Before You Publish
The accounts, assets, and policies to prepare before submitting your app to the stores.
Getting a built app onto the stores takes more than code — you also need accounts, policies, and store assets. This page collects the prerequisites people most often get stuck on, up front. Start here and both Google Play submission and App Store submission will go smoothly.
Among the items below, developer account approval and the privacy policy URL can take time (account review of 1–2 days, plus writing the policy). Starting them only after the build is done will delay your launch, so prepare them in parallel with development.
1. Developer accounts
| Store | Account | Cost | Approval time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | Google Play Console developer account | US$25 (one-time) | Usually same day–2 days |
| Apple App Store | Apple Developer Program | US$99 / year | Usually 1–2 days (organization accounts take longer due to D-U-N-S verification) |
- Google Play: play.google.com/console → register → pay
- Apple: developer.apple.com/programs → enroll as Individual or Organization
- To sell paid apps or in-app purchases you also need a merchant / payment profile → see In-App Purchase setup
2. Privacy policy URL
Both stores require a privacy policy URL. Without one, you cannot submit at all.
- It must be a publicly accessible URL (e.g.
https://your-domain.com/privacy) - It must accurately describe the data your app — and your web app — handle
- What the SDK collects/transmits and how to write the policy is covered in Privacy & Data Safety
The Unveily SDK ships with no analytics or tracking tools of its own. However, you must understand what the web app inside the WebView collects and reflect that in your policy. See the Privacy document for the full breakdown.
3. Release signing key
Publishing requires a release-signed build.
- Android: an AAB signed with your release keystore (
.jks). For signing config, see First Build and the Production Checklist.- With Google Play App Signing, Google re-signs your app, so your production license must be activated with the SHA-256 of Google's re-signing certificate (see the checklist link below).
- iOS: a distribution certificate plus App ID and provisioning profile. See iOS Setup.
If you lose your release keystore or its password, you can no longer update the app. Back it up somewhere safe.
4. Store listing assets
You'll enter and upload these on the submission screens. Preparing them ahead of time speeds things up.
| Asset | Google Play | App Store |
|---|---|---|
| App name | Required (max 30 chars) | Required (max 30 chars) |
| Short description / subtitle | Short description (max 80) | Subtitle (max 30) |
| Full description | Required (max 4000) | Required |
| App icon | 512×512 PNG | 1024×1024 PNG |
| Screenshots | 2+ phone shots | Per-device-size sets |
| Feature graphic | 1024×500 (required) | N/A |
| Category | Required | Required |
| Privacy policy URL | Required | Required |
Use actual app screens for screenshots. Keeping your listing consistent with real behavior helps reviewers not flag the app as "behaving differently at review time." Tips for passing WebView-app review are in App Review Tips.
Prerequisites checklist
- Google Play developer account registered & approved (for Android)
- Apple Developer Program enrolled & approved (for iOS)
- Privacy policy URL published
- Release keystore (Android) / distribution certificate (iOS) prepared & backed up
- Production license activated (Production Checklist)
- App name, description, icon, screenshots, category assets ready
Once ready → go to Google Play submission or App Store submission.