What are some things and techniques I can do to minimize the time it takes for my apps/updates to be approved for the App Store? Do smaller updates generally take less time, and do paid applications take longer than free ones? What about the size of the binary?
In my experience, everything takes exactly the same amount of time. You sit in the queue for 6 days, then they review it for an hour or so (much less for updates), and you're either in, or rejected. If you are rejected, it will take a few more days to work through whatever the issue was.
So the only way to take less time, is don't be rejected. :) Seriously, though, go read the developer agreement and the "do this and we'll reject you" document.
They aren't even looking at your app for that 6 day "cooling off" period, so I can't imagine what you could do to make it go faster. (Although I've heard that there is a mechanism for expedited updates in emergencies; but I have no first-hand experience with that).
I cannot post a comment yet, so I am posting this as an answer to your question based on my experience submitting new apps, as well as updates to existing apps in iTunesConnect.
Unfortunately there really isn't anything you can do to speed up the process, aside from fixing the issues in your app if it gets rejected, and re-submitting asap.
Apple allows you to request an expedited app review.
https://developer.apple.com/contact/app-store/?topic=expedite
Please note: If you're facing extenuating circumstances, you can request the review of your app to be expedited by completing the form below. Expedited reviews are granted on a limited basis and we cannot guarantee that every request will be approved.
I have personally used it twice. Once for a cosmetic issue in an app, which was rejected. Another time for a critical bug fix, which was accepted. I wrote a very detailed explanation of what my application did, what the bug was, why the bug was important to our (Mine and Apple's) customer.
One thing I have found is that free apps versus paid apps sometimes take different amounts of time.
For example I have a paid and free version of the same app. I submitted an updated for both one right after the other. First I submitted the free version, then I submitted the paid version immediately after. For some reason the paid version went into review, and was approved a day later, where as the free version is still waiting for review even know I submitted it first. I suspect that free and paid apps have different 'queues' or 'priorities' over at apple.
You can request an expedited review in emergencies. I used it once and the update was available about one or two days later.
However, they say, the expedited review will only be granted in limited cases. So I wouldn't use it if not absolutely necessary.
You can request the expedited review in iTunes Connect. I think the option was on the detail page for an app which is 'Waiting for Review'. There was also a list, in which cases an expedited review can be granted.
App approval times will vary depending more on what else is going on, and can otherwise vary for no obviously predictable reason. I've seen a small update to a simple app take longer to approve than a new large app with lots of features.
Maximum app review times seem to be around the days that lots of other developers are submitting apps, near some major holidays, shopping seasons, or when Apple has just released some OS update, app service or new device. Shorter wait times can sometimes be had by avoiding these longer review time periods. There are services that track the number of new apps introduced per week. Look for the nulls.
Staying well away from any hint of violating any of Apple's App store rules or guidelines, or anything else that can be seen as controversial, also helps not getting hit by a long (additional time required) review time. Other factors seem to make less difference.
Take a look Apple review support
Once you've submitted your app for review, you can view its status in the My Apps section of iTunes Connect or on the iTunes Connect App for iPhone and iPad. Review times may vary by app. On average, 50% of apps are reviewed in 24 hours and over 90% are reviewed in 48 hours. If your submission is incomplete, review times may be further delayed or your app may be rejected. Once your app has been reviewed, its status will be updated and you will be notified.
I tried to use the expedited review for an app for a skistation, so it would be available before the winter season started and it was declined.
You need obviously a very good reason like a big security issue etc to get a expedited review.
Step 1:
Related to your project, note what is the third party libraries are involved and make a note what makes it rejected in apple store.
Step 2:
Make your code stable and keeping in mind about rejection points which you cant keep
(i mean like really stable no warnings, no chance with wrong icons, no chance with mistakes).
Step 3:
Finally, then decide to send for review
That will at-least speed up your process. once you get rejected then its a bad, you have to really wait longer. (from experience saying)
Related
I have uploaded a build 4 months ago, and this is my fifth update. All builds approved seamlessly before, however surprisingly apple gave me today surprise reason of City and Profession(from signup form). Now as I don't have any choice, I made some major changes :(
My issue is, why this issue came suddenly, though apple takes such a long tenure of checking and validation(4 days in my case) also we are pledging good amount, unlike android which is far faster and convenient.
Or should I consider, apple indeed failed to work as per their own guidelines at initial level and troubling developers
#iOS developers please comment
It is a common occurrence for Apple to miss something that violates the guidelines initially and reject an app later because of it. I've personally seen a reputable app get rejected for the app icon even though that icon had been in use for months prior to the rejection.
You have to realize that app reviews are done by humans and not nearly as automated as the play store review process. Humans are prone to error and bias. You may have one reviewer that says an aspect of your app follows the guidelines, while another disagrees. You may have a reviewer that doesn't notice an issue at first, but does months later.
The review process can be annoying and inconsistent but it does help Apple to enforce some level of quality in the App Store.
My first iOS app is currently at the "Waiting for Review" stage on iTunes Connect.
Now, we are working on some bug fixes and I need to upload a new build, however, I would like to release the app as soon as possible.
My question is after an app is accepted, how long approximately does it take for Apple to review a new build / version for an app ?
Also see http://appreviewtimes.com to get an idea of current waiting times, based on developers self-reporting on Twitter.
Same as always, 7 to 10 days. Except when you ask for an expedited review, but then you should have a really good reason (and a really popular app ;-).
Any time you change your binary you go back to the end of the review line. The time varies depending on how busy the review team is.
