How to publish an app on the App Store in 2026: checklist, fees and review times

How to publish an app on the App Store in 2026: the step-by-step checklist, the $99 fee, privacy rules, screenshot sizes and Apple's stated review times.

The short answer

Sources: Apple, enrolment, Apple, App Review, Apple, upcoming requirements. Checked 13 October 2026.

To publish an app on the App Store you pay $99 a year, create a record in App Store Connect, upload a build, complete the privacy and metadata fields and pass App Review. Apple says it typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours. The rest of this guide is the checklist behind that, in the order we run it. Last checked 13 October 2026; the App Review Guidelines page shows “Last Updated: June 8, 2026”.

Step 1: the developer account

Apple says the Developer Program is “99 USD per membership year”, with prices that may vary by region and are listed in local currency during enrolment. You can enrol as an individual or an organisation. For the full fee breakdown, including the $299 Enterprise programme and how Google Play compares, see our Apple developer fee guide.

If you enrol an organisation, Apple requires:

• an Apple Account with two-factor authentication, using your legal first and last name;

• legal binding authority: an owner, founder, executive, senior project lead, or an employee with authority granted by a senior employee;

• a legal entity: Apple does not accept DBAs, fictitious business names, trade names or branches;

• a work email on your organisation’s domain, and a public, functional website;

• a D-U-N-S number (government entities excepted), a nine-digit identifier assigned by Dun & Bradstreet.

Nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities can request a fee waiver. Enrol in the company’s name from the start, so the company owns the listing.

Step 2: the App Store Connect record

In App Store Connect you add the app with the plus button, choose New App, select platforms and enter the app information. The dialog asks for the platforms, app name, primary language, bundle ID and SKU, and whether user access is limited or full. The Account Holder must have signed the latest agreement in the Business section before you can add an app, and the role needed is Account Holder, App Manager or Admin (Apple).

Step 3: build requirements that change each year

Apple’s upcoming-requirements page lists what applies to uploads right now:

Sources: Apple, upcoming requirements. Checked 13 October 2026.

Check this page again before every submission. Teams that built the app on a long-running toolchain are the ones caught out by the SDK line.

Step 4: privacy labels and the privacy manifest

There are three separate privacy items, and App Review checks all three.

• Privacy policy. Guideline 5.1.1(i) requires a link to the policy in the App Store Connect metadata field and inside the app, easily accessible. It must say what data the app collects and how, who it is shared with, and how retention, deletion and revoking consent work.

• Privacy labels. Apple’s app privacy details are answered in App Store Connect for new apps and updates. You declare the data you and your third-party partners collect, what it is used for, whether it is linked to the user, and whether it is used for tracking. Third-party partners include analytics tools, advertising networks and SDKs. You must keep the answers accurate, and can change them at any time without a new app version.

• Privacy manifest and required-reason APIs. Apple has required approved reasons for a list of APIs, including those used by third-party SDKs, to upload a new or updated app, since 1 May 2024. For listed third-party SDKs, Apple also requires the SDK’s own privacy manifest when you submit an app that includes it.

Sources: App Review Guidelines, Apple, app privacy details, Apple, third-party SDK requirements, Apple, upcoming requirements. Checked 13 October 2026.

The labels are the item founders most often get wrong, because “collect” includes data your SDKs transmit off the device, not just data you store yourself. List every SDK in the app before you answer.

Step 5: screenshots and metadata

Apple requires at least one screenshot and allows up to ten per device size, in .webp, .webp or .webp, without alpha channels or transparency. If the interface is consistent across sizes and localisations, you need only the highest required resolution and App Store Connect scales it down.

Sources: App Store Connect Help, screenshot specifications. Checked 13 October 2026.

Apple updates this table when new devices ship, so check it against the live page when you produce the assets. Also finalise the app name, description, support URL and contact details before submission; Apple says a link to user support with up-to-date contact information is required for all apps.

Step 6: TestFlight

TestFlight is the way to put a build in real hands before App Review. Apple allows up to 100 internal testers from your team (Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, Developer or Marketing roles) and up to 10,000 external testers, on up to 30 devices each. For external testing you create a group, add builds, and the first build must be approved by App Review for TestFlight; builds are sent for review automatically once added to a group (Apple).

We recommend a TestFlight round before every release, including the first, so that the build App Review sees is one a human has already used end to end.

Step 7: App Review and the guidelines that cause rejections

Apple states the principle plainly: a safe experience for users and a great opportunity for developers. Its “Before You Submit” list asks you to test for crashes and bugs, make sure metadata is complete and accurate, keep contact information current, give App Review full access (a demo account or a fully featured demo mode), and make sure backend services are live during review.

Sources: App Review Guidelines (last updated 8 June 2026), Apple, App Review. Checked 13 October 2026.

Common rejection reasons

Apple says that on average, over 40% of unresolved issues relate to guideline 2.1, App Completeness: crashes, placeholder content, incomplete information and similar. Its own list of common issues is crashes and bugs, broken links, placeholder content and incomplete information. The last is the most avoidable: if a feature needs sign-in, give App Review a valid demo username and password in the App Review Information section, and a demo video if a feature needs hard-to-replicate hardware or an environment. Our own practice is to budget one or two review rounds on a first release.

