Can anyone tell me how to set a specific release date in new iTunesConnect interface, after approval with pending developer release state?
Our release should for some reason at a weekend now, so changing from manually release to a date would be nice. But now where the app is in pending developer release state, I can not find the option for a specific release date anymore.
According to Apple App distribution guide:
Use iTunes Connect to set a date when the app is available on the store. For example, you can choose a date that immediately releases the app to the store after it’s approved, or you can set a later date. Using a later availability date allows you to arrange other marketing activities around the launch of your app.
The screenshot in documentation is outdated though. See the image below.
Steps:
Login to iTunes connect
Select Apps
Select your application
Click Prepare for Submission
Scroll down the detail page to bottom to see option to manually
release the app.
Note that if you set a date too early, it is entirely possible that your app will not be released until and unless the review is complete.
Also, if you decide to update your app during review time, you will have to restart entire process and lose progress on current app review.
Related
Today I experienced some strange behaviour of the Appstore. We released new update for our app, it became live for couple of hours -> I could see it also in our analytics, but after couple of hours the update was rollbacked & is not accesible on the Appstore anymore, although in iTunes Connect this update is in state Ready for sale.
I was looking for reasons why it disappeared from the AppStore, but I couldn't find one.
Our app doesn't provide any in-app purchases, nor any advertisements/iAds.
The only thing I've found on the Itunes Connect was this official explanation in Apple's documentation.
My app status is Ready for Sale but I cannot see my app on the App Store. Why?
The following factors could prevent your app from showing up on the App Store:
Make sure to check the status of your agreements. If the agreement status is Pending Contract, you may have to agree to the PLA or Paid Applications agreement or complete the associated bank and tax information for that agreement.
Make sure the availability date provided in the Rights and Pricing section is prior to today's date.
If the date provided in the Rights and Pricing section is in the past, make sure you made your app available in at least one App Store territory.
If your app was scheduled to go live within the last 24 hours, the app may still be updating in the App Store cache. Once the 24-hour caching window has passed, close and open iTunes and search for your app again. You can also click View in the App Store from the More tab on your app's page in My Apps.
Because the app version went live, I believe we don't apply to any of these points. Furthermore - the dev account is paid & all contracts updated.
Any suggestions?
After all it was the window cache thing. Update made it to the production, but was rollbacked until the appstore cache system didnt push it to prod again. Strange, but after all Apple made our update available to our users
Is anyone else having problems with "availability date" set on itunes connect? Here is what happened to me this time: I set "automatically release on 10/29" when submitting for review, as we usually do to plan an automatic rolling relase on release date. However the app has been approved today and it is now in "Pending developer release" state which is what normally happens if you had selected "Manually release". Anyone having the same issue?
I also tried changing the date in "Availability" under "Pricing and availability" tab but when I save the date goes back to today...
Is it an issue on the new interface? anyone seeing the same?
This is from a 2015 wwdc talk
http://asciiwwdc.com/2015/sessions/302
"We are adding a third new option, which is called Scheduled Release, and for this, you can choose the date and time when your app will move through processing for App Store. So just like manual release, after it's approved, it's going to go into Pending Developer Release, but instead of you logging into iTunes Connect, we'll move it for you at that given date and time."
This is from support regarding automatic release having a "Release this version" button.
"If you elect your app to be automatically released at a predetermined date, the option to release the app version manually will still be present. This is in the event you’d like to release the app earlier than anticipated."
I want to make sure that I have control over the releasedate of my app. Previously I could release myself but this option has dissapeared... So, I put the releasedate in the future.
Now, if I want to release earlier, after the approval of Apple, can I change the releasedate? I cannot find a clear answer on this question...
The option hasn't disappeared. It's still there, but only for app updates.
For the first submission you can only specify a date, but you cannot manually release the app.
If you wish to change this date, you can do it from
iTunes Connect -> Manage Apps -> [YourApp] -> Rights and Pricing
as specified by the iTunes Connect Developer Guide.
When instead you submit an update through iTunes Connect you can specify whether it should be released automatically once approved or not.
The rationale behind this mechanism is specified by this note taken from the same source (emphasis added)
Note: You can use version release control only for app updates. It is not available for the first version of your app because you already have the ability to control when your first version goes live (using the Availability Date setting on the “Rights and Pricing” page). If you decide that you never want to release a Pending Developer Release version, you can reject your binary to submit a new one. You are not permitted to skip over an entire version.
I've uploaded binary to Appstore for review and approval. How to change following settin now:
When they approve it, I don't want to be automaticaly be visible on AppStore. I want to change the setting so i can put it on Appstore when I decide.
It asked me for this setting before binary is uploiaded, but can i change it now?
You can't. iTunesConnect will only ask you this once. Your update will released once approved.
Just reject the binary and upload again, you will be asked the question again.
You Can Not do this.
Check the list here in detail :-
Editing and Updating App Information
Goto rights and pricing info screen (where you can select pricing tiers for your app), and then either choose your app's availability date or deselect all countries from appstores.
The following text was from Apple' doc.
If you choose to automatically release your app update, it will go live as soon as it is approved by Apple (pending the availability date you have set).
If you choose to control the version’s release, your app status will change to Pending Developer Release after it has been approved by App Review, indicating that you can release it to the App Store whenever you are ready.
When you're ready for your app update to go live on the App Store, you are responsible for releasing your app version to the App Store.
Is there any way to change the release date of my current release that's currently "Waiting for Review"? I found "Set availability date" in Rights and Pricing, but that says it will change the availability date for ALL versions, including the one currently in the App Store and my current one will be removed.
Basically I want my update to just be released when I say (kind of like the option when you first upload the binary).
Thanks.
When you marked the app as ready for upload in iTunes Connect you were presented with an option to release immediately or hold for developer release. If it hasn't been in "waiting for review" very long, you could just reject the binary and re-upload, this time picking the "hold for developer release" option.