How to Launch an App on the App Store: A Checklist for First-Time Founders

Getting an app approved and actually downloaded takes more than finishing the code. Here's the launch checklist.

Before submission

• Apple Developer account (company account if possible).
• TestFlight beta with real users and crash reporting.
• Privacy policy and data disclosures ("nutrition labels").
• Sign in with Apple if you offer other social logins.
• In-app purchase setup if you sell digital goods.

App Store listing

• App name and subtitle with key terms.
• Screenshots that tell the story, and an app preview video.
• Description and keywords (App Store Optimization).
• Categories and age rating.

Review

Follow the App Review Guidelines closely. Common rejections: broken links, placeholder content, missing account deletion, unclear purchases, crashes.

Launch marketing

A landing page, a launch video, social content, founder posts, a press or community push, and optionally paid install campaigns.

After launch

Monitor crashes and reviews, respond, and ship updates quickly.

We build and launch iOS apps end to end. See iOS app development.