How to Publish an App on the App Store in 2026: What It Really Takes
Most first App Store submissions stall on the paperwork around the app, not the code. The 2026 checklist, from the developer account and age rating to account deletion, privacy labels and TestFlight.
To publish an app on the App Store in 2026 you need an Apple Developer Program membership, a build made with Xcode 26 or later, a complete App Store Connect listing with an age rating and privacy details, account deletion inside the app if people can create accounts, and an approval from App Review. Most first submissions that stall do so on the paperwork around the app, not the code.
I am Darrick Long, founder of The HQ Labz Agency in Birmingham, Alabama. We build iPhone and Android apps and take them through TestFlight and the stores, including Construct Hub Pro, the field report app we built for a commercial truss installer. This is the checklist I give owners before they set a launch date, with Apple's and Google's own pages as the sources.
The short answer: your App Store checklist
- Enroll in the Apple Developer Program, ideally as your company.
- Build with Xcode 26 or later and target iOS 13 or later.
- Create the app record in App Store Connect: name, description, screenshots, support and privacy policy links.
- Answer the age rating questionnaire.
- Complete the App Privacy details, including what your third-party tools collect.
- Put account deletion inside the app if the app has sign-up.
- Ask permission before sharing personal data with third parties, including third-party AI.
- Test with TestFlight, then submit for App Review with a working demo account.
Each step is explained below.
Step 1: Set up the right developer account
Apple's Developer Program costs $99 per membership year. If you enroll as an organization, Apple requires a D-U-N-S Number and a legal entity that can sign contracts; Apple does not accept DBAs or trade names. Your organization's name is shown as the seller on the App Store, so enroll the company you want customers to see, and make sure your privacy policy and terms name the same company.
For Android, Google Play charges a one-time $25 registration fee. One detail catches small teams: Google requires developers with personal accounts created after November 13, 2023, to run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 days in a row before they can publish. Plan for those two weeks, or look at whether an organization account fits your business.
Step 2: Meet the current build requirements
Since April 28, 2026, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later using the iOS 26 SDK. Since September 9, 2026, iOS and iPadOS apps must target iOS 13 or later. If your developer is maintaining an older project, ask directly whether it builds with the current tools before you plan a release.
Step 3: Answer the new age rating questionnaire
Every app needs an age rating, and an unrated app cannot be published. Apple moved to a new scale of 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+, and asked every developer to answer the updated questions by January 31, 2026, to avoid interruptions when submitting updates.
The questionnaire now covers more than violence and mature themes. It asks about parental controls and age assurance, user-generated content, social media features, messaging and chat, advertising, unrestricted web access, medical and wellness topics, and contests and loot boxes. Apple's guideline 2.3.6 asks you to answer honestly, because a mis-rated app can surprise customers and draw questions from regulators.
For most business apps the answers are straightforward, but someone has to own them. Ask your developer who is filling it in, and read the answers before they are submitted.
Step 4: Fill in privacy labels and get consent for AI
The App Privacy section, often called the privacy nutrition label, is required for new apps and every update. You must disclose what data you collect, whether it is linked to the person, and whether it is used for tracking. Apple is explicit that this includes the practices of third-party partners whose code is in your app: analytics tools, ad networks and other SDKs. You also need a publicly accessible privacy policy URL.
If your app sends personal data to an AI service, read guideline 5.1.2(i) closely. Apple requires you to clearly disclose where personal data will be shared with third parties, including third-party AI, and to get explicit permission before doing so. Naming the provider in your privacy policy is half of it; the consent step is a feature someone has to design and build.
Step 5: Build account deletion into the app
Guideline 5.1.1(v) says that if your app supports account creation, it must offer account deletion within the app. Apple's support page adds the details that matter:
- The option should be easy to find, typically in account settings.
- Apps outside highly regulated industries should not require a phone call, an email or a support flow to delete an account.
