How to Publish a Base44 App to the App Store and Google Play

You can publish a Base44 app to the Apple App Store and Google Play in five stages: set up developer accounts, scan the app, fix what the scan flags, generate the store files and then submit them yourself. Base44 does the technical packaging. You own the accounts, the listings and the conversation with Apple and Google.

We have walked a lot of apps through this. At Virtual Horizons we are a Base44 Legend Partner with more than 10 apps live on the App Store and Google Play, and handling submissions for clients is a regular part of our week. This guide is the checklist we actually use.

Can you publish a Base44 app to the App Store?

Yes. Base44 has a built-in Mobile app tab that checks your app against store guidelines and builds the files Apple and Google need. What it does not do is submit for you. In Base44’s words, "Customer Care does not check on the status of your submission," so the listing and the review are on you.

There is one plan detail worth knowing up front. According to Base44’s app store documentation, the app scan works on the Free plan, but downloading the IPA and AAB files requires the Builder plan or higher.

What do you need before you start?

You need a published Base44 app on a stable URL, your own developer accounts, a store-ready icon and privacy and terms pages that people can actually reach from the app. Get these sorted first and the rest goes much faster.

• Apple Developer Program: 99 USD per membership year, per Base44’s publishing guide. Apple activation can take up to 2 business days.
• Google Play Console: a one-time 25 USD registration fee plus identity verification.
• A logo that meets each store’s icon rules. Google Play wants a 512 x 512 PNG icon.
• Privacy policy and terms pages linked from your main pages, not buried.
• Test login details for the reviewer if any part of the app sits behind sign-in.

How long does Google Play’s closed testing rule add?

At least two weeks, if you have a new personal account. Google requires personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023 to run a closed test with "a minimum of 12 testers who have been opted in continuously for at least 14 days" before applying for production access, according to Google Play Console Help.

This is the step that surprises people most. Line up your 12 testers before you even generate the Android file, and make sure they stay opted in the whole time. If you publish under an organization account, this specific rule does not apply, which is one reason businesses should register as an organization when they can.

How do you publish a Base44 app, step by step?

Here is the full sequence, from Base44’s own flow plus the store-side work it leaves to you.

1. 1Create your developer accounts. Enroll in the Apple Developer Program and register for Google Play Console. Base44 does not create or manage these.
2. 2Run the app scan. In the Base44 editor, click Publish, open the Mobile app tab, click Check Your App, then Run App Scan and pick App Store or Google Play guidelines.
3. 3Fix the flagged issues. Review your Readiness Score and use Apply with AI or Copy Fix Prompt on failed checks. Publish, then rescan. You do not need a perfect 100, but clear the critical items.
4. 4Generate the iOS file. Click Build Stores Files, then Create App Store files. Enter your Issuer ID, Key ID and Team ID, upload the .p8 API key from App Store Connect and download the IPA. Base44 handles signing.
5. 5Generate the Android file. Click Create Google Play files, confirm the logo and download the AAB. Base44 signs it with its own upload key, so you do not need a keystore.
6. 6Build your store listings. Write the name, subtitle and descriptions, add keywords, upload screenshots and the icon, and add your privacy policy and support URLs.
7. 7Complete the privacy forms. Fill in Apple’s App Privacy details and Google’s Data safety form so they match what the app really collects.
8. 8Add reviewer access. Give Apple and Google a working demo login and short notes on how to reach the main features.
9. 9Submit for review. Upload the IPA in App Store Connect and the AAB in Play Console, then submit. For Android on a new personal account, run the closed test first.
10. 10Watch for messages. Answer reviewer questions quickly. A rejection names the guideline, so fix that one thing and resubmit.

One technical note from the docs: Base44 sets your bundle ID and package name as com.base[app-id].app and you cannot change it. Also, every store update needs freshly generated files so the build number goes up. Re-downloading an old file gives you the same build, and the stores will reject it.

What screenshot sizes do Apple and Google require?

Apple wants exact pixel sizes per device class, while Google accepts a range. These are the specs we work from, taken from Apple’s screenshot specifications and a current Google Play size guide.

Both stores reject images with transparency in screenshots, so export JPEG or flattened PNG. Apple accepts .jpeg, .jpg and .png. Capture real screens from the app rather than mockups of features that do not exist yet, because reviewers compare the two.

How long does app review take?

Apple is usually fast: its App Review page says the team typically reviews "at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours." Google Play can take days to weeks for a brand-new account, plus the closed testing period above.

First releases tend to take longer than updates on both stores. And once you are live, most content changes in your Base44 app go out the moment you publish, with no new store files. You only rebuild when something baked into the app changes, like the name, icon or permissions.

Why do Base44 apps get rejected?

The big one is Apple’s minimum functionality rule. Guideline 4.2 says "Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website," and adds that an app that is not useful, unique or "app-like" doesn’t belong on the App Store, as quoted by MobiLoud’s breakdown of the guideline.

Beyond 4.2, these are the rejections we see most:

• The reviewer cannot log in. No demo account, or the demo account has no data to look at.
• Broken or dead-end flows. A button that goes nowhere, a page that still says "coming soon".
• Digital goods sold outside store billing. Both Apple and Google require their own billing for digital purchases inside the app.
• Privacy answers that do not match the app. If you collect email or location, say so in the privacy forms.
• Missing or unreachable privacy policy.

To get past 4.2, give the app things a website cannot easily do: push notifications, a home screen that works well on a phone, offline-friendly states, native navigation and content built for small screens. Base44 lets you add push notifications when you generate the files, which helps.

Where does App Native fit?

App Native is a self-serve product we built at Virtual Horizons that wraps Base44 apps as native iOS and Android apps for App Store and Google Play distribution. It is an alternative to Base44’s built-in file generation for teams that want a native shell around their app.

Both routes still go through the same store review, so everything in this guide applies either way. The right choice depends on how much native behavior you need around your app. If you are not sure, that is a good question to bring to a quick call.

Should you do it yourself or hand it off?

If you have the time, you can absolutely do this yourself with the checklist above. The work that eats hours is not the upload, it is the listing: chasing descriptions, writing privacy answers, making screenshots in every size and handling reviewer back-and-forth.

That is the part we take off clients’ plates. We gather the answers, build the listings, capture and size the screenshots and manage the review until the app is approved. If you are still building, our mobile app service covers the whole thing, and our Base44 team can help get the app itself store-ready. Curious about budget first? Read how much it costs to build an app.

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