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How do you publish an app on the App Store and Google Play? (2026)

Advertol18 min read

Publishing an app on the App Store and Google Play requires four things: a developer account in the company's name, a finished app file, the materials for the store page (name, description, screenshots, privacy policy) and passing the store's review. The Apple Developer Program's annual fee is $99, while registration on Google Play is a one-off $25. Apple says it reviews 90% of submissions in under 48 hours; on Google Play, review can take up to seven days or longer.

Key takeaways:

  • Open the account in the company's name, not the developer's: the store shows your company's name as the seller, and the app stays with you.
  • For a company account, both stores require a D-U-N-S number; getting one takes time, so this is the first step.
  • On Google Play, new personal accounts must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before publishing; organisation accounts are exempt from this requirement.
  • The most common reason for app rejection is incompleteness: bugs, blank screens, no login details provided for review.
  • The stores charge no commission on sales of physical goods and services such as food, delivery and bookings.

What do you need to publish an app in the store?

Getting an app into the store may look like technical work, but half of the list depends on the business owner: accounts, documents and texts. Here is what is needed:

What is needed App Store (Apple) Google Play
Developer account Apple Developer Program, $99 per year Play Console, one-off $25
For a company account Legal entity status, D-U-N-S number, a working website, an email on the company domain D-U-N-S number, website, phone and address
App file A version built with the current tools Apple requires A file in Android App Bundle (AAB) format
Store page Name, description, screenshots, category, support address Name, description, screenshots, icon, category
Privacy Link to the privacy policy and the App Privacy section Link to the privacy policy and the Data safety form
Age rating A questionnaire is completed A questionnaire is completed
For review A demo account, if login is required A test account, if login is required

Sources: Apple Developer, Google Play Console Help.

Your part of this list: the company documents and the D-U-N-S number, the text of the privacy policy, the texts for the store page, and precise answers about what data is collected inside the app. The file, screenshots and technical settings are the team's job.

Should a developer account be personal or in the company's name?

For a business app, the account should be opened in the company's name. With a personal account, the person's own name appears in the store as the seller; with a company account, the legal entity's name. If the account is in the name of a developer or an agency, the app legally belongs to them and it is hard to get it back when the collaboration ends. For how ownership clauses are written into a contract, you can take the example in the article ordering a website: technical brief and contract.

Criterion Personal account Company (organisation) account
Name shown in the store The person's first name and surname The company's legal name
D-U-N-S number Not required Required
Closed testing on Google Play Mandatory for new accounts: 12 testers, 14 days Not required
Giving the team access Limited Managed with roles
Who it suits An individual testing their own project Every business

Apple states this openly: if a contractor builds the app, the client company itself must join the Program and add the contractor to its team; the company's name is shown as the seller (Apple Developer). Apple does not accept trade names and branches for an organisation account: registration is made in the name of the legal entity, and the person applying must have the authority to enter into obligations on the company's behalf.

Google Play's closed-testing requirement applies to personal accounts opened after 13 November 2023: the app must be tested for 14 consecutive days with the participation of at least 12 testers (Google Play Console Help). This extends publishing with a personal account by at least two weeks.

What is a D-U-N-S number and how do you get one?

D-U-N-S is a nine-digit international number issued by Dun & Bradstreet to identify companies. Apple and Google use it to verify that the company is a real legal entity.

Three things you should know:

  • The number is free. Apple says it is free in most countries, while Google says it is free and can take up to 30 days to obtain (Google Play Console Help).
  • The details must match. The company's name and address must be written identically in the D-U-N-S record, in official documents and in the developer account. Even a small difference delays verification.
  • This is the first step. Apply for the number while the app is still being built, or the finished app will be left waiting for the account to be opened.

How do you upload an app to Google Play?

Publishing on Google Play is managed from a dashboard called Play Console. The steps are:

  1. Open the account. Register in Play Console, choose the account type and pay the $25 registration fee. Google verifies your identity and organisation details.
  2. Create the app. You choose the name, the default language, whether it is an app or a game, and whether it is paid or free.
  3. Fill in the store page. Short and full descriptions, icon, screenshots, category and contact details.
  4. Add the privacy policy. The link must be on both the store page and inside the app; this is required even for apps that do not collect data (Google Play Console Help).
  5. Fill in the Data safety form. You declare what data the app collects and what it is used for (Google Play Console Help).
  6. Fill in the content rating questionnaire. An age rating is assigned to the app based on the answers.
  7. Upload the file. New apps are uploaded in Android App Bundle (AAB) format; Google safeguards the signing key. The developer does this step.
  8. Test. Try the app with real users using internal and closed testing versions. Closed testing is mandatory for new personal accounts.
  9. Submit for review. After approval the app appears in the store in the countries you chose.

