Whether you decide to involve an iPhone app development company or settle for an in-house team, it helps to keep updated with the best practices to getting your app live on the Apple App Store.
Most first-time entrepreneurs soon realize that getting your app live can be quite challenging, and more often than not, requires a stringent process and uncanny attention to detail throughout.
If you’re unfamiliar about the requirements of each process involved or are not up-to-date with the requirements, then your app will likely face many hindrances in getting published.
So we have put together a comprehensive list of review practices, guidelines, and tools that will help you build an app that’s sure to get approved for the App Store.
“We have created the App Store with two goals in mind: that it be a safe and trusted place for customers to discover and download apps, and a great business opportunity for all developers.”
-Apple
Conditions That An App Needs To Meet For Publishing Clearance
Apple says 40% of apps rejected by Apple is due to violation of Guidelines 2.1
Whether you want to publish your app on App Store or Google Play, both have a very explicitly directorial principle that will not only provide a safe, valuable and engaging experience to your users but also gets your app a publishing clearance. Listed below are simple guidelines and common concerns that you need to address before submitting your app for review.
App Performance
Apple requires high-quality performance experience for users and compliance with the following:
- No performance glitches
- App completeness
- Accurate metadata
- Compatibility with existing hardware
- Delivery to all software requirements
- TestFlight Beta Testing solution
You need to use the in-app purchase option if you want to include the possibility of unlocking features or functionality in the app and be mindful about:
- You can provide in-app purchase currencies
- Credits, in-game and app currencies cannot expire
- Assign accurate purchase ability type to each feature
When including auto-renewable subscription plan into your app, make sure to adhere to following guidelines:
- Deliver on-going value for users
- Subscription must be applied on all of the users’ devices
- Don’t force users to review and rate the app, or take similar actions
- Don’t enforce the performance of additional tasks on users
- Don’t trick users into buying the subscription under a scam or pretenses
- Clearly define what value users receive against the subscription
- Provide smooth upgrade and downgrade experience
When your app sells goods that are consumed outside the app’s environment, you must use separate methods than in-app purchases, like Apple Pay.
- Provide complete information about the purchased material
- Use Apple Pay branding and UI aspects accurately
- Disclose the length of the term, services provided during the period, billing amount and cancellation process when using a recurring payment system.
Following are the minimum design standards that you need to follow for approval:
- App Store has no space for duplicated content and ideas
- Include features, functionalities, UI, and content that increase app value
- If you are using ARKit, ensure your app deliver a high-end AR experience
- Provide complete and transparent information about the app and all downloadable materials
- Apps containing additional version must comply to App Extensive Programming Guide
- If an app uses exclusive third-party sign-in or social login services, it must also offer a sign-in option with Apple.
Apps should comply with all legal requirement applied within a suitable location and abide by the following:
- Protect users’ privacy
- Include a link to your privacy policy
- Handle users’ data with care
- Take consent for the collection of users’ data and their usage behavior
- Inform if you share data with third-party
- Describe data retention and deletion policy
- Provide an easily visible and understanding way to withdraw consent
- Only collect data that is necessary to perform app functions
- Only use data for the purpose communicated to the users
- Health-related apps must provide valid and accurate data. They must obtain consent when conducting health-related research with human subjects and secure approval of the ethics review board.
- Comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act when handling personal data from minors
- Use location services only when it necessary for the app features
- Ensure your app include content and elements are intellectually your property
- If you have built gambling, gaming or lottery app, make sure to vet the legal obligations fully
Privacy and Security Conditions for Publishing
As you can imagine, Apple takes the security and privacy of its users very seriously. However, even though the iPhone app development team at Tekrevol can better guide you with building an app that meets all security, privacy, design, development, UI and user experience guidelines of Apple with flying colors, we have put together a list that helps you better understand what Apple excepts from its apps.
To publish your app on apple, you must adhere to the following guidelines:
- Zero discrimination in content or other media
- Comply with policies about intellectual policy concerns
- Filtering and banning option available for abusive users and content
- Providing developer contact details to the users
- No information related to medical guidance or one that promotes the use of harmful substances like drugs or vape.