- Deactivating an account is not enough; the account record and associated personal data should be deleted.
- If you are legally required to keep some information, tell people what will and will not be kept.
- If deletion takes time, tell the person how long and confirm when it is done.
Google Play has the same in-app requirement, plus a web link where people can request deletion without reinstalling the app. That link also goes in Google's Data safety form.
Business apps are not exempt. Apple's page says everyone should be able to delete their account, and it covers automatically created accounts too. For a work app, decide early how a deleted user's records are handled. When we prepared Construct Hub Pro's iPhone app, deletion was built in two places, in the app and on the web, and before anyone confirms, the screen shows what will be deleted and which work records the company keeps.
Step 6: Test with TestFlight before you submit
TestFlight is Apple's beta testing service. You can add up to 100 internal testers from your App Store Connect team and invite up to 10,000 external testers by email or public link. The first build you send to external testers goes through a review; later builds may not need a full one. Each build stays available for testing for up to 90 days.
Use this stage to test the real scenarios, not just the happy path: a weak signal, the app closed mid-task, a large text size, a brand new account. Construct Hub Pro's iPhone app is in TestFlight now, where we test it on real devices before it goes to App Review.
Step 7: Pass App Review
A few guidelines account for most avoidable delays:
- 2.1 App completeness. Submit a final version with working links, and include a demo account if the app has a login, with your servers switched on.
- 2.3 Accurate metadata. Screenshots, description and privacy information must reflect what the app actually does.
- 4.2 Minimum functionality. Apple expects an app to offer more than a repackaged website. A thin wrapper around your existing site is likely to be turned away under this guideline.
- 4.8 Login services. If you offer a third-party or social sign-in such as Google, you must also offer an equivalent privacy-focused option such as Sign in with Apple. Email and password on your own system does not trigger this.
How long it really takes
Budget the store work as its own phase, not the last afternoon of the project. Account enrollment, the listing, privacy answers, account deletion and a round of TestFlight testing are real work, and Google's closed test can add two weeks on its own.
At HQ Labz, our mobile app work runs from a clickable prototype to an app with its web admin and store launch. Our rate is $100 an hour, the discovery call is free, and the written quote names the store work alongside the build. See our services and the Construct Hub Pro case study.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to publish an app on the App Store?
Apple charges $99 per membership year for the Apple Developer Program. Google Play charges a one-time $25 registration fee. The larger cost is the work to prepare the listing, privacy answers, account deletion and testing.
Do I have to let users delete their account in my app?
Yes, if your app lets people create an account. Apple guideline 5.1.1(v) requires deletion to be available inside the app, and Google Play also requires a web link where people can request deletion.
What are the new App Store age ratings?
Apple now uses 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+. The questionnaire covers topics such as user-generated content, social media, messaging, advertising, parental controls and age assurance, and an unrated app cannot be published.
How long does a TestFlight build last?
A build can be tested for up to 90 days. You can add up to 100 internal testers and invite up to 10,000 external testers, and the first build for external testers goes through a review.
Do I need a D-U-N-S Number to publish an app?
Only if you enroll as an organization. Apple uses the D-U-N-S Number to verify your legal entity, and your organization name is shown as the seller on the App Store.
Sources
- App Review Guidelines, Apple Developer
- Offering account deletion in your app, Apple Developer
- Upcoming requirements, Apple Developer
- Age ratings values and definitions, App Store Connect Help
- App privacy details on the App Store, Apple Developer
- TestFlight overview, App Store Connect Help
- Enrollment, Apple Developer Program
- Testing requirements for new personal developer accounts, Google Play Console Help
- Account deletion requirements, Google Play Console Help
- Developer account registration, Google Play Console Help
Darrick Long
Darrick Long founded HQ Labz in Birmingham, Alabama. He builds brands, websites, apps and AI agents for small businesses, nonprofits and colleges, and runs his own company on an AI chief of staff he built, called Coulson.