How to publish a mobile app on the App Store and Google Play?
Release an app in stores is a complex process, requiring expertise. We are going to describe the process of publishing the application in the App Store and the Google Play market, give you a number of requirements, and put the spotlight on nuances. Let's go!
App's icon is the first thing your users notice about your app. An incorrect, inaccurate, non-thematic icon does not contribute to the number of installations increase. For making this visual element successful big brands carry out focus groups and other marketing researches. The value of this graphic element can't be overestimated. It's going to be your app face! It will be better if the icon will be executed by a professional designer, unique and maximally reflecting the essence of the application.
The technical requirements for the image on the App Store and Google Play are the same: 1024x1024 px, png format. A significant difference in the form of icons is that Android icons usually have a transparent background.
The technical requirements for the image on the App Store and Google Play are the same: 1024x1024 px, png format. A significant difference in the form of icons is that Android icons usually have a transparent background.
The splash screen is what the user sees when opening your app before it's ready to use. There are many things you can potentially do with a splash screen. Usually, the splash screen shows the app's logo and name, as an option — a short animation. In no case should you overload the splash screen, it can affect the user's desire to run the app as often as he wants, and on the less powerful device, to «hang». The NativeScript framework allows making fairly simple splash screens for iOS and Android.
In iOS and Android apps, there is a large amount of data that needs to be configured before posting in stores. NativeScript provides intelligent defaults for many of these values, but there are a few you'll want to review. You should pay attention to all the data.
a) App ID
This is the unique identifier of your app. It uses to generate a reverse domain name. The ID is assigned to the app when it is published in-store, but you can change your ID. The NativeScript CLI has a convention for setting the application id during app creation, but if you didn't use that option it's easy enough to change your app id. Such a need may arise in the case of a cacophonous name, for example.
b) Display name
The name that the user sees next to the app icon on their screen. NativeScript generates a name based on the value of tens create, which is usually not what you want to see or what it would be nice to see on the screen. Note that in general there is no limit to the number of characters in the name, but iOS and Android will shorten the name displayed in the menu to 10-12 characters. In order to find a name that fits into this framework, you will have to be creative.
c) Other metadata
Although the identifier and the display name of the app are the most important elements to look out for, there are a few more items that also require verification and optimization before publishing the app. Study everything thoroughly.
When you are satisfied with the configuration, you can start optimizing the code.
a) App ID
This is the unique identifier of your app. It uses to generate a reverse domain name. The ID is assigned to the app when it is published in-store, but you can change your ID. The NativeScript CLI has a convention for setting the application id during app creation, but if you didn't use that option it's easy enough to change your app id. Such a need may arise in the case of a cacophonous name, for example.
b) Display name
The name that the user sees next to the app icon on their screen. NativeScript generates a name based on the value of tens create, which is usually not what you want to see or what it would be nice to see on the screen. Note that in general there is no limit to the number of characters in the name, but iOS and Android will shorten the name displayed in the menu to 10-12 characters. In order to find a name that fits into this framework, you will have to be creative.
c) Other metadata
Although the identifier and the display name of the app are the most important elements to look out for, there are a few more items that also require verification and optimization before publishing the app. Study everything thoroughly.
When you are satisfied with the configuration, you can start optimizing the code.
JavaScript is a source code in NativeScript. Like JavaScript code on the web, you could optimize your JavaScript code before release. For NativeScript apps the optimization tool of choice is Webpack. NativeScript has built-in support for Webpack. It is worth noting that the use of Webpack is not mandatory, but will be a great benefit: Webpack reduces the amount of JavaScript code in your app so that your app will load quicker. The need for Webpack depends on the weight of the applications. If you have not previously used the plugin, it will be difficult to configure for advanced use.
Once you figured out the webpack, you can move on to the next step.
Once you figured out the webpack, you can move on to the next step.
The first thing to do is generate the executable file. In Android, this file has the extension .apk. You can generate it using the NativeScript CLI. The ten run the command you've been using during NativeScript development actually generates a .apk file for you and installs that file on an Android emulator or device. But the build you must perform for an actual Google Play release must also be code signed. You can refer to Android's documentation on code signing if you want to dive into the cryptographic details, but at a high level, you need to do two things to create a release version of your Android app.
Create a .keystore or .jks (Java keystore) file.
Use that .keystore or .jks file to sign your app during a build.
The Android documentation gives you a few options on how you can create your Keystore file. For example, the Keytool command-line utility, which is included in the Java JDK NativeScript. It's important not to lose the .jks file or password because without it you will not be able to update your application.
Create a .keystore or .jks (Java keystore) file.
Use that .keystore or .jks file to sign your app during a build.
The Android documentation gives you a few options on how you can create your Keystore file. For example, the Keytool command-line utility, which is included in the Java JDK NativeScript. It's important not to lose the .jks file or password because without it you will not be able to update your application.
