How to Publish an App on the App Store: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Quick answer: To publish an app on the App Store, enroll in the Apple Developer Program (99 USD per year), create an app record in App Store Connect, archive your app in Xcode 26 or later and upload it, test it with TestFlight, complete the product page (metadata, screenshots, privacy, age rating), submit it for review, and choose when to release. Apple says most submissions are reviewed within 48 hours.

If you build with a cross-platform toolchain, the same App Store Connect steps apply. Expo, for example, can build and submit iOS apps from its cloud service; see the Expo submit docs.

Go to Apple's enrollment page and sign in with an Apple Account that has two-factor authentication turned on.

• Individuals enroll under their legal name. Your name appears as the seller on the App Store.
• Organizations need a D-U-N-S Number, must be a legal entity that can sign contracts with Apple (not a DBA or trade name), and need a public, working website on the organization's domain. The person enrolling must have authority to bind the organization to legal agreements.
• Fee waivers exist for eligible nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities.

Organization enrollment takes longer because Apple verifies the company. Start this step before your app is finished, and use your exact legal name: Apple notes that aliases and nicknames delay approval.

In App Store Connect, open Apps, click the add button, and choose New App. You'll fill in:

1. Platforms: iOS, plus macOS, tvOS or visionOS if you ship there.
2. Name: up to 30 characters and unique on the App Store. You can change it later.
3. Primary language: the fallback for regions where you haven't localized.
4. Bundle ID: must match the identifier in your Xcode project. Register it in Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles first if it isn't in the list.
5. SKU: an internal ID that customers never see, such as myapp-ios-001.
6. User access: limit access if your team has many App Store Connect users.

If you skip this step, Xcode asks for the same information during your first upload. Treat the name as a search asset too: it's one of the strongest text fields for App Store search.

1. In Xcode, set the version (for example 1.0) and a build number. Every upload needs a new build number.
2. Choose a scheme and an iOS device as the run destination, then select Product > Archive.
3. When the Organizer opens, select the archive and optionally click Validate App to catch signing and icon problems early.
4. Click Distribute App and choose TestFlight & App Store.
5. Click Distribute. Xcode signs, packages and uploads the build.

Apple processes the build before it appears in App Store Connect and emails you when it's ready. Other upload routes work too: the Transporter app, xcrun altool, the App Store Connect API, Xcode Cloud, or fastlane's deliver action if you automate releases.

Once processed, the build appears under TestFlight. Internal testers (up to 100 App Store Connect users) can install it right away. External testers (up to 10,000) need the first build to pass a beta review. The TestFlight guide walks through both.

While testers work, fill in the version page and App Information:

• Metadata: subtitle (30), keywords (100), promotional text (170), description (4,000), support and marketing URLs, copyright.
• Screenshots: 1 to 10 per display size and language, without transparency. The screenshot guide covers design, and the size guide lists exact pixels.
• App Privacy: what data you and your SDKs collect, and how it's used.
• Age rating: answer the questionnaire honestly.
• Pricing and availability: price, countries and regions.

Every field is covered in the App Store submission checklist, which is worth running through before the next step.

1. On the version page, select the build you want to ship.
2. Fill in App Review Information: contact details, a demo account if login is required, and notes explaining anything non-obvious.
3. Answer the export compliance questions if App Store Connect asks.
4. Click Add for Review, check the submission, then Submit to App Review.

The status changes to Waiting for Review, then In Review. Apple's App Review page says it typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours, and that incomplete submissions take longer. You'll get emails as the status changes.

If the app is rejected, the message appears in App Store Connect. Fix the issue, reply to App Review, and resubmit; metadata-only problems don't need a new build. Common causes are covered in App Store rejection reasons.

You pick the release option before or during review:

For updates, you can also turn on phased release, which rolls automatic updates out gradually over seven days and can be paused.

To ship an update, add a new version in App Store Connect, upload a build with a higher build number, write What's New text that describes the actual changes, and submit again. Screenshots and the description are tied to a version, so you change them with an update; promotional text can be edited at any time.