Publishing to AppStore and Play Store - How long does it take?

Introduction

During the software development process of a mobile app, you'll frequently encounter deadlines. While you can effectively manage your work or request changes to the scope to meet these deadlines, there's one variable that isn't entirely within your control: app publishing. However, you can minimize the associated risks. Here's how.

TL;DR

Naturally, the timeline varies, but for a quick answer:

Publishing the app on the App Store typically ranges from around 3 days to 4 weeks and on Google PlayStore from 1 week to 2 weeks.

Account type

When creating a developer account on the App Store, you'll be presented with the option of a personal or organization account. The decision depends on whether you're registering for yourself as an individual or for a limited company or other corporate entity. However, this choice significantly impacts the publication timeline.

Opting for a personal account ensures a swift process, typically requiring no more than 1-2 days before you're ready to publish your app.

In contrast, selecting a company account extends the process considerably. This account type requires obtaining a D-U-N-S number for your company. During this process, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) verifies your business and collects relevant information. Acquiring a D-U-N-S number usually spans 1-2 weeks unless your company already possesses one.

Since 2024, the Google Play Store has implemented a similar requirement, mandating the provision of a D-U-N-S number.

App page preparation

To even start the review process, there is plenty of information that you need to provide. The obvious ones are: title, short description and description. But you also need to provide screenshots in various forms. On AppStore you need to provide screenshots for these devices:

• iPhone 6.5''
• iPhone 5.5''
• iPad 12.9'' 6th Generation
• iPad 12.9'' 2nd Generation

The list of Apple devices with their screen dimensions can be found on iOS resolution page. The screenshots cannot be mock-ups or graphics, so be sure to make screenshots on simulators or devices.

On the Google Play Store, the screenshots selection does not need to be that restrictive. You need to provide screenshots for such devices:

• Smartphone - 16:9 screenshot
• Tablet 7''
• Tablet 10''

These screenshots could be provided as graphics or mock-ups, so your graphic designer can get a bit more creative here.

The most time-consuming thing that you need to do is filling out privacy surveys. Of course, you need to provide URL to privacy policy and possibly terms of service on both platforms. But on top of that, you will need to go through extensive surveys about your app functionality, what data you collect, where and how is it shared etc. Filling out this form might take some time.

How long app review takes?

The app review process differs a bit on both platforms. On the AppStore the reviewers tend to be more strict about small things, but they review the app quicker (that changed recently). If you have simple app, without tracking, dangerous permissions etc. review might take even few hours from submitting for review, to app being available on AppStore - that happened to me recently with TimeOverlapp, it got published in 3h. But for more complex apps you might need to provide some additional explanations and instructions for Reviewers. If you really want to quickly go through the review process on the AppStore, read through AppStore Review Guidelines, and adjust your app before submitting - that is what I usually do.

On the Google Play Store on the other hand, I typically wait around one week for review to happen and approve the app. Reviewers on Play Store do not reject app so easily, but that's actually bad for you! You need to read through the rules and developer agreement very carefully and obey the rules. Your app might break the rules and still be published, if this is some serious infringement, your developer account might be banned (You can see a lot of such posts on reddit). Account ban on Google Play Store is permanent, even if you create a new account, it will be banned, so be careful.

When to publish?

On both platforms, you can choose how and when your app will be published. You can choose from:

• Immediate publishing - app will be published just after approved review
• Specific date publishing - app will be published at the date you set IF it passes the review
• Manual publishing - after your app is approved, you can just click the button to publish the app.
So depending on your needs, select as you wish.

Most common rejection reasons

• Using non-apple devices on images and illustrations of iOS app - in iOS app, use only iPhones and Macbooks on images and illustrations
• Lack of user consent request for tracking (Google Analytics) - provide some dialog or bottomsheet which will pop up and ask users if they agree for tracking
• Not enough information for reviewers - provide demo account credentials, provide detailed instructions how to use and test the app
• No Apple Sign-In option when providing other social sign-in options - If you provide Google or Facebook sign-in option, you need to provide Apple Sign-In on iOS devices as well.

Summary

The whole process depends on many factors, so it isn't that easy to estimate how long will it take. But we could expect that simple app, published from personal account would be published on AppStore in around 3 days, and on Google Play Store in around 7 days. But for some more complex apps you will need to go through few reviews before finally getting approved. Also while creating account on AppStore the D-U-N-S verification might take longer than expected. In one project the publishing process with organizational account creation took around 6 weeks. The Ltd. company was freshly created and it required some additional actions.

So summing up, it might be a good idea to start doing all of these actions before the app is finished. This way you will be better prepared and the process will be significantly shorter.