Technical requirements are updated every year. For example, from 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) (Google Play Console Help). This is one of the reasons an app has to be updated every year.

If users can create an account in the app, Google requires both a way to delete the account inside the app and a separate web link (Google Play Console Help).

How do you upload an app to the App Store?

Publishing on the App Store is managed from a dashboard called App Store Connect, and Apple's review is considered stricter. The steps are:

  1. Join the Apple Developer Program. Two-step verification must be active on the Apple account. To join as a company you need legal entity status, a D-U-N-S number, a working website and an email on the company domain; the annual fee is $99.
  2. Create an app record in App Store Connect. You specify the name, the default language, the category and a unique identifier.
  3. Fill in the store page. Description, keywords, support address and screenshots. At least one screenshot is mandatory for iPhone, and up to 10 screenshots can be uploaded for each screen size (Apple Developer).
  4. Fill in the privacy section. A link to the privacy policy is mandatory for all apps; in the App Privacy section you state what data the app and the third-party services connected to it collect (Apple Developer).
  5. Fill in the age rating questionnaire. Apple updated its rating system in 2025: 13+, 16+ and 18+ have been added to the previous 4+ and 9+ tiers (Apple Developer News).
  6. Test with TestFlight. TestFlight is Apple's testing tool: you can invite up to 100 internal and up to 10,000 external testers, and each test build works for 90 days (Apple Developer).
  7. Provide details for review. If the app has a login, a working demo account or a full demo mode must be provided for Apple's reviewer.
  8. Submit for review. After approval you can release the app immediately or on a date you choose.

Apple also updates its technical requirements every year: from 28 April 2026, apps must be built with iOS 26 tools (SDK) (Apple Developer News), and from April 2027 with iOS 27 tools (Apple Developer News).

How long does review take and why is an app rejected?

According to Apple's own statistics, at least 50% of submissions are reviewed in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours (Apple Developer). Google Play says review can take up to seven days, and longer in exceptional cases (Google Play Console Help). When planning a release date, keep at least a week in reserve: the first submission often comes back needing fixes.

The most common reasons for rejection:

Reason What it means How to avoid it
Incomplete app (Apple 2.1) Bugs, blank screens, buttons that do not work, placeholder text Full testing on real devices before submitting
No demo account provided (Apple 2.1) The reviewer cannot log in to the app Provide a working demo account or demo mode
Website copy (Apple 4.2) The app simply shows the website in a frame App-specific functionality: push notifications, offline use, camera
Template app (Apple 4.2.6) Created from a commercial template or an app generator Publish the app from your own account and with your own content
No privacy policy The link is missing from the store page or the app Publish the policy on your website and add it to both places
Account cannot be deleted You can create an account but cannot delete it Build an account deletion function into the app
Payment rule violated A digital product is sold outside the store's payment system Use in-app purchase for digital products
Declaration does not match Data safety or App Privacy answers do not match the app's actual behaviour Fill in the forms together with the developer

Apple says that more than 40% of unresolved review issues relate to the App Completeness guideline (2.1). In other words, most rejections come not from complicated rules but from a version that was submitted in a hurry.

Do the stores take a commission on sales?

The commission applies only to digital products sold inside the app; the stores take nothing from sales of physical goods and services. The difference is as follows:

What is sold How payment is accepted Store commission
Physical goods and services: food, delivery, bookings, taxi, shop orders By card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and other methods None
Digital products: subscriptions, premium features, online content Through the store's own payment system Yes

Clause 3.1.3(e) of Apple's rules requires payment methods other than in-app purchase for goods and services used outside the app (Apple App Review Guidelines). Google Play likewise keeps physical goods and services outside its own payment system (Google Play Console Help). In such apps, card payments are accepted through a local bank or a payment provider; the connection procedure is covered in the article how to connect online payment to a website.

