Key takeaways
- Enrol your company, not a person, on both stores: the account holder’s name is the seller customers see, and the account holder controls the app.
- Apple charges USD 99 a year and Google USD 25 once (checked 20 October 2026). An organisation needs a free D-U-N-S number on both.
- Allow up to 5 business days for the D-U-N-S number and up to 2 more before Apple can use it.
- New personal Play accounts must run a closed test with 12 testers opted in for 14 days in a row before production.
- Apple reviews 90% of submissions in under 48 hours; Google can take up to seven days for some accounts.
- Most first-app rejections are avoidable: crashes, unfinished screens, no demo login, missing privacy details or no way to delete an account.
Plan the paperwork before the code is finished, because that is what can hold a launch up: a D-U-N-S number that takes a week, a Google rule that asks for twelve testers for two weeks, a review question nobody on the team can answer. This guide covers four decisions to make early: whose name the accounts go in, how to meet Google’s closed-testing rule, how to plan around review times and avoid the common rejections, and what to check in the week you go live.
Every fee, rule and timing below was checked on Apple’s and Google’s own pages on 20 October 2026. Both stores change their rules often, so check the linked page again before you rely on a figure.
Should the developer account be personal or in your company’s name?
Put it in your company’s name if the app is a business. On both stores the account holder’s name is the name customers see, and the account holder is the one who can publish, transfer or remove the app. Apple says plainly that when an individual enrols, “your name will be displayed as the seller name of your apps on the App Store”, and when an organisation enrols, the organisation’s name is shown instead.
The account is also where ownership goes wrong. If your developer opens the account in their own name to save time, the app lives in their account, and moving it later needs them to start the transfer. Our guide on who owns your app’s source code explains why the store accounts belong on the list of things your company must hold, and how to invite the developer in as a user instead.
What the stores ask for, as their pages state it on 20 October 2026:
- Apple Developer Program: USD 99 per membership year, shown in local currency when you enrol (Apple’s enrolment page). An organisation must be a legal entity (“We do not accept DBAs, fictitious business names, trade names, or branches”), have a D-U-N-S number, a public website on its own domain, and a work email on that domain. The person enrolling becomes the Account Holder and “must have the legal authority to bind your organization to legal agreements.” Non-profits, accredited schools and government bodies can ask for a fee waiver.
- Google Play Console: a USD 25 one-time registration fee (Play Console Help). An organisation account needs a D-U-N-S number (“You will not be able to create a developer account for an organization without one”), an organisation website and phone number, and verified contact details (required information). Google also says you should choose an organisation account if your app offers financial products or services, health features or government services.
Apply for the D-U-N-S number first. Apple’s D-U-N-S page says to allow up to 5 business days for Dun & Bradstreet to issue it, then up to 2 more business days before Apple can see it. Both Apple and Google describe the number as free.
Launching an app?
Tell us where your app is and when you want it live, and we’ll help you plan the accounts, testing and review around that date.
What is Google’s 12-tester rule?
New personal Play Console accounts must run a closed test with at least 12 testers who stay opted in for 14 days in a row before Google will let the app go to production. Google’s testing requirements page applies the rule to “personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023”, and its FAQ says the 14 days “must be consecutive.”
Once the test has run, you apply for production access from the Play Console dashboard and answer questions about the test, the app and how ready it is. Google says that review usually takes seven days or less. So on a new personal account, the earliest public launch is about three weeks after your closed test starts, not the day the build is ready.
Three things make the rule easier:
- Recruit testers before the build is ready. Twelve people who will install the app and keep it installed for two weeks is harder to find than it sounds. Staff, friendly customers and a pilot group all count, as long as they opt in through the test link.
- Use the test. Google’s application asks what you learned, so ask testers to report bugs and fix them during the 14 days. A closed test is the cheapest place to find the crash a store reviewer would otherwise find.
- Consider an organisation account. Google’s page states the rule for new personal accounts and doesn’t mention organisation accounts. A company publishing a business app should enrol as an organisation anyway, for the seller name and the transfer reasons above.
How long does store review take?
App Store review is usually fast, and Google Play review can take up to a week for a new account. Apple says it reviews “at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours” (App Review). Google says that for certain developer accounts it takes more time, which “may result in review times of up to seven days or longer in exceptional cases” (Play Console Help).
Plan the launch around the slower of the two, then control the release date yourself: App Store Connect lets you release an approved version manually or no earlier than a date you set, and Google’s managed publishing means “you control exactly when the changes are published.” Then the press note, the email to customers and the store listing all go out on the day you chose, not the day review finished.
Working back from launch day
Six weeks out
Request a D-U-N-S number if your company has none (up to 5 business days, then up to 2 more for Apple). Choose who will be the Account Holder.
Five weeks out
Enrol the company in the Apple Developer Program and Play Console. Invite your developers as users. Write the privacy policy and set up the account-deletion page.
Four weeks out
Start the closed test with at least 12 testers if the Play account is a new personal one. Use the 14 days to fix what testers find.
Two weeks out
Apply for production access on Google Play (usually seven days or less) and submit to App Review with a demo login. Set both releases to go live when you choose.
Launch week
Run the checklist below, answer any reviewer questions the same day, then release on both stores on the day you planned.
Why do first apps get rejected?
First apps are most often rejected for being incomplete: crashes, placeholder content, broken links or no way for the reviewer to log in. Apple says that on average over 40% of unresolved issues relate to guideline 2.1, App Completeness. Its App Review Guidelines ask you to “include demo account info (and turn on your back-end service!) if your app includes a login.”
The rest are mostly forms and policies that a first-time team doesn’t know about: privacy details, account deletion, data safety, and screenshots that don’t match the app. Each one below is avoidable before you submit.
If Apple rejects the app and you think the reviewer misunderstood it, you can appeal to the App Review Board, once per rejected submission, giving “specific reasons why you believe your app complies.” Fix what you can first. An appeal works best when the app plainly meets the guideline and the reviewer missed it.
What should you check in launch week?
Check the accounts, the listings, the forms and the people in the week before you go live. The list below is the one to run through with your team. Tick what is done and look at what is left.
We publish our own apps, such as Kaipo, Fincurry and ApnaStaff, under Tailwebs Technology on the app stores.
If you haven’t chosen how to build the app yet, our comparison of Flutter vs React Native covers the two cross-platform options. Both publish through the same accounts and reviews described here, and every update after launch goes through them again; our guide to app maintenance after launch covers that work.