App Submission

Navigating Apple's App Approval Process


Getting an App approved for sale on the Google Play store is pretty damn simple; they have no review process. Simply make sure you have the right icons, build your APK, write up your store listing, and submit.

Apple, on the other hand, is not so easygoing. Of the 18 Binaries I've submitted to Apple, two have been approved. That's an approval rate of about 11%. Not good. Of those 16 rejections, 15 have been because of small technical mistakes (wrongly formatted icons, etc.). The other was due to a screenshot containing a "beta" tag, violating Apple's policy against beta stage apps.

To help everyone avoid this frustration, I've composed a short list of checks you should make before submitting. It will save you a headache, trust me.



Screenshots - You need to have screenshots for every comparable device (by size). For example, apps that are iPad friendly require iPad screenshots. iPhone 4 and other devices with screens of the same proportions require their own screenshot. iPhone 5 and similar do as well. An easy way to get around this problem without taking screenshots on every device is to resize one screenshot. A free website to do just this is called http://pixlr.com. Just check your store listing and resize the images accordingly.
2. Icon sizes - Apple requires a stupid amount of icon sizes to be packaged with your app. It's a complete waste of time to size each individually, so I just use a website that does it for me. It's called http://makeappicon.com. They will email you a ZIP file with all the sizes. Just unzip it and drag them over to your app package.


3. Don't put tags in your app like: "beta" or "test version" - Even if such tags are in the screenshots, apple will not approve your app.


4. Mismatch - Make sure your app matches your screenshots exactly. If it does't apple again won't approve it.


5. Copyright Violation - Okay, this one seems obvious. But in reality, it's a top reason for denial from the App store. For all you flappy bird cloners (including myself to some degree), Apple will nail you with this one.

Don't include trademarks in your app. (Unless, of course, they are registered to you).
Don't copy artwork or user-interfaces.
Pick a name unique enough that it won't be flagged. For example, Flappy Birdy will most likely be denied.
If Apple "believes" you are trying "deceive" users into thinking your app is one of another namesake, then they will deny you. Your job is to convince them otherwise.
Good luck on your journey to the app store. It will all be worth it once you get there. If you need any assistance or have any questions, feel free to contact me at techpulsesoftware@gmail.com.