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Pre-launch app checklist: 30 things to verify

Product, quality, store, legal-basics and support readiness before launch day. Each item with its reason and how to check.

updated ·5 min read

In this guide

This list complements the full testing checklist. That one covers what to test; this one covers whether you are ready to ship. Store requirements change, so wherever an item touches a store rule, read the current policy page before you submit; the pages used for this list are in the sources.

Product

# Item Why How to check
1 The core task works start to finish on a clean install If this fails nothing else matters Install fresh, do the main task without help
2 Onboarding gets a new user to value quickly A confusing first session is where you can lose new users Watch one outsider use it, silently
3 Empty states have text, not blank screens New users see empty states first Log in with a new account and open every tab
4 Offline and bad network behaviour is defined Phones lose signal Switch to airplane mode mid-action
5 Permissions are requested at the moment of need, with a reason Early prompts get refused Walk through every prompt on a new install
6 Account deletion/sign-out works Users expect to leave cleanly, and both stores have rules for apps with account creation Create and delete an account; see the deletion checklist

Quality

# Item Why How to check
7 No known crash in the main flows Crashes lead to bad reviews Check the crash dashboard for the last test build
8 Tested on several real devices and OS versions, including a small screen Layouts break on the edges List devices tested; see the full checklist
9 Performance is acceptable on an older device Your phone is probably fast Time cold start and main screen on the oldest device you have
10 Release build (not debug) was tested Release builds differ (minification, signing) Test the exact file you will upload
11 Payments/subscriptions tested end to end in sandbox Money bugs are the costliest Buy, cancel, restore
12 Accessibility basics: text scaling, contrast, screen reader labels on key buttons Cheap to fix now Set the largest system font; try a screen reader on the main flow
13 Real tester feedback was read and triaged You are too close to see problems Open your tracker: every row has a decision

Store readiness

# Item Why How to check
14 Listing text and screenshots match the current build Mismatch confuses users and can cause rejection Compare each screenshot with the app
15 App name, icon and category are final Changing later costs time Preview on a real home screen
16 Version and build numbers are correct and higher than the last upload The store console can reject an upload with a version that was already used (Google Play: increase the version code with each update) Check the numbers in the store console
17 Content rating / age questionnaire answered truthfully Wrong answers cause trouble later Re-read your answers against the app
18 Privacy policy link is set in the store and in the app Apple's App Review Guidelines (5.1.1) and Google Play's Data safety form both ask for it See the privacy policy checklist
19 Data safety / privacy details match what the app does Google Play holds you responsible for accurate declarations, including data handled by third-party SDKs Side-by-side check with item 18
20 For Google Play: closed test requirement met if it applies to your account Production release can be blocked Read the closed testing checklist and check the current Play Console help
21 Review notes and demo login provided if reviewers need them Apple's guidelines ask for demo account info if the app has a login, and for live backend services during review Log in with the exact credentials you give
# Item Why How to check
22 Terms of use exist if you sell or have accounts Sets expectations for both sides Linked in the app and listing
23 Imprint/company details where your situation requires them Some countries require it Ask a qualified person; note result
24 Third-party licences (libraries, fonts, images, music) are cleared Unlicensed assets cause takedowns List assets and licences
25 Third-party SDK data use is known Needed for item 18 and 19 Walk the dependency list

Support and operations

# Item Why How to check
26 A support contact is visible in the app and listing Users with problems otherwise leave a review Find it in under three taps
27 Crash and error reporting is live in the release build You must see problems on day one Trigger a test event in the release build
28 Backend capacity and limits are checked A launch spike should not take the server down Review limits of your hosting and APIs
29 A rollback/hotfix path exists You will find something on launch day Know how long a fix takes to build and submit
30 You know who watches what in week one Launch is not the end Prepare the first-week checklist

How to use it

Print or copy it, answer each row with Yes / No / Not applicable and a date. Any No on items 1, 7, 10, 11, 18 or 19 is a stop. Everything else is a judgment call: write down why you accept the risk.

For a last outside look before launch day, AppReviewX offers private, structured feedback from other developers (1 feedback = 1 credit; new accounts start at 0), plus test groups for Google Play's closed-test requirement (12 testers, 14 days in a row, Android apps). Get started on AppReviewX.