When an app launch slips, it is rarely the code. The build is finished, the client is ready, and then someone discovers that the Apple account needs a D-U-N-S number that takes a week to arrive, or that a new Google Play account cannot publish at all until twelve people have tested the app for fourteen days. None of this is difficult. It is just invisible until you are standing in front of it.
This guide covers what Apple and Google actually require in 2026, taken from their own developer documentation rather than from other agencies, and the order to do it in so the paperwork is finished before the app is. We build apps, so we have an interest here; the point of writing it down is that none of these steps depend on who your developer is.
The short version
- Open both developer accounts in your own business name, in the first week of the project, not the week before launch.
- If you are a company, get a D-U-N-S number first. It is free, and Apple says it can take up to five business days, plus two more for Apple to receive it.
- On Google Play, the account type matters. A new personal account must run a 14-day closed test with at least 12 testers before it can publish. An organisation account does not.
- Budget for review. Apple reviews most apps within a day; Google warns some accounts can wait up to seven days or longer.
- Invite your developer as a team member. Do not let the app go out under their account.
Step 1: Decide whose name the app is published under
This is the decision that is hardest to reverse, so it comes first. On the App Store, Apple is explicit: if you enrol as an individual, "your name will be displayed as the seller name of your apps"; if you enrol as an organisation, the organisation's name is. The account holder is also the party that signs Apple's agreements and receives the money.
For almost every business, the right answer is an organisation account in the name of your legal entity, owned by you, with your developer added as a team member. The two arrangements to avoid are publishing under the developer's own account (the app is then legally and practically theirs to control) and publishing under a staff member's personal Apple ID (the app leaves when they do).
One detail catches out a lot of small businesses. Apple only accepts organisations that are a legal entity able to enter into contracts, and says plainly: "We do not accept DBAs, fictitious business names, trade names, or branches." If you trade under a name that is not registered as a company or LLC, you can still publish, but as an individual, and your personal name will be the seller shown on the store. If that matters to you, sort out the entity before you enrol rather than after.
This is the same principle we set out for websites in who owns your website after launch: the accounts that hold the asset should be in your name from day one.
Step 2: Get a D-U-N-S number if you are enrolling as a company
A D-U-N-S number is a nine-digit business identifier issued by Dun & Bradstreet. Both stores use it to verify that an organisation is real.
- Apple requires one for companies and educational institutions, makes it optional for government bodies, and does not require it for individuals.
- Google Play asks organisation accounts for a D-U-N-S number, along with an organisation website and phone number.
It costs nothing. What it costs is time: Apple's help pages say to allow up to five business days to receive the number from D&B, then up to two business days for Apple to receive it, and that expediting will not shorten the wait. D&B may also contact you to verify the business, so have your registration documents to hand. If you already have a number, check that the legal name and address on it match your company records exactly. A mismatch is one of the most common reasons enrolment stalls.
Step 3: Enrol in the Apple Developer Program
The Apple Developer Program is $99 per membership year, and it has to stay active for your app to stay on the store. For an organisation, Apple also asks for:
- Someone with legal authority to enrol. The person enrolling becomes the Account Holder and "must have the legal authority to bind your organization to legal agreements", such as an owner, founder or executive. That rules out asking your developer to do it on your behalf.
- A work email on your own domain. A Gmail or Outlook address will not do for an organisation account.
- A real, working website. Apple states that social media pages, sites "that contain minimal content" and parked domains showing a registrar message will not be accepted. If your website is a holding page, fix that before you enrol. (If you need one, that is the kind of job our web design team does quickly.)
Step 4: Open a Google Play developer account, and choose the type carefully
Google Play charges a one-time $25 registration fee, with no annual renewal. The part that matters is the account type, because it changes how soon you can publish.
Google's own help page states that personal Play Console accounts created after 13 November 2023 must meet a testing requirement before they can publish to production:
- a closed test with at least 12 testers,
- who stay opted in continuously for at least 14 days,
- after which you apply for production access and answer questions about the test and the app.
Google adds that testers who opt in, test for fewer than 14 days and then opt out do not count. Organisation accounts are not subject to this requirement. So for a business, an organisation account is not only the right owner; it can also take two weeks or more off the launch. If you do end up on a personal account, recruit the testers early from real customers or staff, and start the clock the moment a testable build exists.
Step 5: Prepare what the reviewers will check
Apple publishes its most common reasons for rejection, and they are mostly unforced errors. It says more than 40% of unresolved issues relate to Guideline 2.1, App Completeness: crashes, broken links, placeholder content and missing information. Before submitting to either store, make sure you have:
- A privacy policy at a public URL. Apple requires a privacy policy link and a support link for all apps, and says the policy must identify what data is collected, how it is used, who it is shared with, how long it is kept and how users can have it deleted. Google Play also asks you to declare your data practices in the listing.
