Things to know Before Publishing an App

OK, you have got your app developed and you are excited to publish your apps on the app store. Publishing apps is not an easy task. We will help you to know several things and prepare content to publish your app. Here is a list of “To Dos” before you publish your app.

Create Account with Apple Store and Google Play

To publish your app on the app stores, you have to create a developer account with Apple and Google. The basic requirements for opening a developer account on google play store are:

• you must have a google account
• sign developer agreement
• registration fees.

For the Apple Store

• you must have Apple id (you can also use Google account for signing)
• developer agreement
• address proof,
• registration fees.

The app stores will charge you a membership fees for publishing the app. The apple store charges you $99 per year for membership, on the other hand, the Google Play store charges a one-time registration fee of $25 for opening a developer account. The membership allows you to access the available resources and tools on the app stores. Once you have a membership in the stores, you can easily publish your apps. They will not charge any additional fees for publishing the apps because there is no restriction on the number of apps.

Understanding the App Store Guidelines

When you are publishing your app on the app stores, you should study the guidelines as specified to launch an app. A better understanding of the guideline will make your app publishing process smoother. The reason is that there are strict rules and regulations regarding the publishing of an app on the app stores (iTunes and Play store). Violation of any prescribed rules and regulations might lead to rejection from the app stores. The main reason for the rejection from the app store is the objectionable content like Sexual or pornographic material, content that encourages religious disputes, any misleading or false information, and other content. These guidelines are established to ensure that the users have a safe experience with your mobile app. You also have to prepare the content that you would like to publish with your app. App stores have specific guidelines for the name and logo of the app, app description, app screenshots, privacy policy and terms of use. You should prepare the content as per the guidelines from iTunes and Google Play. Simpalm has a team of highly skilled app developers in Chicago, developing and publishing mobile apps since 2009. You can contact us we will help to understand the app store guidelines.

Check Your App Size and Compatibility

The overall size of your app might affect its number of downloads from the app stores. The app store has specified the maximum size of the app i.e 100 MB, that can easily be downloaded using the cellular data and WiFi. We suggest keeping the app size as low as possible. The smaller size of the app requires less time in downloading. One of the main reasons for the bigger size of the app is having graphics in the app build or having several third party SDKs embedded. You can minimize the number of images in the app built to keep the size low. The Android store provides a new publishing format i.e.

The Android App Bundle. It offers you an efficient way to build and release your app with a smaller size. You don’t have to refactor the code to start benefiting the smaller app. Once you have switched to the format, you will be benefited with modular app development and customizable features delivery. On the other hand, iOS provide you with iOS app thinning that minimizes the size of your app according to the device. You need to make sure that your mobile app is compatible with different screen sizes, and resolutions. Before you upload the app, you should ensure that they look good with different screens sizes. You also have to provide scalable support for multiple screen sizes and declare that in the app description. This will restrict the availability of your app on different devices. 

Decide your Monetization Strategy

If you are going to charge for your app, you should decide the monetization strategy you want to have. Right monetization strategy will help you to survive in the long run. There are several monetization strategies:

• Paid App
• in-App Purchas
• Ads
• Monthly Subscription

Based upon which strategy you choose, you will have to do paper work with the app stores. If you are doing an in-app purchase or paid app or monthly subscription, where users will pay to apple or google, then you have to submit your bank info to app stores and do some paperwork to receive money in your bank account. If you want to do paid ads, then you have to select the ad network and embed their SDK in the app. You could do monthly subscription through in-app purchase or you could have user pay to you directly. Keep in mind, Apple charges 30% of all the payments, however it is a good method since users trust apple for their payments.

Prepare the App Store Description

App store optimization is the best way to bring organic traffic, improves the conversion rating and downloads of your app. For that, the App Store description is the most important component. When you prepare the description, you have to keep in mind that it should be precise and informative. Through the app description, you have to provide the right amount of information to the users. The information must be useful for the users as it can easily resolve their problems. While describing your app, You have to think from the user’s point of view instead of considering your point of view. You should focus on conveying the value of your app and appealing the users to install. Several successful apps showcase statistics, such as the number of downloads, features, functions, and other statics. In the description, you should cover the key features of your mobile app. The engaging app store description makes the users excited for your app and enables them to download your app.

Prepare the marketing strategy

Marketing your app is essential to get your app rank higher in the app market. There are thousands of apps that are delivering the same features to their users. To stand out from the competition you have to implement proper marketing strategies for your app. The marketing cover the user interaction with your mobile from the point they have installed your app. It will make the people aware of your app, its features, and its functions. When you prepare a strategy, you have to focus on the targeted audience. You should learn how to reach them, communicate with them, identify their expectations from your app. There are different methods of marketing that you can adopt, such as email marketing, affiliate marketing, SEM (Social media marketing), and other methods. You should be aware of how to market your app that will benefit you with the increase in the number of downloads. With an effective marketing strategy, you can increase the engagement of the users with your app and enable them to stay connected.

Submit Apps for Review

Every app is submitted to the app store for the review by the team before they are published. The apps sent for review has to comply with certain specified guidelines for the approval. After the initial verification, the status of your app will change to waiting for review. The process of app review might take 2 to 4 days. If reviewers reject your app for publishing, you can connect with them and resolve issues in the Resolution Center. The store will provide you with the reason for the rejection of your app like if your app is not complying with the specified guidelines of the app stores. After rectifying the error, or complying with the guidelines, you can resubmit your app to the store for review.