The short answer
Getting an app into Google Play and the App Store takes longer than most founders expect — not because it is hard, but because of accounts, documents, testing rules and review. Start the paperwork in week one of the build, not the week before launch.
This checklist covers what an Indian business needs to prepare. Store policies change often, so check the current requirements in each console before you submit.
Set up developer accounts early
Publish under your company's name, not a developer's personal account. It is your asset, and moving an app between accounts later is painful.
- Google Play Console: register as an organisation, pay the one-time registration fee and complete identity and organisation verification.
- Apple Developer Program: enrol as an organisation and pay the annual membership fee.
- D-U-N-S number: both stores typically ask organisations for one. Getting it can take days to weeks, so apply first.
- Matching documents: keep your company name, address and website identical across your incorporation papers, GST registration, D-U-N-S record and store accounts. Mismatches cause delays.
- Shared access: add your developers to the accounts with the right roles, rather than sharing passwords.
Plan for testing requirements
Both stores give you test tracks before a public release, and you should use them anyway.
- Google Play offers internal, closed and open testing. New personal developer accounts must run a closed test with a minimum number of testers over a minimum number of days before they can publish to production. Organisation accounts have different rules — check the current requirement in Play Console.
- Apple TestFlight lets you share builds with internal and external testers. External testing needs a light review.
- Recruit real testers who match your users: riders on budget phones, kitchen staff on a tablet, parents on older iPhones.
- Collect crash reports and fix the top issues before you submit for review.
Exact fees, tester counts and testing durations change. Confirm the current numbers in each store's help pages when you start.
Privacy forms, policies and account deletion
Both stores ask you to declare what data your app collects and why. Your answers must match what the app actually does, including third-party tools.
- Privacy policy: a public URL, readable, covering what you collect, why, how long you keep it and how to contact you. It should match your DPDP obligations — see our DPDP checklist.
- Google Play Data safety form and App Store privacy details: list every type of data collected and shared, including by analytics, crash and ads tools.
- Account deletion: if users can create an account, both stores expect them to be able to delete it from inside the app. Google Play also expects a web link where people can request deletion.
- Permissions: ask only for what you use, at the moment you need it, with a clear reason. Background location for rider apps needs a strong justification and usually a video showing why.
- Sensitive categories: health, finance, lending, children and real-money apps face extra rules and declarations.
Payments: which rules apply to you
Store payment rules depend on what you are selling.
| What you sell | Typical rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Physical goods and real-world services | Use your own payment gateway, such as UPI and cards | Food delivery, groceries, rides, home services, clinic visits |
| Digital goods and subscriptions used in the app | Usually the store's billing system, subject to its rules and fees | Premium content, in-app coins, app-only subscriptions |
| Donations, bills and money movement | Special rules; check the policies for your category | Crowdfunding, bill payments, investing |
Most Indian service businesses fall into the first row, where UPI and cards through your own gateway are allowed. Read our UPI payments guide. If you sell digital content, confirm the current billing rules for India before you design checkout.
Store listing that converts
Your listing is a landing page. Treat it like one.
- An app name and short description that say what the app does, in the words people search.
- Screenshots that show the main benefit in the first two frames, with short captions.
- Listings in Hindi and other languages if your app supports them. See regional language apps.
- A support email, website and privacy policy that work.
- Pricing set in rupees where applicable, and GST considered in what you charge.
- A clear category and age rating.
If your app is mainly a wrapper around your website, expect pushback — Apple in particular expects apps to do more than a website. A business website or PWA may be the better choice; our native vs PWA guide explains when.
A final pre-submission checklist
- Company developer accounts verified on both stores.
- Closed or TestFlight testing done with real users; top crashes fixed.
- Privacy policy live; Data safety and App Store privacy details match the app.
- In-app account deletion works, plus a web deletion link.
- Every permission has a clear in-app reason.
- Demo login and reviewer notes written.
- Screenshots, descriptions and icons ready in each language you support.
- Payment flows tested end to end, including refunds.
- Support email and website monitored from launch day.
Review and launch day
Review times vary from hours to a few days, and a rejection adds more. Plan for at least one round of fixes.
- Give reviewers a working demo account, with sample data, and notes on how to test key flows.
- If the app needs a location, explain how reviewers outside India can test it.
- Submit at least a week before any announced launch date.
- Use staged rollouts on Google Play and phased release on the App Store to catch problems early.
- Keep the old build ready, and know how to pause a rollout.
- Watch crashes, reviews and payment success rates closely for the first week.
After launch: keeping the app in the store
Publishing is not the end. Both stores raise their requirements every year, such as minimum Android target versions and new privacy declarations. Apps that fall behind can stop receiving updates or be hidden from new users.
- Budget for at least one compliance update a year, plus OS updates.
- Keep store accounts, payment details and contacts current.
- Reply to reviews; they shape both ranking and trust.
Our app maintenance guide covers what upkeep usually involves. At the end of every build we handle store submission and hand over the accounts, code and documents — see the process, or start a brief.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to publish an app on Google Play from India?
Allow two to four weeks from starting the account to going live. Organisation verification and a D-U-N-S number can take days to weeks, new accounts may need a closed testing period, and review itself takes from hours to several days. Start the accounts in the first week of your build, not at the end.
Should I publish the app under my company or a developer's account?
Always under your company's own account. The app, its reviews and its download history belong to the account it was published from. Moving apps between accounts later is slow and sometimes not possible. Add your developers or agency as users with the right roles instead of letting them own the account.
Can I use UPI for payments in an iPhone or Android app?
Usually yes, for physical goods and real-world services such as food delivery, groceries, rides, home services and appointments. These can use your own payment gateway with UPI and cards. Digital goods used inside the app, like premium content or in-app currency, generally fall under the store's own billing rules. Check the current policy for your category.
Why do apps get rejected by the App Store or Google Play?
Common reasons are crashes or broken flows during review, missing demo account details, privacy declarations that don't match the app, missing in-app account deletion, permissions without a clear reason, and apps that are only a thin wrapper around a website. Most rejections are fixable within a day or two if you plan for them.
Do I need a D-U-N-S number to publish an app in India?
If you publish as an organisation, both Google Play and the App Store typically ask for one to verify your business. It is free to request but can take time, so apply early. Make sure the name and address match your company documents exactly, or verification may be delayed.
