App Store Connect Guide: Users, Setup and Submission

App Store Connect is the website where everything about your app lives on Apple's side. You create the app record there, upload builds, invite TestFlight testers, answer the privacy and age rating questions, set the price and send each version to App Review. If you own the developer account, your developer will spend more time in it than you will, but you still need to know enough to give the right people access and check what goes out under your name.

We fill in App Store Connect for clients as part of our mobile app work: we gather the answers, write the listing, take the screenshots and submit. This is the walkthrough we wish every owner had before their first launch. If you're starting from zero, read how to publish an app on the App Store first, then come back here for the details.

What is App Store Connect?

It's Apple's portal for developers at appstoreconnect.apple.com. You sign in with the Apple Account tied to your Apple Developer Program membership. If you haven't joined yet, see what an Apple developer account costs.

One rule catches a lot of first-time owners. Apple says: "You can't add an app to your account until the Account Holder signs the latest agreement in the Business section." Only the Account Holder can accept it, so if your developer says they can't create the app, this is the first thing to check.

How do you give your developer or assistant access?

Invite them as a user in Users and Access. Please don't share your own Apple Account password. Shared logins fight over two-factor codes, leave no record of who changed what, and hand over powers you probably want to keep, like accepting legal agreements on behalf of your business.

1. 1Open Users and Access and, under People, click the plus button.
2. 2Enter their first name, last name and email address. Apple says any email works and it doesn't need to be tied to an Apple Account.
3. 3Choose a role, plus any extra access such as reports or Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles.
4. 4Pick which apps they can see if you want to limit them.
5. 5Click Invite. Invitations expire after 3 days, but you can resend them.

Only the Account Holder, an Admin or an App Manager can add users. Only the Account Holder or an Admin can change someone's role or remove them.

How do you create the app record?

Go to Apps, click the plus button and choose New App. Apple asks for the following:

• Platforms: iOS, macOS, tvOS or visionOS. Apple counts watch-only apps as part of iOS.
• Name: what shows on the App Store, up to 30 characters. Apple notes that a name can only be used by one app per localization, so a popular name may already be taken.
• Primary language: the default language of your listing.
• Bundle ID: the unique identifier your developer set in Xcode, written in reverse-DNS style, like com.yourcompany.yourapp.
• SKU: an internal reference code you choose.
• User Access: Full Access, or Limited Access so only the users you pick can see the app.

Check the bundle ID with your developer before anyone uploads anything. Apple's Xcode help is blunt about it: "After you upload a build to App Store Connect, you can't change the bundle ID."

Builds and the TestFlight tab

Your developer uploads builds from Xcode or a build service. Once Apple finishes processing a build, it shows up in the TestFlight tab, where you can install it on your own iPhone before anything goes to review. Internal testing covers up to 100 people on your team, and external testing reaches up to 10,000 people after a beta review. Our TestFlight guide walks through both.

Please don't skip this. Opening the real build on your own phone is the cheapest way to catch a broken login or a leftover placeholder screen, which are exactly the kinds of things behind common App Store rejections.

App Privacy: answer for your SDKs too

Every new app and update needs App Privacy details, which become the privacy label on your product page. Apple says you must describe your own practices and "the practices of third-party partners whose code you integrate into your app." Analytics tools, ad networks and other SDKs count, not only the code your developer wrote.

• List the data types you collect, such as contact info, location or usage data.
• Say what each one is used for and whether it's linked to the user's identity.
• Say whether any of it is used for tracking. Apple defines tracking as linking your app's data with other companies' data for targeted ads or ad measurement, or sharing it with a data broker.
• Add a privacy policy URL. It's required.

Data that's only processed on the device doesn't count as collected. Apple also says you can update these answers at any time without submitting a new version, and that keeping them accurate is your job.

Age ratings changed in 2025

Apple rebuilt its age ratings in July 2025. The system now has 4+, 9+, 13+, 16+ and 18+, and the questionnaire gained required questions about in-app controls, capabilities, medical or wellness topics and violent themes. Apple asked developers to answer the new questions for each app by January 31, 2026, to avoid interruptions when submitting updates. You'll find them under App Information.

One line in Apple's announcement matters if your app uses AI. You have to consider how all features, "including AI assistants and chatbot functionality," affect how often sensitive content could appear. If your app has a chatbot, answer the questions with that in mind.

Pricing and availability

Under Pricing and Availability you choose the price or make the app free, and pick the countries and regions where it's sold. If you plan to charge for the app or sell in-app purchases, the Account Holder also needs to finish the paid apps agreement and the banking and tax details in the Business section, so start that early.

How do you submit an app for review?

When the version page is complete (screenshots, description, keywords, support URL, privacy policy URL and a build selected), submitting takes two clicks. Apple's steps: click Add for Review, pick a new or existing draft submission, then click Submit for Review. The status moves from Ready for Review to In Review. Apple lists the Account Holder, Admin and App Manager as the roles that can submit.

Fill in the App Review Information section as well. If your app has a login, give the reviewer a working demo account and any notes they need. It's one of the easiest rejections to avoid.

Release options and phased release

You also decide when an approved version goes live:

• Manually release this version. You press the button when you're ready. Apple says it can take up to 24 hours to appear on the App Store after that.
• Automatically release this version as soon as it's approved.
• Automatically release after App Review, no earlier than a date and time you choose.

For updates, turn on phased release. Apple rolls the update out over 7 days to people with automatic updates on: 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 50%, then 100%. If you spot a problem, you can pause for up to 30 days in total. Keep in mind that anyone can still download the update manually from the App Store during the rollout.

A checklist before you click submit

• Everyone working on the app has their own login with the right role.
• The bundle ID matches the build your developer uploaded.
• Screenshots for the required device sizes. Our screenshot size guide has the exact pixels.
• Name, subtitle, description, keywords, support URL and privacy policy URL are filled in. Our app store optimization guide helps with the wording.
• App Privacy answers cover every SDK in the app.
• The updated age rating questions are answered.
• A demo account is in App Review Information.
• You've opened the exact build on a real phone through TestFlight.

If you'd rather hand this part off, our mobile team handles it end to end. We collect your answers, fill in App Store Connect, take the screenshots and submit, and you stay the Account Holder the whole time. Doing Android too? Our Google Play Console guide covers that side.

Roenic Natarelli

Founder, Virtual Horizons

Roenic runs Virtual Horizons and is a Base44 Legend Partner, Ambassador and Community Pillar, Base44 Shark Tank winner and multiple-time Vibe Sprint winner. The studio builds web and mobile apps, AI voice agents and automations, with more than 10 apps live on the App Store and Google Play. More about us