iOS App Submission Checklist(For App Publishers)

This is a brief guide about the items you will need in order to submit an application to the iTunes App Store. There are various items that need to be created or considered before submitting an app, and this guide aims to make an iPhone application submission as smooth as possible by ensuring all stakeholders are aware of all the things that they may be asked to create or consider. This is a guide for app ʻpublishersʼ or ʻownersʼ - who may be asked by their developer or agency to provide detailed information towards the end of the app build project in order to get the app live. Most of the content found in this guide has been taken from various guidance pages provided by Apple and can be found in Appleʼs iOS Developer support pages.

Isnʼt it just a case of uploading an app?No, the App Store is a dynamic store environment in which millions of users browse, explore and discover over 250,000 applications. There are certain legal things that must be considered (such as the appʼs content rating) as well as availability considerations - where do you want your app to be available worldwide? And of course, as with any storefront, your product needs to stand out.

When you submit your app, Apple offers you the opportunity to provide other information to help market your app and help your users to find it.

Can my developer do this for me?Your developer or agency can provide a lot of the required information and assets, but you might like, or need to get involved at some point. Perhaps you wish to control the marketing copy, the customer support links, the marketing screen shots or app icon. Either way, itʼs good to be informed of whatʼs involved and what you might be asked to provide.

What are the prerequisites?If youʼre involved in an iOS app project for the first time, before you submit an app you need to be signed up as an iOS developer. The iOS Developer Programme: A Guide for Publishers explains the following steps you need to complete before youʼre ready to submit apps to the App Store. These include:

1.Sign up as an Apple Developer2.Sign up to the iOS Developer Programme3.Submit your Corporate Information4.Get your Contracts in Place5.Manage your apps via iTunes Connect

ContractsThe following are Contracts you may wish to have in place. At the very lease you need a Free Applications Contract.

• Free Apps• Paid Apps• iAds

About iTunes ConnectiTunes Connect is the online interface provided by Apple that lets developers and content owners manage the content they publish in iTunes. This includes iPhone and iPad apps, but also includes iTunes U content and iTunes Music Store content e.g. songs and albums. Your account will identify what type of content you can upload.

You can access iTunes Connect here: https://itunesconnect.apple.com/

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App Assets ChecklistThe following is a list of the assets you will need. Items owned by the ʻDeveloperʼ are technical considerations.

Owner KeyD = DeveloperC = Client / Agency

Owner Item Notes Done

App IdentifierApp IdentifierApp IdentifierApp Identifier

C App Name Must be unique to the App Store (if someone else already has an app with that name, you wonʼt be able to). 225 Character Limit. ✓

D SKU Number A unique number used to identify the app you are adding.

D Bundle ID An identifier used by the customer's device to identify any future updates to your app. Bundle IDs are created in the iPhone Provisioning Portal and must be unique to your app.

D Bundle ID Suffix

App AvailabilityApp AvailabilityApp AvailabilityApp Availability

C Pricing Set your appʼs pricing. Either “Freeʼ or one of the fixed price tiers. ✓

C Availability Date The date your app will become available on the App Store. This is post approval. Setting a date of tomorrow will not mean that your app will be reviewed by tomorrow. To manage this well, set it in the future after you think your app will be reviewed. You can change this and bring it forward later. E.g. September/24/2010(Date is in US format)

C Educational Institutions Discount

Check this box if you want this app to be offered at a discount to educational institutions when they purchase multiple copies at once. The details of the discount are found in the latest Paid Application Agreement, which you must sign before this app will be available to education customers.

C Territories By default, your app will be available in all App Stores worldwide. You can however select specific stores.

App Meta DataApp Meta DataApp Meta DataApp Meta Data

C / D Version Number The version number of the app you are adding. Numbering should follow typical software versioning conventions (for example, 1.0 or 1.0.1 or 1.1).

C App Description A description of the app you are adding, detailing features and functionality. Descriptions cannot be longer than 4000 bytes.

C Primary Category The category that best describes the app you are adding.

C Secondary Category

(Optional) An additional category that further describes the app you are adding.

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Owner Item Notes Done

C Keywords One or more keywords that describe the app you are adding. When users search the App Store, the terms they enter are matched with keywords to return more accurate results. Separate multiple keywords with commas. Keywords cannot be edited once your binary is in review and cannot be longer than 100 bytes. Notes on assigning keywords are available here: http://developer.apple.com/news/ios/pdf/ASQR_Assigning_Keywords.pdf

C Copyright The name of the person or entity that owns the exclusive rights to the app, preceded by the year the rights were obtained (for example, "2008 Acme Inc.").

C Contact Email Address

An email address where Apple can contact you if there are problems with your app. This address will not be seen by customers.

C Support URL A URL that provides support for the app you are adding. This will be visible to customers on the App Store.

C Application URL A URL with information about the app you are adding. If provided, this will be visible to customers on the App Store.

D Review Notes Additional information about your app and/or your in app purchases that may assist our review, such as the details of any test accounts that we can use to test them (including user names, passwords, access codes, etc.) Review Notes cannot be longer than 4000 bytes.

RatingRatingRatingRating

C Rating Select the relevant description of your app

End User License AgreementEnd User License AgreementEnd User License AgreementEnd User License Agreement

C EULA If you want to provide your own End User License Agreement (EULA) you can add it here. If you provide a EULA, it must meet these minimum terms. If you do not provide a EULA, the standard EULA will apply to your app.

ImagesImagesImagesImages

C Large Icon A large version of your app icon that will be used on the App Store. It must be at least 72 DPI and a minimum of 512x512 pixels (it cannot be scaled up). It must be flat artwork without rounded corners.

C iPhone and iPod Touch Screenshots

iPhone and iPod touch screenshots must be a .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .tiff, or .png file that is 320x480, 480x320, 320x460, 480x300, 640x960, or 960x640 pixels, at least 72 DPI, and in the RGB color space.

C iPad Screenshots iPad screenshots must be a .jpeg, .jpg, .tif, .tiff, or .png file that is 768x1024, 1024x768, 748x1024, or 1004x768 pixels, at least 72 DPI, and in the RGB color space.

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App Submission ProcessOnce you have all of the above and the final app itself (the app ʻBinaryʼ) youʼre ready to submit the app to the App Store, and the app enters the approval process. (Apps need to be approved by Apple before they go live.) This process takes a few days.

During this time, your app will change its status several times. For example it will go from “Waiting for Review” to “In Review” and then hopefully “Ready for Sale”. This page describes the various stages in the process: http://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval

TimeframeAt the moment, 83% of new apps are reviewed within 7 days. You can find out the current average wait time for approvals on this page here: http://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/approval

Further ResourcesThere are many more resources available to help you prepare your app for submission.

Appleʼs Submission Guide is available here: http://developer.apple.com/appstore/resources/submission/

Getting started videos are available here: http://developer.apple.com/videos/wwdc/2010/

Appleʼs Developer Getting Started Guides are available here: http://developer.apple.com/library/ios/navigation/index.html?section=Resource+Types&topic=Getting+Started

App Rating Information is available here: https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wo/26.0.0.9.7.7.3.1.3.1.5.3.3.1.1.4

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