The bulk of the time seems to be in "waiting for review." The actual review process seems to be pretty quick, assuming they don't need more info from you to make their decision.
The process of getting fixes to a rejected build seems to be faster than the original review process.
I would suggest planning on an app review taking 10 days. It might take less time, but that seems to be fairly typical.
94% of all iOS app updates are reviewed within 5 business days at the moment.
You can always check https://developer.apple.com/support/app-store to get the latest info on that.
I have an app in the App Store with a number of different soundboards. I release updates every once in a while with new content. Some content however is forbidden by Apple (foul language) resulting in updates being rejected. To make updating faster and easier, I'm building an update which automatically downloads new content from a server. So my question is; what will happen when content in an update is found inappropriate by Apple? Will my app be removed from the App Store? Will they ban my developer account? Will they even find out? The app is in Dutch and therefore it's quite hard te determine what is permissible by App Store policy and what is not. I had some explicit content accepted in updates, while other seemingly less explicit content got rejected.
Your app is never reviewed by the same person and so much depends on the reviewer. There is a Dutch review team so regarding not noticing due to language, I wouldn't rely on it.
Now I have released apps that breach API terms with youtube and the apps existed on the appstore for a long time. Once it was brought to Apple's attention, they removed the app but did not suspend my developer account (I imagine that you have to break policy repeatedly for this and do something much worse than simply having foul language in your app). In my opinion, If Apple notices that your app has foul language on it, they will simply remove it from sale and ask you to submit an update which addresses the issue as they did in my case.
I'm developing an iOS app and I'm not sure if some of the things I've done will be approved by Apple. Sometimes the reasons of rejections are very hard to predict and I'd like to know if something is wrong earlier.
Does it make sense to submit an unfinished app to Apple Store with a release date couple months in the future just to get some valuable feedback from Apple? I'm pretty sure they'll reject such an app, because they don't allow beta versions to be submitted to Apple Store. But, will they provide me some valuable feedback, that certain parts of the app or of the implementation need to be changed for the app to be approved when it's finished? Or, will they just reject it because it's not finished and won't provide any feedback about the already implemented parts?
Thanks,
Michal
Tricky. In my experience, if they reject it, they'll reject it for the first problem they find. They won't give you a list of reasons. They won't review it thoroughly once they've seen a reason to say no.
So, while I can't see any harm in doing it, there's no guarantee you'll be rejected in a way that gives useful feedback. More likely they'll pick you up on a simple point, and you'll be no wiser.
Updated
Plus, bear in mind, the review system isn't wholly consistent. I've had apps accepted by one reviewer, only to be rejected next time because the later reviewer is more thorough. You could have your alpha app accepted, only to see the polished version rejected after months of work.
A better approach might be to discuss the specific rule you might be breaking on the Apple Dev Forum.
Prior approval of an app, or a type of app, creates no precedent for future app approvals. Developers have submitted bug fix updates and had that app update rejected for violating some App store rule or guideline completely unrelated to the changes.
However an app rejection will give you valuable feedback. So if you think your app is on the edge of acceptability, a rejection might provide useful information regarding the risk of continued development.
For any submission, you need to make sure the app won't be rejected outright for bugs or crashes or other reasons unrelated to the feedback you are seeking.
And if you are a featured high profile or famous developer, then Apple might contact you regarding feedback on your apps under development.
it's almost never checked for critical bugs, it's checked for using private APIs, breaking license agreements and so on.
Currently an update to my iPhone application has been in review for over 10 days!!!
In that period of time I've been able to work out a few bugs and even add some small new features to my application. I know that it is possible to reject your binary, but I would rather go a head a publish my application then send apple a better version 1.1.1...
So basically my question would be if I rejected my apps binary and submitted one right after would my app get pushed to the bottom of the review pile or would I keep my spot in line (since I've already been waiting for 10 days)?
No, rejecting a binary and immediately resubmitting a new one will not maintain your place in line: you would be knocked back to the start of the queue. I base this on my own experience, having rejected and resubmitted binaries a few times in the past.
Now, you might be thinking: "OK, what about the expedited review process?"
I can share some experience with that: With my latest app, I was in the same position you were in but I decided to go ahead and release 1.0 and then submit 1.0.1 soon afterwards. When 1.0 was approved and released, Apple chose it for the "New & Noteworthy" section. All of a sudden the app was getting a lot of exposure—and complaints about a bug that I had fixed in 1.0.1. I submitted 1.0.1—and as well as a request for expedited review—which was approved. 1.0.1 was released about 24 hours later.
So, you'll have to weigh the pros and cons for your own app, but I hope this info helps. :)
Yes it would, rejecting and resubmitting the binary will place you at the bottom of the review queue. It's unfortunate, but there is no work around.
If Apple allowed that then many devs would start uploading their beta version while trying to fix those last few bugs.
I had the same issue. I had submitted my app and it was in review. I was asked to change some metadata and resubmit the app. While doing that, I discovered a UI issue and fixed it. I was in a dilemma as to keep the current binary and release a version 1.01 or upload the new version. I did not want to send my first app with an issue so, I went ahead and rejected the binary and uploaded the new one. I immediately contacted Apple developer technical support. They claim that "The review time will not be affected and that our internal systems do have process your build before it can be reviewed (verifying it’s general correctness and resigning your app for the store), which can add some delay. However, that delay is fairly small and is only a minor factor in review time. More to that point, any delay here is much smaller than the delay of a new submission." I hope that is true and hope my app is not stuck in the "waiting for review or in review" limbo :(.