GBTC - GoodBarber Takes Care of your app publication and updates to the stores

"GoodBarber Takes Care" (GBTC) is a premium, paid service designed to streamline the publication process of your native apps on both the Apple Store and Google Play Store. You have the flexibility to utilize this service for either Android or iOS app publication, or both platforms.

GBTC operates on a credit-based system, where credits can be used for Android and/or iOS app publications. Upon activation or renewal of the service, you'll acquire a bundle of 5 publication credits at a cost of $50/€50.

GBTC service includes:
- Native App Generation for iOS and/or Android: The GBTC team manages the intricate setup process, bridging the gap between the Apple and Google platforms and your back office.

- Initial App Submission: We handle the first-time publication of your apps on the App Store and Google Play Store using your developer accounts*. 
For Android apps, we conduct a thorough check to minimize the chances of rejection. For iOS apps, the first publication includes an in-depth content review, verification of your developer account's compliance with Apple's guidelines, and the actual publication process. This comprehensive service for iOS is known as the "iOS Review Process."

- iOS Certificate Updates (Upon Request): We take care of renewing your iOS certificates on the Apple platform and within your back office.

- App Updates (Upon Request): We manage the update process for your iOS and/or Android apps on their respective stores, along with checks to reduce the likelihood of rejection.

- Internal Distribution: We provide the production binary file (.apk or .ipa) for internal distribution of your app.

- Store Rejection Management (Upon Request): In the event of a store rejection, we collaborate with you to modify your app and submit an update that adheres to the store's guidelines, thereby increasing the chances of acceptance.

GBTC service does NOT include:
- Providing 12 testers for mandatory testing if you have an Individual Google Play Developer Account: You are responsible for finding your own testers . We will set up everything on the Google Play Console; you'll need to provide us with the 12 tester email addresses and share the test app URL with them to gather feedback.

- Applying for access to production on Google Play after testing: Google will inquire about your testing process and app details. You must provide this information to Google , as you'll be the one receiving feedback from your testers.

- Google Play website verification to validate your Google Developer Console: This verification is necessary if you have an organization account. If you don't have your own website, you can use the Progressive Web App (PWA) generated from your project as an alternative.

*Please note:
- You must have your own developer accounts to publish apps, regardless of whether you publish independently (Solo) or use GBTC:
- Google Play developer account  for Android publication process ($25 / 25€ one-time fee) 
- Apple Developer account  for iOS publication process on Apple's App Store ($99 / 99€ annual fee)

- If you're still in the testing phase, purchasing GBTC credits enables you to compile your app with our assistance and test the Android Ad Hoc version. However, to publish your app on the App Store or Google Play, you'll need to subscribe to either a GoodBarber Premium or Pro plan.

To submit your app to the stores using GBTC, go to the  Publish menu > iOS app > Publish or Android app > Publish of your back office.
You'll be presented with the option to submit the app yourself (Solo) or have GoodBarber handle it for you. Choose the "I'd rather GoodBarber do it" option to enable the GBTC service.

Android: 
1. Specify whether this is the first time the app will be published on Google Play, an update to an existing GoodBarber app, or an update to an app originally created on another platform.
2. Proceed through the on-screen instructions until you reach a form in your back office.
3. Complete the form and submit it.
4. If you don't have any GBTC credits, you'll be prompted to purchase a bundle of 5 credits.
5. Once payment is confirmed, or if you already have credits, an app generation request will be sent to the GBTC team as a support ticket .
Monitor this ticket for updates on the progress of your app generation.
6. Test the Android Ad Hoc version (optional but recommended).
7. Return to the Android app > Publish  menu and confirm the submission of your app to Google Play.
8. A publication request will be sent to the GBTC team via a new support ticket .
Track this ticket until the team confirms that your app has been sent to Google Play.

iOS: 
1. Click “Request the review of your iOS app”
2. Select "New app" for a first-time publication or "Update" to replace an existing app on the App Store.
3. Complete and submit the form.
    A/ For first-time publications, your app will undergo the Review Process . 
or
    B/ For updates, the GoodBarber review team will verify that your app complies with Apple's guidelines to minimize the risk of rejection. A verification ticket will be created, and the team will contact you shortly. You'll then have the choice to proceed independently or let the GBTC team take over.
If you choose GBTC, select the option and complete the subsequent form.
4. A publication request will be sent to the GBTC team through a support ticket . Follow this ticket until the team confirms that your app has been sent to App Store Connect.

