How to publish an AI-built app on the App Store and Google Play

To publish an AI-built app, first find out what your tool actually produced: a web app, a React Native project or a native app. Then five paths are open, and all of them go through the same steps at Apple and Google: developer accounts, store listing, testing, then review.

What your AI tool produced

Before choosing a path, open your project and look at what it contains. There are three cases.

What you have	How to tell	What it means
A web app	It opens in a browser, at a web address	It cannot go to the stores as is: it has to be wrapped or rebuilt
A React Native or Expo project	The project has an app.json or app.config.js file and Expo-specific folders	It can be compiled into real iOS and Android apps with Expo Build
A native or Flutter app	The tool offers an iOS and Android export, or publishes for you	Compilation is covered; accounts and the store listing remain

The five paths to publishing

Path	For whom	What you need	Watch out for
Publish from your AI tool	Apps generated with Rork, Vibecode, Newly, Draftbit or Anything	A paid plan of the tool, your Apple and Google accounts	The tool builds and uploads the app. Depending on the tool, that covers iOS only or both stores: see our comparison. The store listing is still yours to do
Expo Build and Expo Submit	React Native or Expo projects	An Expo account, your Apple and Google accounts	Expo builds iOS apps on its own Macs and uploads the files to the stores. Screenshots and the store listing are still yours to do. Free tier up to 15 iOS and 15 Android builds
Capacitor	Web apps	macOS and Xcode for iOS, Android Studio for Android	Capacitor puts your web app inside a native project. If the app does nothing more than a website, Apple can reject it (guideline 4.2)
Rebuild the app in a tool that publishes natively	Projects meant to last, without a developer	A subscription to the tool, your Apple and Google accounts	You start over, but the tool handles compilation, and sometimes submission. At GoodBarber, the GoodBarber Takes Care service fills in the store forms, prepares the screenshots and submits the app on your accounts
Hire a developer or an agency	Specific or complex projects	A budget and a brief	The most flexible path, and the most expensive

The common steps

Whatever the path, these steps cannot be skipped.

1. Open the developer accounts

• Apple: $99 per membership year. As an individual, you only need an Apple Account with two-factor authentication. As an organization, you need a D-U-N-S number: allow up to 5 business days to get it, then up to 2 days for Apple to receive it.
• Google: $25, once. Pick between a personal and an organization account from the start. For an organization, Google also requires a D-U-N-S number and warns that getting one can take up to 30 days.

Pierre-Laurent Medori, Head of Backend Engineering at GoodBarber, points out that no free plan covers these two fees: they are not the builder’s to give.

2. Get the app tested (mandatory at Google)

If your Google Play account is personal and was created after November 13, 2023, you must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in continuously for at least 14 days before you can publish. So plan for at least two weeks on Android.

At Apple, testing goes through TestFlight: up to 100 internal and 10,000 external testers, each build staying testable for 90 days.

3. Prepare the store listing

• Screenshots: at least one “iPhone with Dynamic Island” screenshot, plus iPad screenshots if the app runs on iPad. Up to 10 screenshots per size.
• Privacy policy: a public web address is mandatory at both Apple and Google.
• Data declarations: “App privacy details” at Apple and the Data safety form at Google, mandatory even if the app collects nothing. They must cover the third-party tools built into the app.

4. Meet the technical requirements

• iOS: since April 28, 2026, apps must be built with the iOS 26 SDK or later.
• Android: since August 31, 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API 36) or higher.

5. Pass the review

Apple says it typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours. If rejected, you fix and resubmit, or appeal. Rejection is common, even for a prepared team: Pierre-Laurent Medori reports that about 42% of the first submissions handled by GoodBarber’s publishing team came back rejected by Apple over the 12 months to April 2026. The most common rejection reasons are covered in our article on why Apple rejects AI-built apps.

How long to plan for

Step	Individual account	Organization account
Developer accounts	The time it takes to verify your identity	Up to 7 business days at Apple, up to 30 days at Google (D-U-N-S)
Google Play closed test	14 days minimum	Not required
Apple review	1 to 2 days per submission	1 to 2 days per submission

For a first project on a personal account, three weeks between a finished app and an app live on both stores is a realistic estimate.

After publishing

Publishing is not the end. Apple can remove an app that hasn’t been updated in three years and gets very few downloads: you get a notice and 90 days to submit an update. On Google’s side, the target API requirement goes up every year. An AI-built app must therefore be rebuilt regularly, by you or by your tool. As Pierre-Laurent Medori puts it: “An app you cannot safely change is an app you cannot keep published.”

Our take

• Your AI tool publishes for you (Rork, Vibecode, Newly, Draftbit, Anything): start there, and check that it covers both stores.
• Your project is in React Native or Expo and you’re comfortable with a terminal: Expo Build and Expo Submit are the most direct path.
• You have a web app and just want a store presence: Capacitor works, but the app has to offer more than a website or Apple will reject it.
• You want an app that lasts, without handling the technical side: rebuilding it in a tool that publishes natively and handles updates will cost you less time over the long run. At GoodBarber, iOS and Android apps are built with its native engines (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android), and the GoodBarber Takes Care service can, as an option, handle the store listing, submission and fixes after a rejection.