How to Publish a Shopify App on App Store and Google Play (2026)

To publish a Shopify app to the App Store and Google Play, you need an Apple Developer Program membership ($99 per year), a Google Play developer account ($25 one time), an app that does more than repackage your website, a privacy policy, completed privacy forms on both stores and a set of correctly sized screenshots. Your app builder produces the app itself, but the developer accounts, the store listings and the legal responsibility sit with you. Plan on one to three weeks from a standing start, most of it spent on account verification rather than review.

Key takeaways

• Budget $99 per year for Apple and $25 once for Google. A business enrolling as an organization needs a free D-U-N-S Number, which Apple says can take up to 5 business days to issue plus 2 more for Apple to receive.
• Enroll as an organization on both stores if you can. A personal Google Play account created after November 13, 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before it can go to production.
• Apple’s guidelines that trip up builder apps most are 4.2 (minimum functionality), 4.2.6 (template apps must be submitted by the content owner), 4.3 (spam), 5.1.1(i) (privacy policy) and 5.1.1(v) (in-app account deletion).
• Both stores require a privacy disclosure that covers the third-party code in your app: App Privacy details on Apple and the Data safety form on Google.
• From August 31, 2026, new Google Play apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36), so your builder has to keep shipping current builds.

Every requirement in this guide comes from Apple’s and Google’s own documentation, checked on October 5, 2026. Store rules change several times a year, so open the linked page before you rely on a number. SimiCart is our product; where we describe how SimiCart handles publishing, we only state what our own product page and case studies say.

What do you need before you publish a Shopify app?

You need two developer accounts, a finished app build from your builder, store listing content and a few legal pages. Here is the full list side by side.

Who should own the Apple and Google developer accounts?

You should. The developer account is the legal owner of the app listing, its reviews, its download history and its customer base on each store, so it belongs in your company’s name, not your app builder’s or a freelancer’s.

There are three practical reasons this matters for a Shopify merchant.

1. Apple expects template apps to come from the content owner

Guideline 4.2.6 of Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines says apps created from a commercialized template or app generation service “will be rejected unless they are submitted directly by the provider of the app’s content.” An app built with a no-code builder is exactly that kind of app, and the provider of the content is your store. In practice this means the app should be listed under your own Apple developer account, with your business shown as the seller.

2. You keep your listing if you change builders

Ratings, reviews and installs belong to the store listing, not to the software that built the app. If the listing sits in your account, a new builder can ship an update to the same app and your customers never need to download anything new. If it sits in someone else’s account, you need a formal transfer. Apple says a transferred app keeps its reviews and ratings, and Google says a transfer moves users, download statistics, ratings and reviews, but both depend on the current owner agreeing to start it.

3. Your business name appears on the store

Apple’s enrollment page notes that if you enroll as an individual or sole proprietor, “your personal legal name will be listed as the seller on the App Store.” Enrolling as an organization shows your company name instead, which looks more trustworthy to shoppers and keeps your personal name off the listing.

Owning the accounts does not mean you have to do the technical work. Both App Store Connect and Play Console let the account holder invite other people with limited roles, so your builder or developer can upload builds and fill in listings while you stay the owner. Whatever setup your builder uses, ask before you start: whose accounts will the app go out under, and what happens to the listing if you cancel?

How do you set up an Apple Developer Program account?

You enroll at developer.apple.com, choose individual or organization, verify your identity and pay 99 USD per year. For a Shopify business, organization enrollment is usually the right choice, and it has the most prerequisites.

According to Apple’s enrollment requirements, an organization needs:

• A legal entity. Apple does not accept DBAs, fictitious businesses, trade names or branches. A corporation, LLC or limited partnership qualifies.
• A D-U-N-S Number. This nine-digit identifier from Dun & Bradstreet lets Apple verify your legal entity status.
• Legal authority. The person enrolling must be able to bind the company to agreements: an owner, founder, executive, senior project lead or an employee given that authority.
• A work email on your domain. A Gmail address will not do; use one on the same domain as your store or company site.
• A public website. It must be live, functional and on a domain associated with your organization. Your Shopify store on its own domain usually covers this.

