React Native app store submission checklist: iOS and Android, 2026

Building the app is half the job. Getting it into both stores without a two-week rejection loop is the other half. Here is the checklist we run before every submission.

Accounts (in your name)

• Apple Developer Program, enrolled as the company, $99 a year. Individual enrolment makes transfers painful later.
• Google Play Console, one-time $25, with the identity verification completed early; it can take days.
• Both accounts owned by the founder, with the developer added as a team member.

Assets

• App icon at every required size (Expo generates these from one 1024px source).
• Screenshots for the sizes each store demands, real screens, not mockups.
• A privacy policy URL that actually describes what the app collects.
• A support URL or email that gets answered.

The rejections that catch first-time apps

• Sign in with Apple missing. If you offer Google sign-in, Apple requires their option too.
• Account deletion missing. Both stores require a way to delete the account from inside the app.
• Demo credentials. Reviewers need a login that works; provide one in the review notes with data already in it.
• Broken purchase flow. Reviewers test purchases in sandbox mode. Restore purchases must work.
• Permission strings. Every camera, location or notification prompt needs a sentence explaining why.
• Guideline 4.2, minimum functionality. A web page wrapped in an app gets rejected. Native navigation and offline states help.

Timing

Apple review is usually 24 to 48 hours, sometimes a week around holidays. Google is faster but the first submission of a new account gets extra scrutiny. Plan launch dates with a week of slack.

JetBuild handles the submission and the review back-and-forth as part of every mobile version one, with store accounts opened in your name from day one.