For direct placement on Google Play, you need to read the Android documentation for downloading and configuring: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-deve... We will not sort out all the items in this article, simply because they often change. Let's leave it for streaming specialized news channels. We will just note the key points
It is worth paying special attention to developing a visual implementation of your application on its page. You have the opportunity to post screenshots of your application. It is best if they have the most visually attractive pages with the minimum amount of text because in miniature the text will not be readable. You can also upload your Feature Graphic or, in other words — the main image or cover page of the application. The image size is 1024x500 px.
The image should be of good quality and most attractive to the user. If for your application it's the right option, you can make a collage of screenshots of the interface, game characters. It is also worth paying attention to the «readability» of the text on the image. By way of the feature graphic often uses the corporate color and logo of the application. Closed the deal with the visual part, go to the APK (App Releases) section where you load the .apk file that was generated earlier.
When the .apk file is loaded, you can send your application to moderation. Store moderation often takes a few hours. If there will be no questions from the store, which often happens, the application will be available to download in the store n the next 2-10 hours. The moderation period is specified very roughly because it depends on the current server load.
It is worth paying special attention to developing a visual implementation of your application on its page. You have the opportunity to post screenshots of your application. It is best if they have the most visually attractive pages with the minimum amount of text because in miniature the text will not be readable. You can also upload your Feature Graphic or, in other words — the main image or cover page of the application. The image size is 1024x500 px.
The image should be of good quality and most attractive to the user. If for your application it's the right option, you can make a collage of screenshots of the interface, game characters. It is also worth paying attention to the «readability» of the text on the image. By way of the feature graphic often uses the corporate color and logo of the application. Closed the deal with the visual part, go to the APK (App Releases) section where you load the .apk file that was generated earlier.
When the .apk file is loaded, you can send your application to moderation. Store moderation often takes a few hours. If there will be no questions from the store, which often happens, the application will be available to download in the store n the next 2-10 hours. The moderation period is specified very roughly because it depends on the current server load.
Releasing an iOS app to the iOS App Store is one of the most difficult complex processes in working with apps. Almost every developer faces a lot of problems at this step. App Store documentation available at: https://docs.nativescript.org/publishing/publishing-ios-apps
We are not going to tell you all aspects of iOS documentation in this article because the necessary steps change frequently. We will only tell you about the most important points.
To publish iOS apps on App Store firstly you need to have an active Apple Developer Account which costs $99. Sign up at developer.apple.com/register When you have an account, you'll need to create: production certificate, ID, distribution provisioning profile. It takes most of the time. It will be necessary to understand the function of each file and how to use them. Like .apk in Android, there is a .ipa file in iOS. You need it to upload your app to the store. Similar to the .apk file, .ipa could be generated with NativeScript CLI using command tns build ios.
We are not going to tell you all aspects of iOS documentation in this article because the necessary steps change frequently. We will only tell you about the most important points.
To publish iOS apps on App Store firstly you need to have an active Apple Developer Account which costs $99. Sign up at developer.apple.com/register When you have an account, you'll need to create: production certificate, ID, distribution provisioning profile. It takes most of the time. It will be necessary to understand the function of each file and how to use them. Like .apk in Android, there is a .ipa file in iOS. You need it to upload your app to the store. Similar to the .apk file, .ipa could be generated with NativeScript CLI using command tns build ios.
iTunes Connect https://help.apple.com/itunes-connect/developer/ — equivalent to Google Play Developer portal. iTunes Connect is more difficult to use than Google portal. It will take more time than the Google portal to figure out what you are supposed to do.
After filling out the registration form, you will be taken to the app's dashboard. Here you need to provide more metadata about your application. Then you need to upload screenshots with your app interface — for the biggest iPhone and iPad screens. Screenshots could be done on a physical device or using an iOS simulator. When it will be done, you need to work with your .ipa file. There are many ways to do that. You could use XCode, Application Loader, NativeScript CLI. Publish your app with the command tns publish ios --ipa <path to your ipa file>. Your app becomes available for up to one hour.
Publishing your app in stores requires a lot of time and some background experience. That's why we strongly recommend to contact us or leave your contact information.
Wish you good luck in programming!
After filling out the registration form, you will be taken to the app's dashboard. Here you need to provide more metadata about your application. Then you need to upload screenshots with your app interface — for the biggest iPhone and iPad screens. Screenshots could be done on a physical device or using an iOS simulator. When it will be done, you need to work with your .ipa file. There are many ways to do that. You could use XCode, Application Loader, NativeScript CLI. Publish your app with the command tns publish ios --ipa <path to your ipa file>. Your app becomes available for up to one hour.
Publishing your app in stores requires a lot of time and some background experience. That's why we strongly recommend to contact us or leave your contact information.
Wish you good luck in programming!