How long does App Store review take?

Apple publishes a figure. On its App Review page it says: “App Review works around the clock, typically reviewing at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours.” You are notified by email of status changes and can also check the status in App Store Connect or the App Store Connect app.

Sources: Apple, App Review. Checked 13 October 2026.

Plan for the 48-hour figure, not the 24-hour one, and add a buffer for a resubmission. Apple does not promise a time for any individual app.

Account deletion: guideline 5.1.1(v)

If your app supports account creation, people must be able to start deletion of the account from inside the app. Apple’s account-deletion page adds the detail that causes most rejections:

• Offering only to deactivate or disable an account is not enough. Offer to delete the entire account record and associated personal data.

• Make the option easy to find, typically in account settings.

• A confirmation step is fine, but apps that make deletion unnecessarily difficult will not pass review.

• If deletion has to finish on a website, link directly to that page.

• Apps outside highly regulated industries should not require a phone call, email or chat flow.

• Limiting deletion to people in CCPA or GDPR regions is insufficient.

• Subscriptions need handling: tell people billing continues through Apple and ask them to cancel first.

Sources: Apple, offering account deletion in your app, App Review Guidelines. Checked 13 October 2026.

Build this into the first version. Retrofitting deletion across a back end, analytics and billing records is more work than building it once. For UK apps it also supports your UK GDPR obligations on erasure.

Sign in with Apple and guideline 4.8

Guideline 4.8 applies when your app uses a third-party or social login service, such as Facebook Login, Google Sign-In, Log in with X, Sign In with LinkedIn, Login with Amazon or WeChat Login, to set up or authenticate the user’s primary account. You must then also offer an equivalent login service that:

• limits data collection to the user’s name and email address;

• lets users keep their email address private when setting up the account; and

• does not collect interactions with your app for advertising purposes without consent.

The current guideline text does not name Sign in with Apple, but it is the service Apple builds to meet those criteria, and it is the usual way to meet them. There are exemptions, including apps that use only their own account system, education or enterprise apps that require an existing account, and clients for a specific third-party service. If you only offer email and password, 4.8 does not apply.

Fees: what publishing on the App Store costs

Sources: Apple, enrolment; Magora, App development cost UK 2026. Checked 13 October 2026.

The $99 is the smallest cost on the list. Our Apple developer fee guide covers Apple’s commission and the Enterprise programme, and the app cost calculator gives a first figure for the build.

The submission checklist

1. Developer account enrolled in the company’s name; agreements signed.

2. App record created in App Store Connect.

3. Build made with Xcode 26 or later and a deployment target of iOS 13 or later.

4. Privacy policy URL in metadata and in the app; privacy labels answered; SDK manifests present.

5. Age rating questions answered; EU trader status provided if you distribute in the EU.

6. Screenshots at the required sizes, with no alpha channel.

7. TestFlight round completed on real devices.

8. Account deletion inside the app; Sign in with Apple if you use a social login.

9. Demo account, notes and live back end in App Review Information.

10. Support URL and contact details current, no placeholder content.

Magora ships to both stores. We work through this checklist on releases, whether we are building a first version through our MVP service or taking over an existing app through mobile app development. If you need a view of scope before you decide, a Discovery sprint from £3,000 comes with a fixed-price quote.

Publishing on the App Store: frequently asked questions

How do I publish an app on the App Store?

Enrol in the Apple Developer Program ($99 a year), create an app record in App Store Connect, upload a build made with the current Xcode, complete the metadata, privacy details and screenshots, then submit for App Review. When the app is approved you release it.

How much does it cost to publish an app on the App Store?

The Apple Developer Program is $99 a year, shown in local currency at enrolment. There is no separate per-app submission fee. Apple's commission on in-app sales is separate; see our Apple developer fee guide.

How long does App Store review take?

Apple says App Review typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours. Apple adds that incomplete submissions may be delayed or not pass. Apple does not publish a guarantee for any single app.

What are the most common reasons for App Store rejection?

Apple says that on average over 40% of unresolved issues relate to guideline 2.1, App Completeness: crashes, placeholder content, broken links and incomplete information such as a missing demo account.

Does my app need account deletion?

Yes, if it lets people create an account. Guideline 5.1.1(v) requires that people can start deletion of the account from inside the app. Temporarily deactivating an account is not enough.

Do I have to offer Sign in with Apple?

Only if you use a third-party or social login such as Google or Facebook to set up the user's primary account. Guideline 4.8 then requires an equivalent login service that limits data collection to name and email, lets users hide their email and does not track interactions for advertising without consent. Sign in with Apple is Apple's own service built for that. Apps that use only their own email-and-password system are exempt.

Can Magora publish our app to both stores?

Yes. We set up the Apple and Google accounts in your company's name, handle TestFlight, App Store Connect, screenshots and privacy answers, and respond to App Review. You own the listing from day one.