For those selling digital products, the rates are as follows:

  • Google Play. Under the model currently in force for Azerbaijan, a service fee of 15% is charged on the first $1 million of revenue per year and 30% on the portion above that. In 2026 Google moved some countries to a new fee model; for the remaining countries, including Azerbaijan, the switch is planned for 30 September 2027 (Google Play Console Help, new model).
  • App Store. For developers who join the Small Business Program and whose earnings in the previous calendar year were up to $1 million, the commission is 15% (Apple Developer).

What should you check in advance when registering from Azerbaijan?

Google Play lists Azerbaijan among the supported countries for both developer and merchant registration, and buyers in Azerbaijan can pay in manat on Google Play (Google Play Console Help, Google Play). The App Store also operates in Azerbaijan, and it is possible to offer an app to local users.

There are two matters you need to clarify in advance:

  • Paid apps and in-app sales. Apple does not publish a list of the countries whose banks it pays. If you plan to make the app paid or to sell digital products inside it, check the choice of bank country during registration. This step is not needed for free apps or for apps that sell physical goods and services.
  • Name consistency across documents. The company's name must be spelled identically in the state registry, the D-U-N-S record and the developer account. A mismatch can delay verification by weeks.

What should you do after the app is published?

Publishing is not the end of the job: an app in the store needs constant maintenance. There are four ongoing tasks:

  1. Annual technical updates. Apple and Google set new requirements every year; an app that is not updated cannot submit a new version.
  2. Replying to reviews. The rating in the store directly affects the decision to download. Replying to a negative review and fixing the problem in the next version raises the rating.
  3. Tracking errors. Tools that show on which phones the app crashes must be connected.
  4. Improving the store page. The name, description and screenshots affect how the app appears in store search; this is called ASO (App Store Optimization).

We calculated the annual cost of these tasks and how it fits into the budget in the article mobile app development cost.

How does Advertol publish apps?

In Advertol's app projects, developer accounts are opened in the name of the client company, and the team is added there as users. The store page texts, screenshots, privacy statements and a demo account for review are part of the release checklist; the D-U-N-S application is started at the beginning of the project so that the finished app does not have to wait for the account.

An app appearing in the store does not mean it will be downloaded: downloads come from advertising, social media and the existing customer base. We showed what to look for when choosing a team in the article how to choose a website development company in Baku; the criteria apply to apps too. Advertol is an agency based in Baku: website and mobile app development, Meta and Google advertising, SMM, CRM and AI automation are run by a single team, so the app and its promotion are built to one plan. We explain when a business needs an app in the mobile app development guide, and how we work on the website and app development page.

Frequently asked questions

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

The stores' own fees are small: the Apple Developer Program costs $99 a year, and registration on Google Play is a one-off $25. The D-U-N-S number needed for a company account is free. The main cost is not the fees but preparing the app for release: the store page, the privacy documents, testing and getting through review.

How long does store approval take?

Apple says it reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours. On Google Play, review can take up to seven days or longer. On top of this come opening the account, obtaining the D-U-N-S number and, for new personal Google accounts, the 14-day closed test.

Whose name should the developer account be in?

The company's. The account holder's name appears in the store as the seller, and the app legally belongs to the account holder. Apple also recommends that companies working with a contractor join the Program themselves and add the contractor to the team.

I have a website — can I upload it to the store as an app?

Simply wrapping the website in a frame and submitting it is risky: clause 4.2 of Apple's rules requires functionality beyond a copy of a website. The app must offer value that the website cannot, such as push notifications, offline use, a camera or quick reordering. If there is no such value, speeding up the mobile website is more worthwhile.

Do the App Store and Google Play take a commission on sales?

No commission is charged on goods and services used outside the app, such as food, delivery, bookings and physical products. The commission applies to digital products sold inside the app: under the current model for Azerbaijan, Google Play charges 15% on the first $1 million of revenue per year, and in the App Store's Small Business Program the rate is 15%.

What should you do if the app is rejected?

The store states the reason for rejection and the clause that was breached in writing. You can fix the problem and resubmit the app, and this requires no extra fee. Most rejections come from an incomplete version, a demo account that was not provided and inconsistencies in the privacy declarations, so going through a checklist before submitting saves time.

Conclusion

What takes the most time in putting an app on the App Store and Google Play is not the code but the preparation: accounts in the company's name, the D-U-N-S number, the privacy documents and the store page. Start on these while the app is being built, open the accounts in your own name and test the app thoroughly on real devices before submitting. That way review is measured in days, not weeks.

If you want to assess whether your app is ready for release, or to plan the project correctly from the start, book a free strategy meeting.

Sources

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