- Visible contact information
- Provide appropriate security measures for usersFor apps targeted towards kids:
- No external links that lead to unguarded sources or platforms
- Adherence of all privacy laws applicable to minors
Privacy Policy
Apple requires developers to respect the consent and preferences of users and secure their personal data and how you use the data. Following are guidelines Apple need you to adhere:
- Obtain users’ consent for collecting their data following the applicable laws.
- Only request access to users’ personal information or on-device data (contacts, location, photo, etc.) if your app absolutely needs this data.
- Clearly communicate to users how you plan to use their data and provide a link to your privacy policy.
- Offer setting options that enable users to disable access to their sensitive information.
- Use the most potent data protection measures and App Transport Security to ensure better safety for users.
- If your app records audio, make sure the app system alert users at the start of the audio session and provide the option to disable the recording at any time.
How An App Gets Rejected:
Designing and development of iPhone apps take a lot of time and efforts and nothing is worse than watching your investing and labor ending up with a notice of rejection from Apple. However, we have prepared a list of common mistakes that result in denial of your app within the app review process.
Placeholder Content
Incorporate the final images and text into your app and make sure it’s complete and ready for the end-users before sending it for review.
Developer Tools Available:
One of the reasons developers love building iPhone apps is the comprehensive list of some of the best developers’ tools Apple provides. Here is a list of some of Apple classic and some rather new and revolutionary developers’ tools.
It is a new tool that enables developers to build, train and deploy machine learning systems without needing expertise in the technology.
- It offers ML model templates.
- A multi-model training system.
- A preview option that helps you test the system before deploying.
- Optimize the models with Swift Code and APIs.
Feedback Assistant
One of the new developers’ tools, Feedback Assistant, improves the Apple environment for you. It allows developers to easily submit sound bug reports and request Apple for improvements in APIs.
- Automatic on-device diagnostics
- Remote bug filing
- More extensive bug forms
- A better understanding of bug statuses
It helps developers create animations and interactions for Apple devices to enhance the 3D content for AR experiences that can be integrated within apps using Xcode.
- A built-in library
- An animations and audio platform
- Seamless tools like Xcode
- Record and replay sensor and camera data
- The RealtyKit comes with top-notch rendering, scalable performance, Swift API, and shared AR experiences.
It is an intuitive programming language for iOS and other operating systems by Apple. It provides modern features and concise and extensive syntax for developers and helps them write code interactively. It is safe by design and allows the development of software that is super-fast.
Built for touch, Swift Playground is an iPad app that helps developers learn and explore creating small programs called playgrounds that immediately show the result of your code. It is excellent for learning and exploring more creative coding concepts to build something entirely unique.
Xcode 11 offers developers everything they need to build brilliant applications and get them published on the App Store. It helps make the best of SwiftUI a new user interface framework that empowers developers to build apps with:
- Declarative syntax
- Native on all Apple platforms
- Design tools
- Live mode
As the business and the digital world become more and more competitive, creating a fantastic platform isn’t enough anymore. This is why Apple provide several marketing tools available to developers, entrepreneurs and businesses helping them organically promote their app and reach a broader range of audiences.
App Store Badges
Including a clearly visible App Store on your social media, website, and other digital and printed materials will work as an undeniable call to action. Apple offers badges in 40 localized versions to further help you reach a wider audience.
Apple Product Images
You can use images provided by Apple on all marketing and branded material and business communications displayed on Apple devices that your app supports. However, Apple encourages using images of the latest generation product that you have developed your app for.
Custom Photography and Video
Apple allows you to record and use custom photographs and videos of Apple products featuring your app in an authentic, realistic, interactive, and the same way as a user will experience. However, you can use shots or extreme angles that focus more on Apple’s product or try to benefit from Apple’s brand value.
Messaging and Writing Style
Apple allows you to attract your users with a promotional headline and descriptive text that focuses on your app features and value, including a call to action to download the app.
Wrap up
With an extensive spread of review guidelines, principles, and quality checks for developers to get their apps published on the Apple App Store, the tech company has been able to establish one of the most globally renowned brands for its high-end quality. However, with tech advancements, you can make sure your app finds its place in the App Store with a fast approval by partnering with an iPhone app development company that guides you not just with building the app but also with getting the app live.
Originally published at https://www.tekrevol.com on February 28, 2020.
