iPhone first App Store submission

App Store Submission
Tutorial
(Retired Document)

Contents
About Your First App Store Submission 4
At a Glance 5
Enroll in the Program 5
Provision Devices 5
Create an App Record in iTunes Connect 5
Submit the App 6
Solve Problems and Choose Your Next Steps 6
Prerequisites 6
See Also 7
Enrolling in the iOS Developer Program 8
How to Administer Your Account Using Web Tools 8
How Apple Email Tracks Your Enrollment Process 8
Accessing the iOS Developer Program Tools 9
Recap 11
Provisioning Your Devices for Development 12
Request a Development Certificate 12
Provision Your Device 14
Code Sign Your App 15
Launch Your App on the Device 16
Recap 17
Testing Your App on Many Devices and iOS Versions 18
Configure Your App for Distribution 18
Run Your App Locally 20
Register Device IDs 23
Create an Ad Hoc Provisioning Profile 25
Create an iOS App Store Package 27
Install the Ad Hoc Provisioning Profile and App on the Device 30
Send Crash Reports to Developers 32
Recap 32
Creating Your App Record in iTunes Connect 33
Retired Document | 2013-09-18 | Copyright © 2013 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2

Before You Begin 33
Capture Screenshots 34
Set the Launch Image 35
Set the Bundle ID to Match the App ID 36
Create the iTunes Connect App Record 37
Recap 40
Submitting Your App 41
Before You Begin 41
Create a Distribution Provisioning Profile 41
Create and Validate the Archive 43
Submit and Ship Your App 46
Submit the Archive 47
Ship Your App 48
Respond to User Issues 49
Recap 50
Review and Troubleshooting 51
Review: How Provisioning Works 51
Verify Your Certificates Using Keychain Access 53
Export and Import Your Digital Identities 55
Verify the iOS App Target Settings 56
Next Steps 58
Using iCloud Storage 58
Using Other Technologies 58
Managing Your Team 58
Getting Your App Approved 59
Marketing Your App and Managing Your Account 59
Document Revision History 60
3
Contents

Important This material is covered in App Distribution Guide.
This tutorial teaches you the process of provisioning devices and submitting your iOS app to the App Store.
(You can start some of these tasks as soon as you are ready to run your app on a device.) You learn this process
best using your own Xcode project. But if you created a HelloWorld project in another tutorial, it will work well,
too.
Most of your development time is spent on coding tasks. But to develop for the App Store, you must also
perform administrative tasks, using Xcode and other tools, throughout the lifetime of your app. The App Store
is a curated store, which means that only Apple-approved apps are available for purchase. Apple does this to
provide the best experience possible for our users. For example, apps that are sold on the App Store must not
crash or exhibit other major bugs.
Apple provides the tools you need to develop, test, and submit your iOS app to the App Store. To run an app
on a device, the device needs to be provisioned for development and later provisioned for testing. You also
need to provide information about your app that the App Store displays to customers and upload screenshots.
4
About Your First App Store Submission

Then you submit the app to Apple for approval. After the app is approved, you set a date when the app should
appear in the App Store, as well as its price. Finally, you use Apple’s tools to monitor the sales of the app,
customer reviews, and crash reports. Then you repeat the entire process again to submit updates to your app.
If you use certain technologies—such as iCloud storage or In-App Purchase—there are additional configuration
and administrative tasks to perform. There are also tasks you perform to manage a team of developers. This
tutorial doesn’t cover these additional tasks.
At a Glance
This tutorial teaches you the process of testing an iOS app on a device, and submitting it to the App Store. You
can use the same HelloWorld app you created in Start Developing iOS Apps Today (Retired) or you can follow
the steps using your own app. This tutorial is about the process, not about how you design your user interface
or write your code.
Enroll in the Program
Before you can access any of the tools that you need to run your app on a device or begin the submission
process, you must join the iOS Developer Program as either an individual or a company.
Relevant chapter: Enrolling in the iOS Developer Program (page 8)
Provision Devices
The first step after creating a working app is to run it on a device. Xcode simplifies this process by creating
default signing certificates and provisioning profiles for you.
Relevant chapters: Provisioning Your Devices for Development (page 12), Testing Your App on
Many Devices and iOS Versions (page 18)
Create an App Record in iTunes Connect
Before you can submit an app for approval, you need to provide information to set up your iTunes Connect
account. iTunes Connect is the marketing and business tool you use to check the status of your contracts, set
up tax and banking information, obtain sales and finance reports, manage developers on your team, and
manage metadata about your app. At a minimum, you need to create an app record and complete forms to
validate and submit your app.
At a Glance
5

