Pre-registration on Google Play and pre-orders on the App Store

Both stores let people sign up before launch: on the App Store you publish an app for pre-order 2 to 180 days before release (2 to 365 days for a new country of an existing app) and it downloads automatically on release day, and on Google Play you run pre-registration for up to 90 days per country, after which registered users get a notification and, on eligible devices, an automatic install.

Uptika teamPublished: November 5, 2026Last updated: November 5, 20266 min readMarkdown version

How do the two systems compare?

	App Store pre-order	Google Play pre-registration
Who can use it	Free and paid apps on all Apple platforms, in countries where the app is not yet released	Apps and games; personal accounts created after 13 November 2023 must first meet the testing requirement
Lead time	Release date 2–180 days out (new app); 2–365 days for a new country of an existing app	Up to 90 days per country
On launch day	Notification and automatic download on the device used to pre-order	Notification; automatic install on eligible devices
Rewards	None built in (you can thank pre-orderers in the app using the pre-order date in the receipt)	One optional pre-registration reward (a one-time product)
Charging	Paid apps are charged on release, at the lower of the pre-order and release-day price	Free to register
Extra pages	Custom product pages and product page optimization (for existing apps)	Custom store listings for pre-registered users; listing experiments with pre-registration clicks
Reports	App Analytics; Sales and Trends pre-orders and cancellations	Pre-registered users and conversions (installs within 14 days)
How many	Per country, set in App Availability	Up to two apps in pre-registration at a time

How do I set up an App Store pre-order?

Required role: Account Holder, Admin or App Manager.

For a brand-new app:

In Apps, select the app. In the sidebar click Pricing and Availability, scroll to App Availability and click Set Up Availability.
Select Publish as Pre-Order, click Next.
Choose a release date 2 to 180 days in the future, click Next. You can change it later, before release.
Select countries or regions, click Next, then Confirm.
Go to the platform version and submit it for review.
Once approved, click Release This Version and Confirm. The pre-order goes live immediately and can take up to 24 hours to appear for everyone.

For a new country of an app already on sale: Pricing and Availability > App Availability > Manage > Set Up Pre-Order, with a release date 2 to 365 days out. It goes live immediately using the version that is Ready for Distribution.

Rules to know:

Once an app is released in a country, it cannot go back to pre-order there.
In-app purchases cannot be pre-ordered, but set them up during the pre-order so they are ready on release; promoted in-app purchases show only after release.
If the release date is less than 180 days away, the product page shows the full date; further out, only month and year.
Apple does not notify pre-orderers if you change the date or remove the pre-order, so tell them yourself.
You can release early to everyone ("Release your app to customers immediately") or remove the pre-order; after the release date passes it cannot be republished as a pre-order.
Pre-orders work on iOS 11.2, iPadOS 13, macOS 10.13.2, tvOS 11.2, watchOS 6 and later.

How do I set up Google Play pre-registration?

The menu is Test and release > Pre-registration (in some places Test and release > Testing > Pre-registration).

Prepare. Complete the app content declarations, finish the store listing with graphics and translations, and ideally test on a test track first. To make the app eligible for auto-install, declare whether it contains ads and, if you sell one-time products, include the billing permission in the bundle on the pre-registration track.
Supported devices. In the Supported devices tab, upload an app bundle; it defines which devices can pre-register and is not released to users.
Countries. In Countries/regions, add where people can pre-register. The 90-day window starts per country the first time you open it there.
Reward (optional). In Rewards, choose a dedicated one-time product as a reward, add terms links and save. You get one reward per campaign; it cannot be edited or deleted after creation, and must be set before the campaign starts. Failing to deliver it can lead to suspension.
Start. Click Start pre-registration. Your listing URL stays the normal play.google.com address with your package name.
Launch. Publish to production in the chosen countries. Registered users get a notification; eligible devices auto-install.

Auto-install conditions: Android M or later, Play Store 19.2 or later, not child or managed enterprise accounts; apps up to 200 MB install on Wi-Fi or mobile data, 200 MB to 2 GB on Wi-Fi only, above 2 GB not at all.

If you do not launch within 90 days in any of your pre-registration countries, the campaign ends in all countries and you cannot start a new one. Plan dates before you switch it on.

How do I promote a pre-launch page?

App Store: use the official pre-order badge, link to your product page, and run Apple Ads during the pre-order. Existing apps can use custom product pages for different audiences.
Google Play: link to your listing URL with the official pre-registration badge, and create a custom store listing shown only to users in pre-registration countries. Google Play promotional content also has a "pre-registration announcement" type, which runs for a set one week.
Featuring: tell Apple's editors about the launch with a featuring nomination of type App Launch, and request featuring for a promotional content event on Google Play where eligible. See How to get featured.
Ads: Google App campaigns include a pre-registration campaign type.

How do I read the results?

Google Play: in Statistics, add Pre-registered users and Conversions (pre-registered users who installed within 14 days of availability). The Pre-registration page's track summary shows each country's status and days left.
App Store: App Analytics shows pre-orders by date, region and source; Sales and Trends shows pre-orders and cancellations.

Common mistakes

Opening pre-registration too early, then missing the 90-day window.
Changing the App Store date without telling pre-orderers.
Running a pre-registration country where an open test already runs: users who joined the test cannot pre-register until they leave it.
A reward product reused from the store; Google requires a new, dedicated one.

How does Uptika help at launch?

From the first day the listing is public, Uptika's Keyword radar records your rank for each target search daily, the Rival log shows what competitors change around your launch, and the free Chart Movers tool shows new entrants in your category's charts. The Free plan tracks one app in one storefront: start free.

The full timeline is in the App launch checklist, and the bigger plan in How to increase app downloads and How to market an app.

Questions

How does Google Play pre-registration work?

You make the app available for pre-registration in chosen countries; people tap Pre-register on your listing. When you publish to production, they get a Google Play notification and eligible devices install the app automatically. Each country's campaign can run for up to 90 days.

Can I put my app on pre-order on the App Store?

Yes, free or paid, on any Apple platform, in any country where it has not been released. In App Store Connect choose Pricing and Availability > Set Up Availability > Publish as Pre-Order, set a release date 2 to 180 days out, submit for review, then click Release This Version to publish the pre-order.

Do pre-registrations count as installs?

No, they are tracked separately. Play Console reports pre-registered users and conversions, meaning pre-registered users who installed within 14 days of the app becoming available to them. On the App Store, pre-orders appear in App Analytics and in Sales and Trends as pre-orders and cancellations.

How long can pre-registration run?

Up to 90 days per country on Google Play. If you have not launched within 90 days in a country, the campaign ends in all countries and no new pre-registration campaign can start. App Store pre-orders for new apps can be set 2 to 180 days ahead.