Getting an app built is half the job. Getting it live — and keeping it live — is the other half. Here is how it actually works.
The accounts
- Apple Developer Program — an annual fee, paid to Apple. Registered as an individual or as a company (a company registration needs a D-U-N-S number and takes longer).
- Google Play Console — a one-time fee. Faster to set up than Apple.
These accounts should be registered to you, the business owner — not to your developer. If the agency owns the account, they own your app's presence, your reviews, and your update pipeline. Codrex sets these up in your name and hands you the keys.
What you provide beyond the app
- App name, subtitle and description (in Arabic and English if you are targeting both).
- Keywords for App Store search.
- Screenshots for several device sizes — we produce these.
- An app icon.
- A privacy policy URL (required by both stores).
- A support contact.
The review process
- Apple reviews every submission by hand. Expect a day or two, sometimes longer. Rejections happen and are usually fixable — the common ones are missing privacy details, a login that reviewers cannot test, or a feature that looks like it belongs on the web instead of in an app.
- Google is mostly automated and faster, with stricter ongoing policy checks after launch.
After launch
- Both stores push OS updates that can break older code — this is why an app needs maintenance, not just a launch.
- Respond to reviews. It affects your rating and your ranking.
- Watch your crash and performance metrics; both consoles report them.
App Store Optimisation (ASO)
The store is a search engine. Your title, subtitle, keywords and screenshots decide how many people who could find your app actually do. It is worth getting right, and worth revisiting every few months.