App launch checklist: from 6 weeks out to launch day

A smooth app launch starts about six weeks out, because several store rules need lead time: new personal Google Play accounts need a 14-day closed test with at least 12 testers before production, Apple asks for featuring nominations at least two to three weeks ahead, Google Play featuring requests need 14 days, and promotional content can take up to four days to approve.

Uptika teamPublished: November 5, 2026Last updated: November 5, 20265 min readMarkdown version

Which store rules set the timeline?

Rule	Lead time	Store
Closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 days in a row, for personal accounts created after 13 November 2023	14 days plus the production access review	Google Play
Featuring nomination	At least 2 weeks; 3 weeks advised in App Store Connect Help; up to 3 months for wider consideration	App Store
Featuring request on promotional content	Submit at least 14 days before the event	Google Play
Promotional content approval	Up to 4 days; earliest submission 60 days before the start	Google Play
In-app event	Can be promoted up to 14 days before it starts; lasts up to 31 days	App Store
Pre-order release date	2 to 180 days after publishing the pre-order (new app)	App Store
Pre-registration	Up to 90 days per country	Google Play
App Review	Apple says 50% of submissions are reviewed in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours	App Store

6 weeks out: accounts, builds, testing

Apple Developer Program membership active; Google Play developer account verified.
Paid Apps agreement accepted in App Store Connect and payments profile set up in Play Console, if you charge.
App record created in both consoles; bundle ID and package name final. Step by step: publish on the App Store, publish on Google Play.
Google Play personal account opened after 13 November 2023: start the closed test now. At least 12 testers must stay opted in for 14 consecutive days before you can apply for production access: the 12 testers, 14 days rule.
TestFlight round with internal and external testers on iOS: TestFlight guide.
Crash reporting and analytics in the build.
Decide launch countries and languages.

4 weeks out: store listing and assets

Name (30), subtitle (30) and keyword field (100 bytes) on the App Store; title (30), short description (80) and full description (4,000) on Google Play, written around real searches.
Screenshots at the required sizes: iPhone medium Dynamic Island (1206×2622 or 1179×2556), plus a 6.9-inch set; iPad 13-inch if supported; Google Play phone screenshots and the 1024×500 feature graphic. See App Store screenshot sizes and Google Play graphics.
Icons: 1024×1024 in the iOS build, 512×512 PNG for Google Play: App icon sizes.
Optional app preview (15–30 s) and Google Play YouTube video: App preview video specs.
Localized text and captions for each launch language.
Privacy details on the App Store and the Data safety form on Google Play; age rating and content rating questionnaires.
Prices and in-app products set: App Store pricing.

3 weeks out: demand and featuring

Featuring nomination in App Store Connect (type App Launch), with countries, a clear description and up to 5 supporting links: How to get featured.
Pre-order on the App Store or pre-registration on Google Play if you want people waiting on launch day: Pre-registration and pre-orders.
Website or landing page with store badges and links.
A press and community list, with a short note and assets ready.

2 weeks out: events and promotional content

In-app event created and submitted if you have a launch challenge or content drop; it can be promoted up to 14 days early.
Google Play promotional content event submitted, with featuring requested at least 14 days before the start (approval can take up to four days).
Apple Ads and Google App campaigns drafted, not started: brand terms and a few precise category terms.

1 week out: submission and release settings

Submit the iOS build for review with App Review notes (up to 4,000 bytes) and a non-expiring demo account if the app needs a login.
Choose the App Store release option: manual release, automatic after approval, or scheduled after a date.
Google Play production release prepared; decide on a staged rollout percentage.
Support email and a help page live; review reply templates written.

Launch day

Release on both stores; check that the listing is live in every launch country.
Open the listing on a phone in each main country: right language, right screenshots, prices correct.
Start ads campaigns.
Post to your community and email list with direct store links.
Thank pre-orderers or pre-registered users in the app if you planned it.

First week after launch

Crashes and ANRs daily; on Google Play, user-perceived crash rates above 1.09% or ANR rates above 0.47% count as bad behaviour.
Reply to reviews, especially low ratings that mention bugs.
Ranks for your target searches in each country.
Impressions, product page views and conversion rate per country.
Ask for ratings with the system prompts after a success moment, never on first launch.
Note what to change in the first update; plan the release notes.

How does Uptika help after launch?

From launch day, Uptika's Keyword radar records your rank for every target search daily (top 200 on the App Store, top 30 on Google Play), category charts are read every 3 hours, new reviews every 6 hours, and the Daily ping summarizes the night's changes each morning. The Rival log shows what competitors change around your launch. For a free check of the listing before you launch, run Listing X-Ray or paste your text into the Metadata Linter. The Free plan tracks one app in one storefront: start free.

More on the bigger plan: How to increase app downloads and How to market an app.

Questions

What should be on an app launch checklist?

Accounts and agreements, testing (TestFlight, Google Play closed testing), store listing text and assets for each language, privacy and content declarations, pricing, pre-orders or pre-registration, featuring nominations, launch-day release settings, and a plan for the first week: reviews, crashes, ranks and conversion.

What should I do before launching an app?

Test on real devices, complete the store listing and declarations, set prices and agreements, prepare screenshots at the required sizes, nominate the launch for featuring, set up pre-orders or pre-registration if you want demand on day one, and decide whether to release automatically or manually after approval.

What is on an iOS app launch checklist?

An Apple Developer membership, a Paid Apps agreement if you charge, a TestFlight round, screenshots for the required iPhone and iPad sizes, name, subtitle, keywords and description, privacy details, age rating, review notes with a demo account if login is needed, a release option, and a featuring nomination.

How do I launch an app successfully?

Give the store rules their lead time, launch with a listing that converts, create a moment (pre-orders, an event, a featuring nomination), and watch the first week closely: crashes, reviews, search ranks and conversion per country. Fix the biggest problem first.