App Store submission
Before Appolar submits your binary, you fill in the metadata that appears on your store listing. This is the copy customers read before they download, and the information reviewers check against the app itself.
App metadata
All metadata is set in Appolar Admin → Settings → App Metadata. You fill it in once and it applies to both the App Store and Google Play submissions.
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| App Name | 30 characters | Appears under the icon on the home screen and in search results |
| Subtitle (iOS) | 30 characters | One-line tagline shown below the name on your App Store listing |
| Description | 4,000 characters | Full listing copy. First three lines show before "more" on iOS. |
| Keywords (iOS) | 100 characters | Comma-separated. Used for App Store search ranking. Not shown publicly. |
| Support URL | Required | A URL where customers can get help. Can be your store's contact page. |
| Privacy Policy URL | Required | Must be publicly accessible. Both stores reject without it. |
Write your description for a real customer, not for keyword density. Apple reviewers read it against the actual app behavior. A description that claims features the app does not have is a rejection trigger.
Screenshots
Both stores require screenshots for each supported device size. Appolar can auto-generate them from your live preview so you do not need a design tool or a physical device.
Auto-generated screenshots capture your configured app at the correct pixel dimensions for each required device type. For iOS, that means iPhone 6.9-inch (iPhone 16 Pro Max), 6.5-inch (iPhone 14 Plus), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch. For Google Play, a phone screenshot set is required and a 7-inch tablet set is recommended.
To generate screenshots: go to Admin → Settings → Screenshots and click Generate. The process takes about 2 minutes. Each generated screenshot can be replaced individually with a custom image if you prefer.
At minimum, provide 3 screenshots per required device size. Apple accepts up to 10 per size. More screenshots with clear captions improve conversion rates on your listing page.
Privacy nutrition labels
Apple requires a privacy nutrition label describing the data your app collects and how it is used. Google Play has a similar Data safety section. Both are visible on your store listing before a customer downloads the app.
Appolar pre-fills these based on what the engine actually collects: account information (email, name) for Shopify customer accounts, purchase history for order tracking, and device identifiers for push notifications. Review the pre-filled values in Admin → Settings → Privacy before submitting.
If you have added third-party SDKs or analytics to your app configuration, those data practices must be declared here too. Contact support if you are unsure what to declare.
App Review information
Both Apple and Google allow you to include a note for the reviewer. This is optional but often useful for first submissions.
Common things to include:
- If your store requires a customer account to browse or purchase, provide a test account email and password so the reviewer can log in.
- If you sell in specific regions or your store has any access restrictions, explain them here. Reviewers test from Apple and Google's server infrastructure, which may be in a different region than your primary market.
- If you are submitting to App Store and your store is in a specific category (food, alcohol, healthcare), note the relevant compliance in the review notes.
Review notes are set in Admin → Settings → App Metadata → Review Information. They are visible only to the reviewer, not on the public listing.
Review timelines
After Appolar submits your binary, each store runs its own independent review. Appolar has no control over review duration.
| Store | First submission | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| App Store | 24-48 hours | A few hours to 24 hours |
| Google Play | Up to 3 days for first submissions | A few hours to 24 hours |
These are typical ranges. Holiday periods and peak submission times can push reviews longer. App Store review times are tracked publicly at developer.apple.com.
If your submission is rejected, you have a few days to respond or resubmit before the submission is cancelled. Most rejections are fixable quickly. See the Common rejections page for the most frequent issues and their fixes.
After approval
Once approved, you control when the app goes live. App Store lets you choose between automatic release (as soon as approved) or manual release (you trigger it from App Store Connect) or a specific date. Google Play uses tracks: internal, closed, open, and production. Appolar submits to the track you configure in Admin → Settings → Release.
Appolar sends you an email notification when each store approves and publishes your app. After it goes live, customers can find it by searching for your app name on the App Store or Google Play, or by following a direct link you share.
Your first customers will need to install the app from the store. After that, future updates to your app's appearance and content go out over the air and existing customers receive them automatically on next open.