Publication timeframe and process for native apps

​The time it will take to create your app depends on the complexity of the app, the amount of content you will include, and the time, work and dedication you will put into it. In other words, this part really depends on you! 

Before publishing your native app, it has to be fully ready: all demo content must have been removed, the design must be customized with your own brand, all the features must be correctly set and working... 
To help you with the general app settings, you can refer to this online help about the steps to create your app . 

GoodBarber gives you the opportunity to test the platform and play around with all the features for 30 days (you can choose to subscribe sooner, but it won't be required before the end of the 30 days).
During this trial period, you can test your app as much as you want using the preview and My GoodBarber app, and start making it ready for its future publication in the stores. 
When you decide to actually submit the app to App Store Connect and Google Play, however, it is required to subscribe to a plan before you can get the production file of your app.

Once all of the above has been set, the publication timeframe will depend on various factors listed bellow.

For both Apple and Google, you will have to create a developer account in order to be able to publish your app in the store (and also distribute the app internally ). 

- Creating a Google Play Developer account is usually almost instant if you don't have to set a Merchant Account.
If a Merchant Account is necessary, it may take a couple days to have everything set so you can publish your app in Google Play. 

- Creating an Apple Developer account is pretty quick too if the app is made by or for an individual or sole proprietor, and the account is usually available immediately after the payment has been processed and all the terms have been accepted. 
However, if the app is made on behalf of a company, you may have to get a D-U-N-S number from Dun & Bradstreet, and Apple may perform additional verifications regarding the company who owns the Apple Developer account and the representative in charge of the publication of the app. This can take several days. 

Compiling a new version of the app takes about the same time whether it's the first time or an update of yours, and takes about 15mins. 

Publishing the app in the stores, however, takes longer when you do it for the first time.

- A first publication requires to create a unique identifier for your app, generate certificates or API keys so some features will work as intended in the native app, and provide all the information that will be displayed in the stores such as: description, screenshots, keywords, privacy policy, filling the forms about the content rating and the way data are used in the app... 

- Although an app update may have to renew some certificates and edit the store information to match the changes you've made into the app, you probably won't have to change everything in the store (unless your app has changed entirely). Most of the time, you will just have to review the information you have provided in the metadata of your app to make sure they are still relevant to the current content and features of your app.

Both App Store Connect and Google Play advertise that the app review can take up to 7 days.

Note that 7 days is the timeframe announced for the review of your app, but it does not guarantee its publication within 7 days. 
Indeed, it's not uncommon that the stores will reject an app preventively in case they have any doubt on its compliance with the store's guidelines. 

If your app gets rejected, the App Store review team or the Google Play review team should contact you by email. You must react quickly if you are required to edit the app or provide some documentation. 
Although in most cases a rejection can be resolved easily by simply providing an answer to the store's review team and resubmitting the app, it may take longer depending on what needs to be done. There may also be a new rejection and a few messages between you and the the review team if they consider that you haven't solved the problem after resubmitting the app.

Keep that in mind when assessing the global publication timeframe, as rejections may delay the publication of your app of at least a few days. 

The general publication timeframe of your app will also vary depending whether you deal with the publication process of your app Solo, or if you let GoodBarber Take Care (GBTC) of it for you. 

Setting up and publishing a native app requires to navigate between several consoles and tools: 
- Google Cloud Console, Firebase Console, and Google Play console to set up and publish the Android app.
- Apple Developer Console, Transporter app and App Store Connect to set up and publish the iOS app. Note that a Mac is required to send the app to the App Store.

If the GBTC team does it for you:
- The team will first ask you a lot of information upfront and give some advice to improve the app in order to reduce the chances of rejection. After that, all you have to do is provide the app information you would like to display in the stores, and follow our instructions to add our account to your team in the platforms we need to access. The team will deal with the rest.
- The submission request is usually processed within the next business day, and the team will take care of the whole compilation and submission process for you. In case of need, they will communicate with you through the dedicated support ticket. Keep an eye on it until the team confirms that the app has been submitted to the store.
- In case the app gets rejected by Apple or Google, the team will also deal with the rejection for you as much as possible and within the scope of what we can do (unless the stores require something from you that the team can't or won't do on your behalf, such as editing the app content or design, providing a proof of ownership, of intellectual property, or any other official document that only the app owner can provide). 

If you go Solo:
- You have to follow the online help and make sure all the steps are correctly completed in each platform. This may be time consuming if you are not used to these tools, and you need to be thorough while doing the process in order not to make mistakes​.
- You are free to go at your own pace, and compile or submit your app whenever you like, not necessarily during business hours, and even on weekends. 
- In case your app gets rejected, be ready to plead your case yourself with Apple's or Google's review team.

All of the above are general elements to take into account when trying to anticipate how long the publication process of your app will take. 

Another cause of discrepancy in the global timeframe is whether you deal with the iOS or Android publication, as the publication process is different for each version of your app.

For more specific information, please refer to the following online helps:
- iOS Publication timeframe
- Android Publication timeframe