Android & iOS App Reviews

Overview

Both Android and iOS app reviews are fairly straightforward. Rather than recount the steps involved, this article aims to reduce uncertainty by providing a comparative overview of the two processes.

Compliance

If you have any questions regarding the likelihood that your iOS app will be approved, please consult the official App Store Review Guidelines from Apple:

https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/

Google provides a similar resource for the Google Play Store here:

https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy/

Timing

In the early days of the App Store, developers shared horror stories about waiting for weeks for Apple to review their apps. Thankfully, those days appear to be well behind us now. You should expect that the very first review of your app will take longer than subsequent updates. In our experience, the first version of an app in the App Store is reviewed in 2-3 days. Subsequent reviews happen in 0-2 days.

Apps in the App Store have always been reviewed by humans. Android apps, on the other hand, used to be reviewed by computers. This difference once made Android reviews much faster than Google’s process. In recent years, Google changed its approach and established an internal review team. In our experience, the first review of a Google Play app takes roughly 1 week to complete, give or take a few days. Subsequent reviews are much quicker and more in line with the App Store at 0-3 days.

Financial Model

Both Apple and Google keep 30% of your app sale, in-app purchase, and subscription profits. Many clients who are new to the stores and this business model look for ways to reduce or eliminate the 30% share by collecting payment outside of apps. You can adopt this approach as long as you don’t use your app to direct users to external payment processes. For example, Amazon’s Kindle app doesn’t allow users to purchase digital books in the app. Instead, users have to complete their transaction on the Amazon website and then download purchased content into the Kindle app. This model aligns with store financial requirements because the Kindle app does not provide users with guidance on how to make purchases on the Amazon site.

App development experts like InspiringApps provide custom app consulting services that can help you efficiently execute your next project and achieve your goals. Join our community of digital product owners for valuable insights on navigating Android and iOS development and more.