App Store & Google Play Launch

Getting an app built is only half the job. Before anyone can download it, Apple's App Store and Google Play each require a developer account, a complete store listing, a set of privacy declarations, correctly signed builds, and approval through their own review process. A rejected submission can add days to a launch, and first-time launches are often rejected for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of the app.

We handle the submission process for both stores as part of every mobile build we deliver, and we can also take it on for apps built by another team that are stuck at this stage. The app is always submitted under your own Apple Developer and Google Play Console accounts, never ours, so you keep full ownership and control of both listings, the reviews, and the download data.

For UAE and GCC businesses, the account setup is often the first hurdle. Apple and Google both verify organisations, and the process asks for company details that need to match your trade licence and other official records exactly. We guide you through what each store needs, so the accounts are registered to the business rather than an individual, and so the name shown under the app is the one your customers recognise. Where an app is aimed at particular countries, we also help you decide on regional availability, languages, and pricing settings within each console.

The listing itself is prepared for each platform separately. That covers the app name and subtitle, descriptions in English and Arabic where required, category choice, age rating questionnaires, support and privacy policy links, and screenshots and preview images sized to each store's current requirements. Screenshots are planned as a short visual story of what the app does rather than a random selection of screens.

Privacy declarations get particular care, because they are a frequent cause of rejection. On iOS we complete the privacy nutrition labels and, where the app tracks users across other apps or websites, implement App Tracking Transparency correctly. On Android we complete Google's data safety form. Both must match what the app and any included third-party libraries actually collect, so we check the app's behaviour rather than filling in the forms from memory. We also make sure features such as account deletion and permission prompts meet the stores' current rules.

We handle the practical detail that catches most first-time launches out: version numbering, build signing and certificates, and the different testing tracks each platform offers. Builds go through TestFlight on iOS and internal and closed testing tracks on Android before anything moves to full public release, so your team and a small group of users can try the real store build first. For Android, we plan for any closed testing requirements that apply to newly created developer accounts, since they can affect the launch date.

If a submission is rejected, we read the reviewer's reason carefully, fix the actual issue, and resubmit with a clear note, rather than guessing at what Apple or Google meant. Where a rejection seems mistaken, we reply through the proper channel with the explanation the reviewer needs.

What you receive is a live listing on both stores under your own accounts, a record of the listing content and declarations submitted, the signing keys and certificates stored securely and handed over, and a short release guide explaining how future updates are built, tested, and submitted. If we are also maintaining the app, your delivery lead handles future releases as part of that work.

The pitfalls are worth knowing even if we are handling the launch. Registering the developer account to a personal email or an employee who later leaves. Losing the Android signing key, which can make updating an app far harder. Privacy declarations that do not match what an analytics library collects. Submitting on the day of a marketing campaign with no margin for review. And demo accounts for reviewers that do not work, which leads to an immediate rejection.

On timing, account verification can take anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks depending on how quickly documents are accepted, so we start it early in the build. Review times vary and are outside anyone's control, which is why we plan launch dates with a buffer.

We do not promise a ranking or download count in either store. App store optimisation can influence how discoverable an app is, but no agency can guarantee where an app ranks, and we will not tell you otherwise.