Surviving the App Stores

If you thought building the app was hard, wait until you try to publish it. The app store submission process is its own kind of adventure. 😅

Google Play: Not What We Expected

We assumed Google Play would be the easy one. Everyone says Apple is the strict one, right? Well, Google had its own surprises for us.

The big hurdle was Google's new developer verification requirements. They now require a minimum number of users before they'll even let you publish certain types of apps. For a brand new app with zero users, this was a problem. We had to jump through extra verification steps, provide more documentation about who we are and what the app does, and wait longer than we expected.

It felt like we were being punished for being a new developer. The irony is that these requirements are meant to protect users, but they also make it harder for legitimate new apps to get started. We eventually got through it, but it was frustrating.

Apple App Store: Actually Reasonable

Here's the surprise: Apple was actually more straightforward. We're still working on getting fully approved, but their process has been more predictable.

First submission: rejected. Why? Something about our metadata not matching guidelines. We fixed it.

Second submission: rejected again. This time, they wanted more information about our business model and data handling. We provided it.

Third submission: under review. We're waiting.

The Apple review process is thorough — which is good for users. But at least their requirements are clearly documented. We knew what we needed to fix each time. Google's new user minimum requirement, on the other hand, felt like a vague policy that we had to figure out how to satisfy.

What We Learned

The biggest lesson? Start the app store process early. Don't wait until your app is "done" to figure out what they need. Read the guidelines. Prepare your assets. Have your privacy policy ready. Have your support contact ready.

Also: patience. A lot of patience. Rejections happen. They're not personal. They're just part of the process.

iOS Coming Soon

We're confident we'll get into the App Store eventually. If you're an iPhone user, hang tight — we're working on it! 📱