7 Useful Tips To Get Your App Approved On The App Store
You will spend weeks or months to build a successful app. An idea that began as a sketch or from your imagination is transformed into an iOS mobile app but still, it doesn’t make you happy. You are anxious that it might get rejected by the App Store which can turn a happy experience into a nightmare. Hundreds of hours of planning, designing, building and testing may go down the drain if it is rejected by the App Store. So, what to do in that case? How to thrive in this competitive market?
If you follow the right method then you can be rest assured that your application will be approved without major hiccups. And once that is accomplished, you can publish your application and announce it to the world. In this article, we will talk about the most effective ways to get your app approved by the App Store. We will cover our tried and tested recommendations so that your app development journey can be stress free and your app will end up successfully on the App Store.
Learn From Mistakes
To begin with, you need to be conscious of the most common mistakes made by app developers. Here we are talking about learning from the mistakes of others too and not just from your prior experience. By minimizing these mistakes, you can make sure that your app doesn’t fall into the rejected category and gets approved. It is not difficult to get a hand of this data such that Apple publishes the major reasons why apps get rejected on the App Store.
You must review the guidelines given by Apple and follow it religiously to have a pleasant experience. By taking a deeper look at current trends of the apps that get approved/ rejected, you can check if your application can make the cut.
Innovate But Be Mindful
Apple has always liked to approve the apps that are distinct and provide something new to the App Store. Having said that, they do like to play safe. If you are looking to speed up your app approval process then you should definitely follow the general guidelines of similar applications published before you.
For this, you can start by monitoring other applications in your genre. It is best to look at the features of that app, the kind of visuals, layout and design they have along with their app store description. Look for patterns and ensure you are religiously following the popular practices of other app developers in your industry. We agree that you can always innovate but try to be mindful of including these familiar elements. The App Store reviewer is far more inclined to approve your app if it meets these guidelines followed by other approved apps.
Follow a Consistent Quality Assurance Process
Irrespective of the type of application you are developing, you need a solid quality assurance process to ensure it works how you intend it to. It is an ideal scenario to test these apps yourself. However, Apple has offered an additional technology that enables you to test your app apart from your own devices. You can use tools like TestFlight to take assistance from others to test your app before you think about publishing it on the App Store. Additionally, make it a habit to use your app daily before it is ready to be published. When you are completely satisfied with the app only then it is ready to be passed on to the App Store. Testing is a challenging process but is extremely important in the context of the app development process.
App Description
One of the most crucial parts of your application is the description itself. It is one of the first ways how the App Store review team and your target audience will view and try to gauge your app. In order to be successful, try to provide a detailed account of your app along with accurate and precise information of the app. High ranked apps always provide a solid description of precisely what they do and how it can help you. This is just not true for high quality apps, it is crucial to write a compelling description even if you are just new to the scene.
Always remember that apps get rejected most of the time due to the similarity to other apps. Try to leverage your app description to make your app stand out from the competition. You must Inform how your app is unique and exactly what it does differently. Why is there a need for your app in the first place? The better you can explain this in your description, the better it is for your app to get approved. If you struggle to write a compelling app description, you can hire a content writer to create a compelling description for your app.
Follow Apple’s App Store Guidelines
Fortunately, Apple has been clear about their guidelines from day one. This makes it quite easy to check them before submitting the app to the App Store for approval. However, a superficial review of the directives or policies is not enough to make sure your app will be approved. But, you will need to give enough time and attention to meticulously review each element of your app to ensure it matches the guidelines laid by Apple.
Be Kind To The Review Team
Once you are in the review process, it is bound to get frustrated with the system. But, try to understand that the judgement of the App Store review team is subjective. By being hateful and passing snide comments will not get your app approved. However, being kind to the team will help you in the long run as you never know who is going to approve your rejection of your app.
Fix Your App And Reapply
Once you have done everything right and fixed every bug you could find, your app still didn’t get approved. It is very discouraging at the moment but it is possible to fix it. The idea is to be patient and have confidence in your abilities. Try to understand the reasons for the rejection and work hard to fix any bug mentioned and also the ones not mentioned in the feedback. If still your app is not approved, you can write a friendly letter to the App Store review team to highlight the reasons for your app rejection. In the end, being friendly will take you a long way rather than showing disappointment and hate on the review team.
Final Word
If you are building the app of your dreams, first ensure that it is approved by Apple. To do that, you need to undergo thorough planning right from the first stage of mobile app development. Try to avoid major mistakes when you develop the app and be mindful of the apps that are being approved by Apple. If even one feature is missing in your app, it might get rejected. Similarly, an unfulfilling description which doesn’t match your app can also get your app rejected. Lastly, try to be kind to the review team and understand that they do not have any personal vendetta against you. If you still face any issues, you can contact Nimblechapps, an experienced mobile app development company to fix your bugs or for error free mobile app development.
Dhruvil is a Writer & Marketeer for Nimblechapps, joining December 2014, based out of Sydney, Australia. He has worked briefly as a Branding and Digital Marketing Manager before moving to Australia. At Nimblechapps, he worked on Social Media Marketing, Branding, Email Marketing and Blogging. Dhruvil studies Business at University of Western Sydney, and also handles Operations for the company in Australia.