So, you’ve nurtured your app from a glimmer of an idea into a real, living thing. You’ve watched it grow through bug fixes, UI tweaks, and user feedback (you are gathering user feedback, right?). And now… it’s time. Your baby is off to summer camp for the first time. Or rather, the App Store.

Submitting your app can be a lot like packing your kid’s suitcase for their first summer away—exciting, a little scary, and full of forms. Will they remember their table manners? Will they make friends? Will they get rejected for missing a privacy policy?

This post steps through what to do before your submission, how to make a great App Store listing, and some of the most common rejection pitfalls. We’ve also put together this handy checklist as a quick reference. While some of these tips are Apple App Store specific, many apply to Google’s Play Store as well.

Forms, Snacks, and Sunscreen: What your app needs before submission

Before you start packing that sunscreen and ball cap, you’ve got some permission forms to fill out. Likewise, you’ll want to take a step back and make sure your app is ready to launch before proceeding.

App review can confirm your app meets Apple’s requirements, but it won’t tell you if your onboarding makes sense or how your team will know when something’s crashing in production. This is your chance to make sure that good first impression sticks around.

A solid round of user testing

Before you’re ready to send your kid off to camp, you’ll probably want to test the waters with a night or two away. Similarly, before you’re ready to show off your shiny new app to the world, you’ll want to use TestFlight to gather feedback from beta testers.

Testers will help you identify any potential launch day blow-ups before they happen. Try not to provide too much guidance to testers here—let them discover your app organically and pay attention to any confusion or sticking points they come across.

A plan for catching and debugging issues in the wild

While not strictly necessary, you’ll likely want to launch your app with some tooling to keep track of crashes, bugs, and some basic analytics. Crash reports will help you track down and diagnose those tricky to find bugs that will inevitably slip through even the most rigorous QA. Basic analytics show how users move through your app and which features actually get used. Our current favourites are Mixpanel for analytics and Sentry for crash reporting, but it’s worth spending a little time researching a solution that works for you and your budget.

Support for different screen sizes and aspect ratios

You’ll want to make sure your app looks good on devices of all sizes and aspect ratios, so that every user has a pleasant experience. The big things to look out for here are how your app handles safe areas, adaptive layouts (especially with Dynamic Type enabled), and small screens like that pesky iPhone SE.

A good Privacy Policy

While you won’t have to staple a cheque to any permission slips, Apple requires that every app submitted to the App Store has a legally compliant Privacy Policy accessible in the app and on the product page. This can be as simple as a link to a publicly accessible URL hosted on your website somewhere, but without it your app will be rejected. Also, make sure your Privacy Policy is available on both sides of your app’s paywall, if you have one. This is a common mistake and it’s something Apple specifically looks for.

Dress for Success: How to craft an App Store page that stands out

First impressions are everything, and just like how you want your kid to step off that bus on the first day of summer camp looking their best, you’ll want your App Store page to reflect just how awesome your app is.

Once your app is ready for launch, it’s time to get your App Store materials in order. This is the part where missing small details can turn into real delays, as you’ll likely need to collect input from all corners of your organization like marketing, design, legal, and engineering.

In addition to making sure you’ve got a snazzy app icon and a memorable subtitle, some attention grabbing screenshots are your chance to really shine. Great screenshots will not only explain to users what your app does, but what makes it unique. Your App Store listing should clearly demonstrate your app’s “core loop”—the three or four steps that add up to the most important or coolest thing your app does, and why users will want it. People typically don’t get excited about apps they don’t understand.

Waiting for that first phone call home: What to expect once you’ve submitted your app

You signed the permission slips, you’ve packed the suitcase, you’ve done everything you can to set your kid up for success, and now it’s up to them. Once you’ve dropped your kid off at camp, there’s not much else to do but wait.

App review usually takes 24–48 hours, and we recommend you set your app to manual release so you’re in control of when it goes live—no surprises while you’re asleep or away from your laptop. There’s always a chance you missed something and get the dreaded rejection email, but don’t worry: a rejection isn’t the end of the world. You can always fix your mistake and resubmit your app for review. Unlike your kid getting sent home from camp, you’re always welcome back for another try.

But keep in mind that rejections and re-submissions can take up a bunch of time, so be sure to submit well in advance of any launch milestones you’re planning around. It’s all too easy to slide into a back and forth with Apple because they think your app is a News app, but it’s not a News app, and clarifying that over email takes a week and now you’ve missed your launch date. True story.

Here are some common pitfalls to look out for before you submit your app to save yourself a little time:

  • Crashes or instability will result in an immediate rejection, and reviewers test on real devices. While the simulator can be great for testing on a wide range of devices, be sure to try your app on as many real devices as you can to simulate an experience as close to your users’ as possible.
  • Make sure your Review Information section in App Store Connect is updated and accurate. If your app requires a login, make sure to set up a dummy user for the tester. If they can’t log in and test out your app, you’ll be rejected.
  • Webviews can be a great way to provide dynamic content or temporarily fill in screens that aren’t quite ready for a fully native experience, but they still need to feel native. As a rule of thumb, if a reviewer is able to browse around the wider web inside your webview, you’re likely to get rejected. Make sure your webviews are self-contained, and don’t link out to other pages when possible.
  • Account deletion should be clear and simple. If you offer users the opportunity to create and sign in with an account, you’ll also need to provide them with a clear and easy way to delete their account and the associated data right in the app. Want to learn more? We’ve got you covered.
  • Don’t collect any more user data than you have to, and be completely transparent about what you are collecting. You’re also responsible for any third-party services you use, so be sure you understand what information any analytics or bug tracking tools might be collecting.

Your Camper’s All Ready

Submitting your app for the first time might feel like letting go, but you’ve done the hard part. You’ve built something special and now it’s time to share it. With a solid App Store page, working builds, and some monitoring in place, your app is ready to thrive at camp.

Remember that rejections happen, updates are inevitable, and uncomfortable feedback will come. That’s part of the journey. So pack well, check your App Store submission checklist twice, then hit submit with confidence. Your app’s got this.