Start with the D-U-N-S Number, because it is the slowest step. Apple’s D-U-N-S help page says the number is free, that you should allow up to 5 business days to receive it from Dun & Bradstreet, and up to 2 more business days for Apple to receive your information. Your company may already have one, so look it up before you request a new number. Apple asks you to enroll with your organization’s legal entity name, so use the same name on your D&B record and your Apple enrollment.

How do you set up a Google Play developer account?

You create a Play Console account, choose personal or organization, pay a US$25 one-time registration fee and verify your details. There is no yearly renewal.

Google’s list of required information for a developer account shows that an organization account needs a D-U-N-S number, the organization’s name, address and website, a contact email and phone for Google, and a developer email and phone that are shown on your Google Play developer profile. All contact details are verified with a one-time password and have to keep working for as long as the account exists. If you already got a D-U-N-S Number for Apple, reuse it here.

The closed testing rule for new personal accounts

If you open a personal account instead, Google adds a step. Its page on testing requirements for new personal developer accounts says personal accounts created after November 13, 2023 must “run a closed test for their app with a minimum of 12 testers who have been opted in continuously for at least 14 days.” After that, you apply for production access from the Play Console Dashboard and answer questions about the test, the app and its production readiness.

For a store owner, that means recruiting 12 real people with Android phones (staff, friends, loyal customers), keeping them opted in for two full weeks and only then submitting for production. The rule is written for personal accounts, which is one more reason a registered business should enroll as an organization from the start.

Which App Store Review Guidelines reject builder apps most often?

Builder apps are most often held up by minimum functionality, template and spam rules, and privacy requirements. Each one has a clear fix, and most of the fixes are in your hands rather than the builder’s.

4.2 Minimum functionality

Apple says your app “should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website.” A Shopify app that only loads your storefront in a frame invites this rejection. Native screens, push notifications, a wishlist, saved login and a fast native cart are the kind of features that show the app is more than a website. Google has a similar line in its functionality policy: “We do not allow apps that only have limited functionality and content.”

4.2.6 Apps from templates and app generation services

As covered above, Apple rejects template-generated apps “unless they are submitted directly by the provider of the app’s content.” Apple also says these services “should offer tools that let their clients create customized, innovative apps that provide unique customer experiences.” The practical takeaway: publish under your own account, and customize the app so it looks and works like your brand, not like the builder’s demo.

4.3 Spam

Guideline 4.3(a) says: “Don’t create multiple Bundle IDs of the same app.” For merchants this usually comes up with multiple storefronts. If you run separate Shopify stores for different countries or sub-brands that sell the same catalog, Apple prefers one app that handles the variations over several near-identical apps.

5.1.1(i) Privacy policy

“All apps must include a link to their privacy policy in the App Store Connect metadata field and within the app in an easily accessible manner.” The policy has to say what data the app collects and how, confirm that third parties such as analytics tools and SDKs protect data to the same standard, and explain retention, deletion and how users can revoke consent. Your Shopify store’s privacy policy is a starting point, but update it to mention the app, push notifications and any SDKs inside the app.

5.1.1(v) Account deletion

“If your app supports account creation, you must also offer account deletion within the app.” Apple’s account deletion guidance adds that only offering to deactivate an account is not enough, that a website step is allowed if the app links directly to it, and that apps outside highly regulated industries should not make people phone or email to delete. Most Shopify apps let customers sign up, so this applies to almost every store app. Google has the same idea with one extra: its account deletion requirements ask for an in-app path and a web link where users can request deletion without reinstalling the app.

Ask your builder where the delete account option lives in the app and what happens to the request. Then decide how your team handles it in Shopify, for example deleting or anonymizing the customer record within a set number of days.

2.1 and 2.3: demo accounts and accurate metadata

Two simpler guidelines cause many avoidable rejections. Guideline 2.1 asks you to “include demo account info (and turn on your back-end service!) if your app includes a login,” so create a working test customer account in Shopify and enter its details in App Store Connect. Guideline 2.3 asks that your description, screenshots and previews “accurately reflect the app’s core experience,” so do not use website screenshots or mockups of features the app does not have.

How do you fill in Apple’s privacy labels and Google’s Data safety form?

You answer a questionnaire in each console about what data the app collects, why, and whether it is linked to the user. Both stores show the answers on your listing before anyone installs, and both hold you responsible for the third-party code inside the app.

