The purpose of this document is to outline the steps and assets needed for submission to both App Store Connect and Google Play. This is a multi-part process as certain credentials need to be created and packaged with your app before it can be uploaded to the store. The flow of this document will be:
Depending on your situation, you may need to start at a different section than the beginning. For example, if MobileSmith has previously submitted apps on your behalf, then assets created in section 3.1 have already been created. Therefore, you would need to start at section 3.2.
To submit an app to Apple App Store Connect, you must be enrolled in the Apple Developer Program. The following steps will get you started on the process to create an Apple ID and then enroll that ID in the Apple Developer Program. Apple charges $99/year for membership to this program.
A few important items to note:
Apple provides detailed instructions on how to create an Apple ID.
Instructions for enrolling in the developer program are as follows:
To submit an app to the Google Play store, you must have a Google Play Console account. There will be a one-time registration fee of $25.
Instructions for gaining access to your Developer Console are as follows:
The MobileSmith Platform requires different sets of files, some at the account level and others at the app level.
The following is a list of all assets needed at the Account level to do a proper build for submission to both stores. Important note: These assets will need to be provided to MobileSmith as only your Service Delivery Representative has this level of access.
Apple
The iOS Global Distribution Certificate will need to be renewed annually and provided to MobileSmith each time.
Android
Once the Keystore is created, this file and associated information should be stored in a safe place as it cannot change for the life of any apps submitted to the store using the keystore.
The following is a list of assets which are needed on a per app basis.
Apple
Android
The next section will walk you through how to create all these assets and where they are used in the MobileSmith platform.
This section of the document walks through the steps of how to create all the assets needed for your account and mobile app. For those assets created for the mobile app, details of where those assets are needed in the MobileSmith Platform will also be included in the instructions.
All Apple assets will need to be created using a Mac computer. In addition, you will need a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
The following steps will walk you through how to create your Global Distribution Certificate in the iOS Dev Center and then export it to create the .p12 file which MobileSmith requires.
Each company should have an Android keystore which is used in the Android build process. The purpose of the keystore is to ensure each application is digitally signed with a certificate that is owned by the application developer. Android uses the certificate to identify the author of an application and establish trust relationships between applications. One of the easiest ways to manage your keystore is to use the KeyStore Explorer tool which can be downloaded here: https://keystore-explorer.org/
The following steps will need to be followed for each application created in the MobileSmith platform. Everything will be created in the iOS Dev Center.
Android app credentials are created in the Firebase console. At a minimum you will need to set up for use of push notifications which you get by default when you create an Android app for your project. Optionally you can enable Google Analytics if you would like to track your app analytics using Google. These instructions will include both.
MobileSmith Platform app list screen
Firebase Console
This step is optional. If you do not want to enable Google Analytics in your app, you do not need to proceed with this section.
Price: The price determines the App Store price and your proceeds. If your app is free, choose Free.
Availability: Choose where your app is available to download. Note: We recommend making your app available only in the United States.
Reference the Google Play Launch checklist for detailed steps on creating an app in Google Play. Step 9 is a good place to start.
Title: The name of your app as it will appear on the App Store. 50-character limit.
Short Description: This is what is listed before you click for the full description on the app page. 80-character limit.
Full Description: This is what is listed if they click to get the full description. 4,000-character limit.
Screenshots: JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha). Min length for any side: 320px. Max length for any side: 3840px. At least 2 screenshots are required overall. Max 8 screenshots per type. Note: If you are creating modified screenshots, the submission sizes need to be 1440 x 2560 pixels.
App Icon: 512 x 512 px. 32-bit PNG (with alpha)
Feature Graphic: 1024 x 500 px. JPGor 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
Promo Graphic (Optional): 180 x 120 px. JPG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
Website: A URL with marketing information about your app. This URL will be visible on the App Store.
Email: Please provide an email address where you may be contacted. This address will be publicly displayed with your app.
Phone (Optional): Please provide a phone number where you may be contacted.
Privacy Policy URL: We will need a link to your privacy policy on your website to be used in the app store and the app itself. Please provide me with this URL.
Price: The price determines the App Store price and your proceeds. If your app is free, choose Free.
Availability: Choose where your app is available to download. Note: We recommend making your app available only in the United States.
Submitting a new version of an existing app to the app store is very similar to the steps taken in the initial submission.
Submitting a new version to the app store will require a build with an incremented iOS Version number.
To submit an update, follow these steps:
To submit an update, follow these steps: