App Store Listing

Step-by-step App Store listing in App Store Connect, in three levels (1 get approved, 2 optimize, 3 advanced) with a fill-in listing sheet covering every field, character limit, screenshot size and review requirement. Use when publishing an iPhone, iPad or Mac app for the first time, preparing a version update, fixing a rejected submission, or when someone asks "how do I list my app on the App Store", "App Store Connect step by step", "what do I need to submit to Apple", or "App Store listing checklist".

Beginner → Advanced (3 Levels)⏱ Level 1: 2-3 h · Level 2: 1-2 h · Level 3: ongoing📂 listingv1.0.0

Fill one listing sheet, then paste it into App Store Connect in the right order. Level 1 gets you approved, Level 2 gets you found, Level 3 is for when the app is already growing.

Goal

A complete, approved App Store listing with no last-minute surprises: every field prepared in advance, within limits, and consistent with the app.

When to use

• First submission of an iPhone, iPad or Mac app.
• A new version with listing changes.
• A rejection that mentions metadata, privacy or subscriptions.
• Not for: choosing keywords → aso-keyword-research. Writing the name and subtitle → aso-title-subtitle-optimization.

Inputs

• An Apple Developer Program membership and a signed build uploaded (Xcode → Archive → Distribute, or Transporter).
• A privacy policy URL and a support URL that open in a browser.
• assets/app-store-listing-sheet.md from this skill, copied into your project and filled in.

Levels at a glance

Level	Goal	You do	Time
1. Get approved	Live on the App Store	Every required field, privacy, age rating, review notes	2–3 h
2. Get found	Rank and convert	Keywords, screenshots with captions, preview video, localizations	1–2 h
3. Grow	Test and target	Product page tests, custom product pages, in-app events, offer codes	ongoing

Steps

Level 1: Get approved (required)

Fill the listing sheet first, then enter it in this order in App Store Connect:

1. Create the app record. Apps → + → New App: platform, name (30 chars), primary language, bundle ID, SKU (any internal ID). The name must be unique on the store.
2. App Information. Subtitle (30), primary and secondary category, content rights (do you use third-party content?).
3. Age rating. Answer the questionnaire honestly. Apple's ratings are now 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+, and the questions include in-app controls, user-generated content, medical/wellness and social media features. An update is blocked until the current questionnaire is answered.
4. Pricing and Availability. Price (or Free) and countries. For in-app purchases and subscriptions, create them under Monetization and add them to the version for review.
5. App Privacy. Privacy policy URL and the "nutrition label": every data type your app and its SDKs (analytics, crash reporting, ads, payments) collect, whether it's linked to the user, and whether it's used for tracking. Check each SDK's documentation. A label that doesn't match the SDKs you ship is a common rejection.
6. Version page (the listing).
7. Screenshots: iPhone 6.9" (1320 × 2868 portrait) is required. Add iPad 13" (2064 × 2752) if the app runs on iPad. Apple scales them down for smaller devices. Up to 10 per size.
8. Promotional text (170, can change anytime without review), description (4,000), keywords (100 bytes, comma-separated, no spaces. Accented letters and non-Latin scripts use more than one byte each).
9. Support URL (required), marketing URL (optional), copyright ("2026 Your Name").
10. Build and export compliance. Select the build. Answer the encryption question. Most apps that only use HTTPS qualify for the exemption, and you can set ITSAppUsesNonExemptEncryption in Info.plist to skip the question on later builds.
11. App Review information. Contact details, a demo account if there's a login, and notes that explain anything non-obvious: where the paywall is, how to reach a feature, why you need a permission.
12. Release option. Manual, automatic, or scheduled. For a first launch, choose manual so you control the day.
13. Submit for review. Most reviews finish within a day or two. Leave time for one rejection round.

Level 2: Get found (after the first approval)

1. Keywords: run aso-keyword-research. Don't repeat words already in the name or subtitle.
2. Name + subtitle: aso-title-subtitle-optimization.
3. Screenshots with captions and an optional app preview (15–30 s): aso-screenshot-strategy.
4. Localizations. Add the languages of your top markets. Each localization has its own name, subtitle, keywords and screenshots, so it's extra keyword space as well as better conversion.
5. "What's New" on every update. Say what users will notice, not "bug fixes".
6. Ratings: aso-review-and-rating-strategy.

Level 3: Grow (once you have steady traffic)

• Product Page Optimization: A/B test icon, screenshots and preview against up to 3 treatments.
• Custom product pages: up to 70 variants with their own screenshots, promo text and deep link. Point ads and links at them, and assign keywords so a matching page can appear in organic search.
• In-App Events: time-limited events shown on your page and in search.
• Offer codes for subscriptions and in-app purchases. Since 26 March 2026 you can't create new in-app purchase promo codes. Promo codes for a free app download still work.
• Phased release for updates (rolls out over 7 days, can pause), and pre-orders for a new app.
• Featuring nominations in App Store Connect: tell Apple's editors about a launch or a big update.

Prompt (copy-paste)

Replace everything in {{ }}.

You are an App Store Connect expert. Fill my App Store listing sheet (Level 1 + Level 2).

App: {{what it does, who for}}   Platforms: {{iPhone / iPad / Mac}}   Price model: {{free / paid / subscription}}
Brand: {{name}}   Primary language + main markets: {{...}}
Target keywords (if researched): {{...}}
SDKs in the app: {{analytics, crash, ads, payments, login...}}
Login required? {{yes/no}}   User-generated content / social features? {{yes/no}}

Output the sheet with these fields and a character count for each:
name (≤30), subtitle (≤30), primary/secondary category, keywords (≤100 bytes, comma-separated, no spaces,
no words repeated from name/subtitle), promotional text (≤170), description (≤4000, first 3 lines matter most),
What's New, support URL / marketing URL placeholders.
Then: a draft App Privacy table (data type | collected by which SDK | linked to user? | tracking?),
flagging anything I must verify in each SDK's docs; the likely age-rating answers with the reason for each;
and App Review notes (demo account placeholder, where the paywall is, why each permission is needed).
Never invent facts about my app. Mark unknowns as TODO.

Example output

Illustrative example. Fictional app, shown for format.

Name (23/30):      Sipwell: Water Reminder
Subtitle (29/30):  Drink Tracker & Hydration Log
Keywords (98/100): daily,intake,hydrate,bottle,cup,goal,health,alert,ounce,ml,fluid,sip,office,work,body,thirst,glass
Promo (61/170):    New: reminders that pause during your calendar meetings.
Category:          Health & Fitness / Productivity
Privacy:           Crash data (Crashlytics, not linked, no tracking) · Purchases (RevenueCat, linked, no tracking)
Age rating:        4+ (no UGC, no web access, no medical claims)
Review notes:      No login. Paywall: Settings → Sipwell Pro. Notifications are used only for reminders.

Common mistakes

• Privacy label doesn't match the SDKs. Review checks what your SDKs actually collect.
• No demo account for an app with login, which means an instant rejection.
• Subscription screen without price, period, Terms and Privacy links → monetization-paywall-design.
• Keywords with spaces, repeats or competitor names. You waste bytes and risk a rejection.
• Screenshots that aren't the real app, or that show another platform's device.

Related skills

• listing-google-play: the same flow for Android.
• listing-free-directories: free places to list the app after launch.
• launch-pre-launch-checklist: schedule review time before launch day.

Credits

Written by @nvminhtu. Sources: App Store Connect Help, App Store Review Guidelines, Apple Developer News on updated age ratings and submission and marketing enhancements. Limits change, so check them before each submission.