A checklist before publishing to the App Store and Google Play

The moment a game is finished is really the moment the publishing work begins. At my own company I put my games on the stores myself; this list comes from my notes from those years and after. Store rules change from time to time, so the details should always be checked against the stores' current documentation.

1. Accounts

• App Store: An Apple Developer Program membership (paid yearly).
• Google Play: A Play Console developer account (one-time registration fee).
• Decide early whether the account is for a company or an individual; the developer name shown in the store comes from here.

2. Technical preparation

• Package name (bundle ID): It can't be changed after release, so choose it carefully.
• Version number: It must go up with every upload.
• Signing key: On Android, losing this key makes publishing updates very hard. Keep a backup somewhere safe.
• Target Android version: Google Play regularly requires new apps and updates to target newer Android versions.

3. Privacy

• A privacy policy page and its address are required.
• The Data safety form on Google Play and the app privacy details on the App Store have to be filled in.
• If ad or analytics tools are used, the data they collect must be listed in these forms too.
• On iOS, tracking users across other apps and websites requires asking for permission (App Tracking Transparency).

4. Age rating

Both stores have a content questionnaire, and the age rating is based on the answers. A wrong answer can cause trouble later.

5. Testing

• iOS: Testing on real devices with TestFlight.
• Android: Internal and closed testing tracks. Google Play may require some new accounts to run a closed test for a set period before going live.

6. Store page (ASO)

• Icon: It should still read well at a small size.
• Name and short description: They should include the words people will search for.
• Screenshots: The first two are the only thing most visitors see. They should explain what the game is at a glance.
• Promo video: If there is one, its first seconds should show the best moment of the game.

7. Review and after

• Review times vary. If the app is rejected, the reason is given; fix it and resubmit.
• In the first days after release, crash reports and reviews are followed closely.
• Having the first update planned before launch makes it easier to respond to feedback quickly.