The life of an Apple app developer is not easy. App development requires lots of skill, creativity and a certain degree of patience when things don’t always work out. Many developers have a lurking fear that their apps will be rejected by the app store. Even though the Apple App Store is one of the largest app marketplaces in the mobile world, it also is very difficult getting your app in.
Below we look at a few tips which should help to improve your chances of getting an app approved.
Always check for errors
Many apps that enter the Apple app store are rejected almost immediately because they have some type of technical glitch or an error. Many times it is just carelessness, entry of a bad version number, or just bad coding. The good news is that the newest version of Xcode has a Fix-it feature which should help you do away with many of these small problems which otherwise holdup your approval process. Always make sure that your app is error free and technically sound prior to submitting it to the app store.
Provide all the required details
Many developers fail to provide important details about their app. The most important things which are worth mentioning include:
- Your telephone / cell phone number, name, and email address
- List all the APIs you’ve used with a short description of them
- Inform if icons and images are used and also inform if they have been used in other apps
- Mention links to external websites where required along with a short description if needed
Keep things simple
The most sensible thing to do would be to start with presenting a simple version of your app. You will need to get down to the very basics and remove all the unnecessary frills when you first submit. The reason being that the initial app approval process takes the most time, but once your app is approved all future updates are easier. This is why advanced features and better graphics should be kept for future updates. That said you shouldn’t make your app overly simple. You shouldn’t present a “beta” or a “test” version of your app as it will be rejected.
Always follow the rules
Apple has defined a set of rules that are very stringent. Even though some of these rules may sound crazy you need to be very careful when following them to the dot. For instance, Apple forbids misspell technical jargon as well as using unpublished APIs. Also, your app shouldn’t sound violent. So, you should always name your app in a way that makes it come across as appealing and not offensive or damaging.
Read past case histories
You can learn a lot from Apple developers’ previous experience. You should ask around to find out what is required to get your app approved. Previous case histories will help you learn a lot from what developers went through, this should give you a fair understanding of what the App Store requires.
Being creative is important
Currently the Apple App Store is home to over 300,000 apps. All these existing apps make it very difficult for a new app developer to stand head over shoulders above all the rest. So, getting creative with what you create by selecting a niche which is not overly saturated, and by presenting your app in a different way should help you succeed.
Always be polite
The apps store deals with hundreds of app submissions almost every day. So, the least you can do is to in fact be understanding and polite with the people dealing with you. You should be very specific about the goals and the purpose of your app. You will discover that politeness certainly scores a lot higher than anything else. So take some time to draft a good covering letter with as much information as you can pack as possible.
Be patient
Now that you have created and submitted your app it takes around 4 weeks to get any word back. At times it can take a lot longer so you need to be patient instead of shooting off reminders. In the unfortunate event you are rejected, you’ll know the reason for the rejection too. This will enable you to work on and fix exactly what was wrong so that it is accepted on your next attempt.
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About Author: Manu has been an app developer for over ten years and he works for ProjectCreate. He also works as a consultant and web developer for a number of high profile Australian businesses.
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