Publishing on the App Store and Play Store: What You Really Need to Know

To publish on the App Store, you need an Apple Developer account at 99 euros per year. On Google's side, the Play Console account costs 25 euros, a one-time lifetime fee. These are mandatory costs, separate from development.

These accounts should ideally be in your name or your company's: they are your assets. You keep ownership, and your app stays attached to them even if you change providers.

These amounts are part of the recurring costs of an app project. I put them in perspective with the rest of the budget in how much a mobile app costs in 2026.

Apple runs a systematic human review through App Review. Every version is examined by a person, which ensures a level of quality but can create back-and-forth. Expect roughly 24 to 48 hours for a review, sometimes more during busy periods.

Google combines automated checks and review, historically with shorter delays, even though Google has tightened its verifications in recent years. A new account's first releases are often examined more closely.

Either way, it's not instant. Best practice: treat publishing as a full step in the plan, not a last-minute formality.

The most common rejections involve privacy: a missing privacy policy, incomplete data-collection disclosure, or permissions requested without a clear justification for the user.

Next come bugs and crashes caught during review, incomplete features or missing test accounts, and content or metadata (screenshots, description) that doesn't comply with store rules.

On monetization, Apple requires its in-app purchases for digital goods. If your app sells subscriptions or content, this needs to be planned ahead. I cover it concretely in StoreKit 2 for monetization.

Beyond the review itself, most of the time goes into preparation: a polished store listing, screenshots for each device size, an optimized description, keywords, age rating, and compliance with privacy requirements.

For a well-prepared first release, plan a few days to assemble the store assets, then the review delay. It's wise to keep a margin to absorb a possible round-trip with App Review.

Your technology choice also affects this step. A single Expo codebase lets you prepare both stores in parallel; I compare the approaches in native or cross-platform app.

Publishing isn't just a checkbox: it's the moment your product meets its users. I prepare the store listings, screenshots, and metadata, handle privacy compliance, and manage any feedback from the stores.

The goal is simple: that you don't lose time in avoidable back-and-forth, and that your app goes live in the best conditions on both the App Store and the Play Store.

Have an app to publish or a project to launch from scratch? Check out my offers or describe your needs on the contact page.