- A working demo login, if any part of the app sits behind an account. Reviewers cannot approve what they cannot open.
- Final text and images. No lorem ipsum, no "coming soon" screens, no buttons that go nowhere.
- Screenshots that show the real app. Apple lists inaccurate screenshots as a common issue.
- Clear explanations for permission requests, such as camera, location or contacts, saying why the app needs them.
- A store listing: name, short and long description, category, icon and contact details.
Two warnings that apply to specific kinds of app. First, Apple rejects apps that are essentially a website in a wrapper; if that is what you are considering, read mobile app vs mobile website before you pay for a build. Second, apps in sensitive, regulated areas such as banking, healthcare and gambling must be submitted by the business that legally provides the service, not by an individual or an agency.
Step 6: Submit, and plan the date around the slower store
Apple says that on average 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours, and you can request an expedited review for a critical bug fix or an event-related app. Google's guidance is more cautious: "For certain developer accounts, we'll take more time to thoroughly review your app... This may result in review times of up to seven days or longer in exceptional cases." New accounts without a track record are the ones most likely to wait.
Two practical habits help. Submit a few days before the date you have announced, not on it. And on Google Play, use managed publishing if you want control: Google says that once an update is approved, "you control exactly when the changes are published", so you can have approval in hand and still flip the switch on launch morning.
A realistic paperwork timeline
Put the published waiting times end to end and the reason to start early is obvious. These are the store-side steps only, before a single day of review:
| Step | Published waiting time | Can run in parallel with the build? |
|---|---|---|
| D-U-N-S number from D&B | Up to 5 business days | Yes |
| Apple receiving your D-U-N-S details | Up to 2 business days | Yes |
| Google Play closed test (new personal accounts only) | At least 14 days with 12+ testers | Only once a testable build exists |
| Google Play review | Up to 7 days or longer for some accounts | No, it needs the finished app |
| App Store review | Under 24 hours for 90% of submissions | No, it needs the finished app |
Everything in the first two rows can be finished while the app is still being designed. That is why we ask for the account paperwork at the start of a project, and it is one reason the build timelines in our guide to mobile app costs include time at the end for store submission.
If your app is already published under someone else's account
It can usually be moved, but it is a process rather than a setting. On the App Store, the Account Holder of the sending account has to start the transfer and the receiving Account Holder accepts it, which means you need the cooperation of whoever holds the current account. Before a transfer, TestFlight testing has to be switched off and its builds and testers removed. Your ratings and reviews come with the app; some things do not, including promo codes, TestFlight data and your Apple Pay merchant ID, which has to be recreated. Google Play has its own transfer process between Play Console accounts.
If you are still on good terms with the developer who holds the account, ask for the transfer now, while it is a favour rather than a dispute.
A checklist to send to your developer
- Both developer accounts are in our legal business name, and we are the Account Holder / owner.
- You have been invited as a team member with the access you need, and nothing more.
- Our D-U-N-S number matches our company records exactly.
- The privacy policy and support pages are live at public URLs on our domain.
- There is a demo login for reviewers, and final copy and screenshots are approved.
- Every permission the app asks for has a plain-English explanation.
- If the Google account is a personal one, the 12-tester closed test is scheduled.
- The launch date allows at least a week for Google Play review.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to publish an app on the App Store and Google Play?
The store fees are small. The Apple Developer Program is 99 US dollars per membership year, and Google Play charges a one-time 25 dollar registration fee. A D-U-N-S number, which organisations need for both stores, is free from Dun and Bradstreet.
How long does App Store review take?
Apple says that on average 90 percent of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours. Google says that for certain developer accounts review can take up to seven days, or longer in exceptional cases. Plan the launch date around the slower of the two.
Do I need a D-U-N-S number to publish an app?
Only if you enrol as an organisation. Apple requires one for companies and it is not required for individual enrolment. Google Play also asks organisation accounts for one. Apple says it can take up to five business days to receive the number, plus up to two business days for Apple to receive it.
What is the Google Play 12 tester rule?
Personal Google Play developer accounts created after 13 November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers who stay opted in for at least 14 days in a row before they can apply for production access. Organisation accounts are not subject to this requirement.
Should my app be published under my account or my developer account?
Under yours. The account holder is the seller shown on the store, receives the revenue and controls the listing. Moving an app to another account later is possible on both stores but has conditions, so it is far simpler to create the accounts in your own name and invite your developer as a team member.
In short
Publishing an app costs about $124 in store fees and a surprising amount of calendar time. Open both accounts in your own business name at the start of the project, get the D-U-N-S number while the design is still on the whiteboard, and choose an organisation account on Google Play to skip the 14-day test. Do that, and launch day depends on the app being ready, not on the paperwork.
If you are planning an app and want a straight answer on scope, timeline and whether you need one at all, see our mobile app development page or get in touch.