On Apple, App Privacy details are “required to submit new apps and app updates,” and you must include “the practices of third-party partners whose code you integrate into your app.” Data falls into three groups on the product page: Data Used to Track You, Data Linked to You and Data Not Linked to You. You can update the answers at any time without shipping a new version.

On Google, the Data safety form is required for every published app, including closed and open testing tracks; only apps on internal testing alone are exempt. Even an app that collects nothing must complete it and link a privacy policy. Google says it may take enforcement action when app behavior and the declaration do not match.

For a shopping app, the data usually in scope includes the customer’s name, email, phone and shipping address, purchase history, device identifiers for push notifications, and anything collected by analytics, reviews, live chat or loyalty integrations. You cannot fill this in accurately from the outside, so ask your builder for a list of the SDKs and services in your build and what each one collects, then answer from that list.

What screenshot sizes do the App Store and Google Play need?

Apple needs one iPhone screenshot set at the 6.9-inch or 6.5-inch size (plus an iPad set if the app runs on iPad), and Google needs at least two screenshots between 320 and 3840 pixels. Here are the exact specs.

Sources: Apple’s screenshot specifications and Google’s preview asset guide. The easiest route is to take screenshots from the real app on a large phone, then add a short caption to each one: your home screen, a collection, a product page, the cart and one app-only feature such as a wishlist or push offer. Your screenshots also feed your store ranking and conversion, which our guide to app store optimization covers in more depth.

How long does app review take?

Apple reviews most apps within a day, and Google can take up to a week for some accounts. Account setup usually takes longer than review itself.

Apple’s App Review page says “on average, 90% of submissions are reviewed in less than 24 hours,” and you can ask for an expedited review in extenuating circumstances such as a critical bug fix or an event launch. Google’s publishing guide says that “for certain developer accounts, we’ll take more time to thoroughly review your app,” which “may result in review times of up to seven days or longer in exceptional cases.” Google does not say which accounts fall into that group, so leave a margin before any launch date you announce.

What is Google Play’s target API level requirement in 2026?

From August 31, 2026, new apps and app updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher to be submitted to Google Play. This is a technical setting in the app build, so it is your builder’s job, but it affects you directly.

Google’s target API level requirements also set a rule for apps already live: existing apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher “to remain available to new users on devices running Android OS higher than your app’s target API level.” Apps that fall behind become harder for new customers to find, and you cannot ship updates until the build is current. Google lets developers request an extension to November 1, 2026.

Google raises this level every year, so the real question for your builder is not “does my app meet it today?” but “how do you handle the yearly update, and do I need to do anything?” A builder that rebuilds and resubmits apps for each new requirement saves you from finding out through a Play Console warning.

How does publishing work with SimiCart?

With SimiCart you build and preview the app free, then send a publish request from a paid plan, and the team prepares the release and submits it to Apple and Google. Here is the process as described on our Shopify mobile app builder page.

1. Build and preview free. Design the app with drag-and-drop blocks on the Free plan and preview it on a real phone. Publishing to the App Store and Google Play starts on Basic at $99/month, with no success fee on any plan.
2. Prepare your store accounts and listing. Get your developer accounts, privacy policy, screenshots, description and demo login ready using the checklist below. SimiCart can publish under your own Apple and Google developer accounts, which we recommend, or under SimiCart’s accounts if you do not have yours yet; the team tells you which access it needs.
3. Send a publish request. SimiCart processes the request within 48 hours (slightly longer on weekends) and sends the finalized app to your store email for approval.
4. Approve, then submission. After you confirm, the app is submitted to Google and/or Apple, which typically takes another 2 to 3 days until it is officially published. The support team assists throughout the process.
5. Update after launch. Most changes you make in the builder take effect in the live app immediately. The app icon is the exception, because it needs a new app version.

Rejections still happen, usually over listing details rather than the app itself. In our Sweet City case study, the candy retailer’s first Google submission ran into policy issues; the SimiCart team identified the problems and suggested changes to the app name and listing metadata, and the app was approved on the second try. See what each plan includes on our pricing page.

Shopify app publishing checklist

Work through this list before you hit submit. Every item maps to a rule above.

