--- title: "Getting Your App on the App Store and Google Play: A 2026 Checklist" url: https://phatdev.net/en/blog/app-store-google-play-checklist lang: en updated: 2026-10-21 alternate: vi: https://phatdev.net/vi/blog/app-store-google-play-checklist markdown: https://phatdev.net/en/blog/app-store-google-play-checklist.md --- # Getting Your App on the App Store and Google Play: A 2026 Checklist > Developer accounts, privacy policy, screenshots and description, review times, why apps get rejected and the new 2026 requirements, from Apple and Google's official pages. Categories: Mobile apps | Published: 2026-10-21 | Level: Beginner | 7 min read Tags: app-store, google-play, privacy-policy, target-api, app-review, mobile The app works fine on your own phone. You press submit, and a few days later an email says it was rejected because there is no privacy policy link. One missing line, and your launch slips again. This is easy to run into, and almost every rejection reason can be avoided with some preparation. This is a checklist for getting an app onto the App Store (Apple) and Google Play (Google), in the order I would do it. I checked every number and date on the official pages of both companies on 21 October 2026. They change rules often, so open the links at the end again before you submit. ![An app's journey through checkpoints, then splitting into two stores](https://phatdev.net/uploads/blog/app-store-google-play-checklist/journey-1920.webp) ## Step 1: Open developer accounts You need a separate account with each company. Apple: the Apple Developer Program costs 99 USD per year (or the local equivalent). You enrol as an individual or an organisation. An organisation can use the company name and invite team members. Some nonprofits, schools and government bodies can get the fee waived. Google: the registration fee is a one-time 25 USD. You need a valid government ID and a payment card in your legal name, and you must be 18. If your details are judged invalid, the fee is not refunded. Personal accounts created after 13 November 2023 must also run a closed test before going to production: at least 12 testers, opted in continuously for 14 days. This is where many people lose time, so find testers early. Organisation accounts go through a different verification, which you can read about in Play Console Help. One tip from experience: if the app belongs to a client's company, open the accounts in the client's company name, not in the freelancer's. Transferring later is a pain. ## Step 2: A privacy policy This is the thing missed most often. Both stores want a public privacy policy page stating what data the app collects, why, who it is shared with, how long it is kept and how people can ask for deletion. Apple requires the link both in the App Store Connect metadata and inside the app (guideline 5.1.1). Google requires the policy before you can fill in the Data safety section, even if the app collects nothing, in which case you declare that. ![A phone with a shield and a privacy policy document](https://phatdev.net/uploads/blog/app-store-google-play-checklist/privacy-1920.webp) One thing people overlook: data collected by third-party tools inside your app (analytics, ads, crash reports) must be declared too. Know which tools are in the app before you fill in the forms. Apple adds two more rules. If the app lets people create an account, they must be able to delete it inside the app (5.1.1(v)). And each sensitive permission (camera, location, photos) needs a short plain explanation of why, such as "Uses the camera to scan your booking code". ## Step 3: Screenshots, description and store details This sounds minor, yet it causes rejections. Apple's guideline 2.3 says store information, including screenshots and description, must accurately reflect the app. Screenshots should show the real app, not an ad far from reality. Prepare the app name, short and long descriptions, screenshots in the required sizes per device type, the app icon, category, support link and contact details. You also answer the age rating questionnaire. Apple asked developers to answer its updated age rating questions for each app by 31 January 2026 to avoid interruptions when submitting updates. ## Step 4: 2026 technical requirements This part is for the developer, but you should know what to ask. Apple, from its Upcoming Requirements page: since 28 April 2026, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later using the 26 SDKs for iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS or watchOS. From 9 September 2026, iOS and iPadOS apps must target iOS 13 or later. The page gives no date for Xcode 27, so do not guess; recheck it before you submit. Google, from its target API level page: starting 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher. Wear OS and Android Automotive apps need API 35, and Android TV and XR apps need API 34. Existing apps must target at least API 35 to stay available to new users on newer Android devices. You can request an extension to 1 November 2026, and permanently private apps for one organisation are exempt. The page was last updated on 16 October 2026 yet still says "Starting August 31 2026", so I suggest cross-checking the Target API level help article in Play Console. Google is also rolling out Android developer verification. The official page says protections begin on 30 September 2026 in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand on certified devices running Android 7 or higher, with a global expansion in 2027. It also says Google Play registers most apps automatically, while apps distributed outside Play need their own registration. Vietnam is not in the first group, but get your documents ready early. ## Step 5: Submit and wait Apple says App Review typically looks at at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours. Incomplete submissions take longer or fail. Google says updates are processed as soon as possible, but some apps get extended reviews that can take up to 7 days or longer in exceptional cases. It also notes that some accounts get more thorough reviews, so do not set a launch date with no slack. ![A review desk with a magnifier, pass and fail stamps, and an hourglass](https://phatdev.net/uploads/blog/app-store-google-play-checklist/review-1920.webp) ## Why apps get rejected Apple's guidance says over 40% of unresolved issues relate to guideline 2.1, app completeness. That means crashes, broken links, leftover placeholder text, and logins that do not work. Picture submitting without a demo account: the reviewer cannot get past the login screen and rejects the build. Apple expects a demo account (or demo mode) and a live backend for the whole review. Put it on the list. Other common reasons: the app is just a wrapper around a website (4.2); digital content sold without Apple's in-app purchase (3.1.1); a social login without an equivalent option that limits data collection (4.8); store details that do not match the app. For apps with user-generated content, including AI-generated content, Apple asks for filtering, a way to report, blocking, and contact information (1.2). If the app shares personal data with a third-party AI service, you must say so and get permission (5.1.2(i)). ## The checklist before you press submit 1. Developer accounts approved, and the 14-day closed test done if you have a personal Google account. 2. Public privacy policy, linked in the app and in both stores. 3. Data collection declared correctly, including third-party tools. 4. An in-app delete-account option if people can sign up. 5. Screenshots and description match the real app; age questionnaire answered. 6. Built with the current SDK and target API level. 7. Demo account, live backend and notes for the reviewer. 8. Tested on a real device with no placeholder text left. ## What to do next Print the list and tick each line before you submit. If you have not chosen how to build the app yet, read [Building a Phone App: Swift/Kotlin, Flutter or React Native?](https://phatdev.net/en/blog/app-native-or-cross-platform). And if your app is really just a website, see [Can an Installable Web App (PWA) Replace a Mobile App?](https://phatdev.net/en/blog/pwa-or-native-app) so you can skip the review gate altogether. ## References - [App Review Guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/) - [Apple: Upcoming requirements](https://developer.apple.com/news/upcoming-requirements/) - [Apple: App Review](https://developer.apple.com/distribute/app-review/) - [Apple Developer Program](https://developer.apple.com/programs/whats-included/) - [Google Play: Target API level requirements](https://developer.android.com/google/play/requirements/target-sdk) - [Play Console Help: Create a developer account](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435) - [Play Console Help: App testing requirements for new personal accounts](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/14151465) - [Play Console Help: Data safety section](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10787469) - [Play Console Help: App review status](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859751) - [Android developer verification](https://developer.android.com/developer-verification) ## Related posts - [Building a Phone App: Swift/Kotlin, Flutter or React Native?](https://phatdev.net/en/blog/app-native-or-cross-platform.md) - [Can an Installable Web App (PWA) Replace a Mobile App?](https://phatdev.net/en/blog/pwa-or-native-app.md)