Guide · Updated September 2026
How to publish an app to the App Store
To publish an app to the App Store you need an Apple Developer Program membership ($99 a year), an app record in App Store Connect, a finished product page, and a build uploaded from Xcode. Then you submit for App Review, which Apple says usually takes under 24 hours.
What you need
You need an Apple Developer Program membership, which costs $99 a year; organizations also need a D-U-N-S number to enroll. You need a Mac with Xcode to build, sign and upload the app. For the product page you need the app name, subtitle, description, keywords, screenshots, a privacy policy URL and a support URL.
1. Create the app record in App Store Connect
In App Store Connect, open Apps and add a new app. Choose the platform, the name, the primary language, the bundle ID that matches your Xcode project, and a SKU. The name must be unique on the store.
2. Write the product page
This is the part people search and read, so it deserves the most care.
| Field | Limit | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| App name | 30 characters | Searchable. Brand plus the core use. |
| Subtitle | 30 characters | Searchable. The one-line reason to install. |
| Keywords | 100 characters | Searchable. Comma-separated terms not already in the name or subtitle. |
| Promotional text | 170 characters | Can change any time without a new version. |
| Description | 4,000 characters | Read by people and not used for search ranking. |
| Screenshots | Up to 10 | The first two or three carry most of the decision. |
Apple asks for screenshots at the largest iPhone display size, and at the largest iPad size if the app runs on iPad. It scales them down for smaller devices. The ASO checklist covers how to write each field.
3. Answer privacy and age rating
Answer the App Privacy questions about what data the app collects and why. The answers appear on the product page. Then complete the age rating questionnaire.
4. Upload the build
To upload an app to the App Store, archive it in Xcode (Product, then Archive) and distribute it to App Store Connect. After processing, the build appears under the version, and you select it there. You can test it first with TestFlight.
5. Submit for App Review
Add review notes, plus a demo account if the app needs a login, then submit. Apple checks the app against the App Store Review Guidelines. If review finds a problem, you get a message in App Store Connect; fix it and resubmit.
6. Release
Choose manual release, automatic release after approval, or a scheduled date. Phased release rolls an update out to users with automatic updates on over seven days.
After approval: what to optimize first
Once the app is live, the listing becomes weekly work.
- Rewrite the subtitle, which is the most common thin line on a new listing.
- Clean the keyword field: remove words already in the name and subtitle, and add the terms people search for.
- Lead the first screenshots with the outcome the app delivers.
- Update the what’s-new text with every release.
- Make sure your website answers the same questions as the listing, so search and AI answers describe the app the same way.
Where PROMACHOS fits
PROMACHOS drafts listing metadata (subtitle, promotional text, what’s-new, screenshot captions) into a queue after it names the gaps on your listing and site. You review each draft and send it in App Store Connect yourself. See you publish and the full weekly method.