In order for the GBTC team to give the right information to the stores while publishing your app, you should provide these information upfront in the dedicated form. Both forms are slightly different and contain specific information depending if it is for the publication in Google Play or App Store Connect.
In any case, you should read the information form carefully and fill it accurately. 

1. Developer Account information: 

The Developer Account information is for GoodBarber to know in which developer account your app will be published. 
After validating the form, you will also be asked to invite the GBTC team's profile in the developer account  so the team will be able to access your developer account while using GoodBarber's own credentials. 

- For iOS, provide the Apple ID: this is the Apple Developer account owner's email address (later on, in the support ticket, we will also ask you the Team name and Team ID, which you can find in the Membership menu of team in your Apple Developer Account). 

- For Android, you will be asked to provide the Google Play's account owner's email and the Developer Name.
You can find it in the Play Console > Account Detail menu. 

2. App Information 

- The App Name is the name your users will see when downloading the app from App Store Connect or Google Play.
The team will copy and paste it as it is, so make sure there is no typo.
Note that sometimes, the name you chose for your app is already in use for another app in the store, and, therefore, is unavailable. In this case, the GBTC team will contact you in the dedicated support ticket and work with you to find an alternative, so you can use a name that is still available in the store. 

- The App Description must be about your app and explain what features your users will find in your app and how to use them to make the most of what the app has to offer.
The description shouldn't be about your business, persona, company, without any description of the app itself. 
The content of the description should be suitable for all audiences, like all the other app metadata you will provide. 

- The Category and Content rating should reflect the current content of the app, including content brought to your app from external sources. 

- The Copyright should typically refer to the person or entity who owns the intellectual property of the app, usually with the year of creation of the app. 

- If your app uses specific Permissions, make sure you have customized the permission popups  and explain in the form why certain features are essential to your app.
For example, if the app uses background location for the use of geofences, or requires to log in to access some content, you should explain how this is used in the app and what added value it has for the end user, so the GBTC team can let the stores' review team know upfront when submitting your app.
If the app requires authentication, we also recommend to create a demo user account with access to all sections of the app. If you didn't create a demo user account, our team will create one for you and provide the information to the stores' review teams. 

3. Contact information, privacy policy, data use 

- Contact information:
Depending on the form you are filling (iOS or Android), you may be required to provide a phone number (always include the country calling code), an email address your users will be able to use to contact you in case of need, a support URL for the same purpose. 
The support URL must be a valid URL (you should be able to open it in any browser) redirecting to a contact form in your website, or to your social media profile where your users can contact you. 

- Privacy policy: 
The Privacy Policy URL must be a valid URL (you should be able to open it in any browser) displaying the privacy policy of your app. It should be customized to match the current content and permissions used in your app. 

- Data Use:
Both Apple and Google require that the usage made of the user's data is declared. The GBTC team will fill this questionnaire for you based on the content of your app, by following these online helps for App Store Connect  and for Google Play . Do not hesitate to let the GBTC team know upfront in the support ticket if other uses are made of users' data, that may not be listed by default. 

The stores will inform you directly when the app is published, if they have questions or if the app gets rejected.
The stores' review teams will contact the developer account owner's email address.

If the app gets rejected, which happens when the stores need additional information, GoodBarber's team will help you find the answers in order to get your app published.
Contact our support team  and provide the following elements in the support ticket:

- Credits don't have an expiration date. The credits will remain associated to a GoodBarber project for as long as the project hasn't been permanently deleted, even if the project is deactivated. 
- Credits must be purchased for each GoodBarber project (1 credits bundle = 1 app project).
- Credits are not transferrable from one project to another. 
- Resellers must purchase the GBTC service individually for each project of their agency. As any paid option, it can only be purchased by the agency's owner. The service will be billed as an individual option subscribed for that specific project. Note: The same goes with the iOS Review Process. 
- A publication credit is charged after every successful publication of an app version in one of the stores.
- In case of an internal distribution, a publication credit is charged for every new version of the binary delivered to the customer.