Publishing to App Stores
Guide to submitting Capacitor apps to Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
When to Use This Skill User is ready to publish app User asks about app store submission User needs app store screenshots User has app rejection issues User needs to update app listing Pre-Submission Checklist Universal Requirements App icon in all required sizes Splash screen configured App name and bundle ID set Version and build numbers set Privacy policy URL Terms of service URL Support email/URL Age rating content questionnaire App description (short and long) Keywords/tags Screenshots for all device sizes Feature graphic (Android) App preview video (optional) iOS-Specific Apple Developer Program membership ($99/year) App Store Connect app created Signing certificates and profiles Info.plist usage descriptions App Tracking Transparency (if applicable) Sign in with Apple (if social login used) Export compliance (encryption) Android-Specific Google Play Developer account ($25 one-time) App signed with release keystore Target SDK level (API 34+) 64-bit support Permissions declared in manifest Data safety form completed Content rating questionnaire App Store Configuration Version and Build Numbers // capacitor.config.ts - Not stored here, just for reference
// iOS: Info.plist // CFBundleShortVersionString = "1.2.3" (user-visible) // CFBundleVersion = "45" (build number, increment each upload)
// Android: build.gradle // versionName = "1.2.3" (user-visible) // versionCode = 45 (must increment each upload)
iOS Info.plist
Android build.gradle // android/app/build.gradle android { defaultConfig { applicationId "com.yourcompany.yourapp" minSdkVersion 22 targetSdkVersion 34 versionCode 1 versionName "1.0.0"
// 64-bit support
ndk {
abiFilters 'armeabi-v7a', 'arm64-v8a', 'x86', 'x86_64'
}
}
buildTypes {
release {
minifyEnabled true
shrinkResources true
proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
}
}
bundle {
language {
enableSplit = true
}
density {
enableSplit = true
}
abi {
enableSplit = true
}
}
}
App Icons iOS App Icons
Required sizes (place in Assets.xcassets):
Size Scale Usage 20pt 2x, 3x Notification 29pt 2x, 3x Settings 40pt 2x, 3x Spotlight 60pt 2x, 3x App Icon 76pt 1x, 2x iPad 83.5pt 2x iPad Pro 1024pt 1x App Store Android App Icons
Required sizes (place in res/mipmap-*):
Density Size Folder mdpi 48x48 mipmap-mdpi hdpi 72x72 mipmap-hdpi xhdpi 96x96 mipmap-xhdpi xxhdpi 144x144 mipmap-xxhdpi xxxhdpi 192x192 mipmap-xxxhdpi
Also needed:
Adaptive icon (foreground + background layers) Play Store icon: 512x512 Generate Icons
Use capacitor-assets
bun add -D @capacitor/assets bunx capacitor-assets generate --iconBackgroundColor '#ffffff'
Screenshots iOS Screenshot Sizes Device Size Required iPhone 6.7" 1290x2796 Yes iPhone 6.5" 1284x2778 Yes iPhone 5.5" 1242x2208 Yes iPad Pro 12.9" 2048x2732 If supporting iPad iPad Pro 11" 1668x2388 If supporting iPad Android Screenshot Sizes Type Size Required Phone 1080x1920 to 1080x2400 Yes (2-8) 7" Tablet 1200x1920 If supporting 10" Tablet 1600x2560 If supporting Feature Graphic (Android) Size: 1024x500 Required for Play Store listing Generating Screenshots // Use Playwright for automated screenshots import { test } from '@playwright/test';
const devices = [ { name: 'iPhone 14 Pro Max', viewport: { width: 430, height: 932 } }, { name: 'iPhone 14', viewport: { width: 390, height: 844 } }, { name: 'Pixel 7', viewport: { width: 412, height: 915 } }, ];
test('generate screenshots', async ({ page }) => { for (const device of devices) { await page.setViewportSize(device.viewport);
// Screenshot 1: Home
await page.goto('/');
await page.screenshot({
path: `screenshots/${device.name}-home.png`,
fullPage: false,
});
// Screenshot 2: Feature
await page.goto('/feature');
await page.screenshot({
path: `screenshots/${device.name}-feature.png`,
});
} });
App Store Connect Submission 1. Create App Go to https://appstoreconnect.apple.com My Apps > + > New App Fill in: Platform: iOS Name: Your App Name Primary Language Bundle ID SKU (unique identifier) 2. App Information Category (primary and secondary) Content Rights Age Rating (complete questionnaire) 3. Pricing and Availability Price (Free or paid tier) Availability (countries) 4. App Privacy Privacy Policy URL (required) Data collection types: Contact Info Health & Fitness Financial Info Location Identifiers Usage Data etc. 5. Version Information Screenshots (all sizes) Promotional Text (170 chars) Description (4000 chars) Keywords (100 chars, comma-separated) Support URL Marketing URL (optional) What's New (for updates) 6. Build Upload
Using Xcode
Product > Archive > Distribute App > App Store Connect
Using Fastlane
fastlane ios release
Using xcrun
xcrun altool --upload-app --type ios --file App.ipa \ --apiKey KEY_ID --apiIssuer ISSUER_ID
- Submit for Review Answer export compliance questions Add notes for reviewer (if needed) Submit Google Play Console Submission
- Create App Go to https://play.google.com/console All apps > Create app Fill in: App name Default language App or game Free or paid
- Store Listing Short description (80 chars) Full description (4000 chars) Screenshots (2-8 per device type) Feature graphic (1024x500) App icon (512x512) Video URL (optional, YouTube)
- Content Rating
Complete the questionnaire for IARC rating
- Target Audience Target age group Ads declaration
- Data Safety Data collection Data sharing Security practices Data deletion request handling
- App Content Ads (yes/no) App category Contact details Privacy policy
- Release
Build AAB (required for new apps)
cd android && ./gradlew bundleRelease
Upload via Play Console or API
Production > Create new release > Upload AAB
Release Tracks Track Purpose Internal testing Up to 100 testers, instant Closed testing Invite-only, review Open testing Public beta Production Full release Common Rejection Reasons iOS Rejections Reason Solution Crashes Test on real devices, fix bugs Broken links Verify all URLs work Incomplete metadata Fill all required fields Missing privacy info Complete App Privacy section Login issues Provide demo account Guideline 4.2 (Minimum Functionality) Add meaningful features Guideline 5.1.1 (Data Collection) Justify data usage Android Rejections Reason Solution Crashes/ANRs Fix stability issues Policy violation Review Play policies Deceptive behavior Be transparent about features Sensitive permissions Justify in-app Target SDK too low Update to API 34+ Updates and Versioning Version Incrementing
Increment patch (1.0.0 -> 1.0.1)
bun version patch
Increment minor (1.0.0 -> 1.1.0)
bun version minor
Increment major (1.0.0 -> 2.0.0)
bun version major
Phased Rollout
iOS:
Enable phased release in App Store Connect 7-day gradual rollout (1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, 100%)
Android:
Set rollout percentage in release Monitor crash rate before increasing Resources App Store Review Guidelines: https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines Google Play Policy Center: https://play.google.com/about/developer-content-policy App Store Connect: https://appstoreconnect.apple.com Google Play Console: https://play.google.com/console Capacitor Assets: https://github.com/ionic-team/capacitor-assets