Relevant chapter: Creating Your App Record in iTunes Connect (page 33)
Submit the App
Submitting your app to the App Store is a multistep process involving several tools. First, create a distribution
provisioning profile using the Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles section of Member Center. Then create an
archive, validate it, and submit it to the App Store using Xcode. When your app is approved, set the date when
the app will be available to customers using iTunes Connect. Finally, respond to user issues after you ship your
first version.
Relevant chapter: Submitting Your App (page 41)
Solve Problems and Choose Your Next Steps
As you complete the tasks in this tutorial, you may encounter problems that you don’t know how to solve. In
this book, you’ll learn some troubleshooting steps that every developer should know about provisioning
devices.
After you finish this tutorial, consider using some of the specialized technologies—for example, iCloud storage
and push notifications—that require additional configuration and provisioning. And if your development team
grows, you need to learn how to manage your team.
Relevant chapters: Review and Troubleshooting (page 51), Next Steps (page 58)
Prerequisites
To benefit from this tutorial, you should read and work through the tutorial in Start Developing iOS Apps Today
(Retired) to learn the basics of app development before reading this tutorial. This tutorial uses the HelloWorld
app you created in Start Developing iOS Apps Today (Retired), but you can use your own app to follow along.
Prerequisites
6

See Also
Provisioning your devices and submitting your app to the App Store is more complicated if you have a team
of developers and use specialized technologies, such as iCloud storage and push notifications. There are also
numerous administrative tasks not covered in this tutorial that you need to perform to market and maintain
your app on the App Store. Your app also needs to follow the guidelines in order to be approved by Apple.
Read these books next:
● To learn more about using Xcode to provision your devices and submit your app, see App Distribution
Guide.
● To learn more about using iTunes Connect to manage your app, see iTunes Connect Developer Guide.
● To learn more about the user interface guidelines and to get your app approved, see iOS Human Interface
Guidelines and App Store Review Guidelines for iOS Apps.
See Also
7

To develop for the App Store, first join the iOS Developer Program. The program provides all the resources
and tools to manage your account and to begin testing your app on a device. Enroll now.
During enrollment, you'll be asked for basic personal information, including your legal name and address. If
you’re enrolling as a company/organization, you'll need to provide few more things, like your legal entity name
and DUNS number, as part of the verification process. Once your information is verified, you'll review license
agreements, purchase your program on the Apple Online Store, and receive details on how to activate your
membership.
You can always can add more Apple Developer Program memberships to your account. For example, you can
first join the iOS Developer Program, and later add the Mac Developer Program and the Safari Developer
Program.
How to Administer Your Account Using Web Tools
You administer your account with these iOS Developer Program web tools:
● Member Center. The tool to manage developer program accounts, register App IDs and devices, create
signing certificates, and create provisioning profiles. Member Center is also a gateway to other resources
and tools, including iTunes Connect.
● iTunes Connect. The marketing and business tool used to check the status of your contracts, set up tax
and banking information, obtain sales and finance reports, and manage metadata about your app.
To enroll in the iOS Developer Program, go to Apple Developer Program Enrollment and follow the steps on
the website.
How Apple Email Tracks Your Enrollment Process
When you enroll in an Apple Developer Program or are invited to join a team, you receive a series of emails.
For example, if you need to register as an Apple developer, Apple sends you an email requesting that your
confirm your email address. Be sure to read and follow the instructions in these emails promptly to streamline
the enrollment process.
8
Enrolling in the iOS Developer Program

After you have successfully enrolled in the iOS Developer Program, you can follow the rest of the steps in this
tutorial. You can perform some of the iOS provisioning profile administrative tasks using Xcode and return to
the web tools as needed.
Accessing the iOS Developer Program Tools
To follow the steps in this tutorial, you need to know how to log in to Member Center and find the web tools.
To sign in to Member Center
1. Open a browser and go to http://developer.apple.com.
2. Select Member Center in the toolbar.
3. Enter your Apple ID and password and click Sign In.
To access Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles
1. Sign in to Member Center.
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2. Click the icon or text next to Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles under “Technical Resources and Tools.”
10

3. