iOS Submission FAQ

Q: Do I need to submit with the final version of the content? Once I am approved, will I have time to change the content?

You can submit your app with limited content. We'd suggest having more than one edition on display (it's good to submit with a free edition but also one that's paid so Apple can test your subscription functionality). To achieve this you could duplicate one edition a couple of times and change the cover and title for example. Your editions don't have to be full either. As long as you have a selection of pages indicative of what your final content will be this should be fine. Avoid using dummy lorem ipsum text and just make sure that nothing 'looks' broken.

Lastly the editions that you publish for the app submission can then be unpublished before you go live. Ensure when you submit your app that you 'hold for developer release' so you can control when the app goes live. This gives you time once your app is approved to unpublish your sample editions in Wordpress first and prep and publish your go live content - no further approval is necessary at this point (only if you submitted an APP update).

When you push it live you should be 100% confident you are happy with the content that's published and have tested and checked those editions on different devices. You can then push your app live but it can take a few hours before it's visible in the store. Once an edition is published you shouldn't make any content changes to it.

Q: Do we go live with the number of issues we have at submission or can we add some whilst we are waiting?

As above. Most of our clients submit their app, then in the one to two weeks they're waiting for approval will be finishing and creating their go live editions, we can do server side changes during this period but at the same time we need to preserve what's published for approval as Apple could be looking at it. This means productions needs to be UP and you shouldn't edit or amend the published sample editions they're reviewing. You can however be working on other unpublished ones or create new ones (in draft mode).

Q: Do I have to have free editions for submission?

You can change the state of an edition from paid to free or vice versa at any point. For the same reasons as mentioned above Apple like to test all your app functionality so it would be good to offer one free and one paid when submitting, having said that if you only offered one paid I think its unlikely you'll be rejected but there is a risk. At point of submission ensure you have added a subscriber login to the 'Tester notes' for apple to use to get access to any paid content.

Q: Does Apple approve/reject my content?

If you have content that Apple might consider offensive (nudity, profanity, violence), it is possible. However, in most cases, editions aren't submitted or approved by Apple, only the single edition in-app purchases, you can submit these in any order but we suggest submitting them in batches every 3 to 6 months. Ideally before you go live when you submit your app you also submit in-app purchases 3 months in advance. These are a bit tricky to explain but more info is here Setting up iTunes Connect for UAT, they are simple to do.

Q: What do I need to include to get approved?

You are required to supply links to your Privacy Policy and app Terms of Use. If you can't host these on your website, we can host a simple HTML text page on your web reader. These links must be within the app itself and also in the app store description.

Q: I've got in-app purchases - do I need to have anything else?

Yes - your app will need to have details of the iTunes subscriptions within the app itself and the app store description. Your text might look something like this:

You can purchase an auto-renewable subscription directly from iTunes. The subscription will include the current issue as well as every new issue.

Yearly Subscription: £XX
6-Month Subscription: £XX

Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. This subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period, your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. The cost of the renewal will match the initial subscription price. You can manage your subscriptions through your Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period.

Q: What screenshots should I include?

It is important that your screenshots accurately reflect what's inside your app or they could be rejected. You will need to supply screenshots for use on a 5.5 inch iPhone (1080x920 pixels) and 12.9 inch iPad. These are the first images users see in the app store and are vital to attracting downloads so if you can make custom screenshots, go for it!