Accounts and business details

• D-U-N-S Number looked up or requested, with the legal entity name matching your company records.
• Apple Developer Program enrolled as an organization (99 USD per year), using a work email on your domain.
• Google Play organization account created ($25 once), with email and phone verified. If personal, 12 testers lined up for a 14-day closed test.
• Builder or developer invited to App Store Connect and Play Console with the roles they need, while you stay the account holder.

App content and policy

• App uses native features (push, wishlist, native cart) and your own branding, not a website in a frame (4.2, 4.2.6).
• One app per brand, not a copy per country or store (4.3).
• Privacy policy updated for the app and linked in both consoles and inside the app (5.1.1(i)).
• In-app account deletion works, plus a web link for Google (5.1.1(v)).
• Working demo customer login entered in App Store Connect (2.1).

Store listing

• App Privacy details and Data safety form completed from your builder’s SDK list.
• iPhone screenshots at 1320 x 2868 or 1284 x 2778, iPad set if needed, and at least four 1080 x 1920 screenshots for Google.
• Google icon (512 x 512) and feature graphic (1024 x 500) ready.
• Description and screenshots that match what the app really does (2.3).
• Android build targets API level 36 for new apps and updates from August 31, 2026.

How to choose a builder that makes publishing easy

The store rules are the same for every builder, so judge builders on how much of the work they take off your plate and how they treat ownership. Before you commit, ask each vendor four questions:

• Whose accounts? Will the app go out under your developer accounts, and can you keep the listing if you leave?
• Who submits? Does the vendor prepare the build, fill in listings and handle rejections, or do you?
• What is compliant out of the box? Native features, in-app account deletion and an SDK list for privacy forms.
• What happens every year? Who rebuilds the app when Google raises the target API level or Apple changes its requirements?

Our comparison of Shopify mobile app builders covers how the main vendors differ, and our breakdown of Shopify mobile app costs adds the store fees to each plan. Choose SimiCart if you want to build and preview free, then publish both apps from $99/month with support through submission and no success fee. You can start building your Shopify app today and get your developer accounts moving while you design.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to publish a Shopify app on the App Store and Google Play?

The stores charge 99 USD per year for the Apple Developer Program and a US$25 one-time fee for a Google Play developer account, so about $124 in the first year and $99 a year after. On top of that you pay your app builder; SimiCart’s publishing plans start at $99/month. A D-U-N-S Number is free.

Do I need a D-U-N-S Number to publish my Shopify app?

You need one to enroll as an organization on Apple and to create an organization account on Google Play. Individuals and sole proprietors can enroll without one, but Apple then lists your personal legal name as the seller. The number is free from Dun & Bradstreet and can take up to 5 business days, plus 2 for Apple to receive it.

Can my app builder publish the app under its own developer account?

Some builders offer this, SimiCart included, but it has drawbacks. Apple’s guideline 4.2.6 says template-generated apps are rejected unless submitted by the provider of the app’s content, and if the listing sits in the vendor’s account, you need their cooperation to transfer it and keep your reviews if you leave. Publishing under your own accounts avoids both problems, which is why SimiCart recommends it even though it supports both options.

How long does it take to get a Shopify app approved?

Apple reviews 90% of submissions in under 24 hours, and Google can take up to 7 days or longer for some accounts. The slower parts are usually account setup: D-U-N-S verification, Apple enrollment and, for new personal Google accounts, a 14-day closed test. With SimiCart, add up to 48 hours for the team to prepare the release.

Why do Shopify apps get rejected by Apple?

The most common reasons are an app that feels like a repackaged website (4.2), a template app not submitted by the content owner (4.2.6), duplicate apps (4.3), a missing privacy policy (5.1.1(i)), no in-app account deletion (5.1.1(v)) and a missing demo login (2.1). Read the rejection message in App Store Connect, fix the specific guideline it cites and resubmit.

Do I need 12 testers to publish on Google Play?

Only if you use a personal Play Console account created after November 13, 2023. Those accounts must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for at least 14 days, then apply for production access. The requirement is written for personal accounts, so most registered businesses avoid it by creating an organization account.

Can I change my app after it is published?

Yes. With SimiCart, most changes you make in the builder take effect in the live app immediately, and store data such as products and orders syncs from Shopify. Changing the app icon needs a new app version, which goes through store review again.