submission in order, from “I have a finished app” to “it’s live in the store.” If you’ve never shipped an app before, follow it top to bottom. There are two separate submissions — iOS (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Play Store). They’re independent. You can do one, the other, or both. Each has its own developer account, its own build, and its own review.

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Before you start (both platforms)

Do these once, before you touch either store. They apply to iOS and Android alike.

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iOS — Apple App Store

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Step 1 — Enroll in the Apple Developer Program

You need a paid Apple Developer Program membership — $99/year. A free Apple ID is not enough. Enrollment can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days for Apple to approve, so do this first.

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Step 2 — Open the Deploy modal and start an iOS build

In your Newly project, click Deploy, then Build & Deploy, and select iOS. The Apple Credentials section appears.

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Step 3 — Connect your Apple account

Use Automatic setup (recommended):

1. Enter your Apple ID email and password.
2. Complete two-factor authentication when prompted.
3. Select your team from your Apple account.
4. Newly auto-provisions the required keys — you’ll see a checkmark appear for each one.
5. Select or create your app — Newly pre-fills the name and bundle ID from your project.

Prefer to manage your own keys? Use Manual setup instead. Full detail on both paths, and what each key is for, is in App Store Connect Setup.

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Step 4 — Confirm your app details

Before building, confirm:

• App name
• Bundle identifier (e.g. com.yourname.appname) — changing it later is a two-step process, so get it right now
• Version number

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Step 5 — Build and submit

Click Build. Newly compiles your app (typically 5–15 minutes) and submits the build to App Store Connect automatically. When it finishes, the build shows up in your App Store Connect account.

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Step 6 — Test with TestFlight (recommended)

Once the build lands in App Store Connect, install it via TestFlight on a real iPhone and run through everything one more time. Catching a crash here is free; catching it in review costs you days.

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Step 7 — Fill out your App Store listing

In App Store Connect, open your app and complete the listing. This is the part people forget is separate from the build:

• Screenshots — required for each required device size
• Description — clear and accurate; don’t oversell features you don’t have
• Keywords
• Privacy Policy URL
• App Privacy questionnaire — declare what data you collect
• Age rating — answer the questionnaire honestly
• Review notes — if your app requires login, provide a working demo account (username + password). Missing demo credentials is one of the most common rejection reasons.

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Step 8 — Submit for review

Attach your build to the version and click Submit for Review. Apple review typically takes 1–3 days.

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Step 9 — Respond to the result

• Approved → release it (immediately or on a date you choose). 🎉
• Rejected → read the reason carefully. Most rejections are fixable: paste the reason to the AI in Newly, fix it, rebuild, and resubmit. You can also reply to the reviewer in the Resolution Center. See Handling rejections below.

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Android — Google Play Store

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Step 1 — Create a Google Play Developer account

Sign up for a Google Play Developer account — a one-time $25 fee. Google verifies your identity, which can take a day or two.

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Step 2 — Deploy your backend to production

Same as iOS — if you use Liquid Backend, push it to production before building. See Backend deployment.

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Step 3 — Confirm your app details and build an AAB

In the Deploy modal, choose Build AAB (the Android App Bundle is the format the Play Store requires). Confirm:

• App name
• Package name (e.g. com.yourname.appname)
• Version number

Wait for the AAB to compile, then download it.

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Step 4 — Create your app in the Play Console and upload the AAB

In the Google Play Console, create a new app, then upload your downloaded .aab file to a release (start with Internal testing if you want to trial it first, or Production to go live).

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Step 5 — Complete your store listing

Play requires more listing pieces than most people expect:

• Screenshots — at least 2 (up to 8)
• Feature graphic — a 1024×500 banner image
• App icon — 512×512 PNG
• Short and full description
• Privacy Policy URL
• Content rating — complete the questionnaire
• Target audience — specify correctly
• Data safety form — declare what data you collect and how it’s used

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Step 6 — Submit for review

Roll out the release and submit. Google review times vary — often a day or two, but first submissions from a new account can take longer.

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Pre-submission checklist

Run through this before you hit submit on either store:

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Handling rejections

A rejection is routine — plenty of apps are rejected on the first try. It’s not the end.

1. Read the exact reason the store gives you.
2. Paste that reason to the AI in Newly and ask it to help fix the issue.
3. Rebuild and resubmit.
4. If you disagree or need to clarify, reply to the reviewer (Apple’s Resolution Center / Play’s policy contact).

The most common causes:

• Crashes or bugs during review
• Incomplete or broken functionality
• No working demo account for a login-gated app
• Missing or unreachable privacy policy
• Misleading metadata / screenshots
• Guideline or policy violations

More detail: Deployment → Troubleshooting & rejections.

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