What is app store submission?
Submission is the process of getting your app into the Apple App Store and Google Play: creating developer accounts, building signed release binaries, filling out the store listing, and passing each platform's review. It is the gate between "it works on my device" and "anyone can install it."
Why it matters
A finished app that never ships helps nobody, and submission has real friction — accounts, certificates, review guidelines, rejections. Knowing the process means you plan for it instead of being blocked at the finish line. Shipping to a store is also the single most credible thing on a mobile resume.
What to learn
- Apple Developer and Google Play accounts
- Building signed release binaries (EAS Build)
- App Store Connect and Play Console listings
- Submitting with EAS Submit
- The review process and common rejection reasons
- Privacy labels and data disclosures
- Versioning and release management
Common pitfall
Treating review as a formality and getting rejected over avoidable issues: missing privacy disclosures, a permission with no clear purpose string, broken demo credentials, or a crash on launch. Read the review guidelines before building, fill out privacy details honestly, and test the exact build you submit.
Resources
Primary (free):
- Expo — Submit to app stores · docs
- Apple — App Review guidelines · docs
- Google Play — Launch checklist · docs
Practice
Take an app through as much of submission as you can: create the store listing, build a signed release with EAS, complete the privacy disclosures, and submit (to internal testing if not publicly releasing). Done when you have a reviewable build in App Store Connect or the Play Console.
Outcomes
- Build signed release binaries for both stores.
- Complete store listings and privacy disclosures.
- Submit via EAS Submit.
- Avoid common review-rejection reasons.