Published July 2026 · 8 min read
The listing checklist,
everything before submit.
Most rejections are not judgement calls. They are a missing feature graphic, a privacy policy that 404s, or a demo account nobody tested. This is the list we run before every submission, in the order it saves the most time. If a term on it is unfamiliar, the glossary defines it. For the five required assets in submission order, with the tool for each, follow the guided walkthrough.
Before you open the console
- Bundle ID is final. It cannot be changed after the first submission on either store. Getting this wrong means a new listing and no transferred reviews.
- The build is the one you tested. Not a debug build, not one pointing at staging.
- Every third party asset is licensed for commercial use, including fonts, icons, sounds and any demo content visible in your screenshots.
- A privacy policy is live at a public URL. Both stores require one, and a 404 fails review immediately.
Text
- App name, 30 characters, brand plus one keyword. Same on both stores if you can.
- Subtitle, Apple, 30 characters. Short description, Google, 80.
- Apple keyword field, 100 characters, comma separated with no spaces and no repeats of the name.
- Description. Remember Apple does not index it and Google does. See the ASO guide.
- Support URL and marketing URL both resolve.
- What is new text written for the version you are actually shipping.
Images
- iPhone 6.9 inch screenshots, 1290 by 2796. Required.
- iPad 13 inch screenshots, 2064 by 2752, if the app supports iPad. Required.
- Play phone screenshots, at least two, plus tablet sets if you declare tablet support.
- Play feature graphic, exactly 1024 by 500. Required, and the most commonly forgotten asset.
- App icon, 1024 square for Apple with no alpha, 512 square for Play.
- Every screenshot reproducible on the submitted build. No mockups of unshipped features.
- No other platform named anywhere in the imagery.
Compliance
- Apple privacy nutrition labels completed and matching what the app actually collects. Answering carelessly here is a common rejection, and an inaccurate label is worse than a thorough one.
- Google Data safety form completed, including whether data is encrypted in transit and whether users can request deletion.
- Content rating questionnaire done on Play. Apple's age rating set.
- Account deletion path if your app has accounts. Both stores now require one that a user can reach.
- Sign in with Apple offered if you offer any other third party login on iOS.
- Export compliance answered. Most apps using only standard HTTPS qualify for the exemption.
If the app has a login or paid content
- Demo account credentials in App Review notes, tested the morning you submit.
- The account is not rate limited or locked after repeated logins.
- Reviewer notes explaining anything non obvious, including hardware the app needs.
- In app purchases submitted with the build, not after. Apple reviews them together.
The hour before you hit submit
- Open the listing preview and read it as a stranger. Does the first screenshot say what the app does?
- Check the screenshots against the build one more time. UI drifts during a release week.
- Confirm the privacy policy URL loads in a private window.
- Confirm the demo account works from a signed out device.
- Check the release is going where you intend, phased or immediate, all territories or some.
Screenshots are the item on this list that cannot be quietly fixed later on the App Store. They are version level metadata, so a typo waits for your next release. Everything else here can be corrected in the console within hours.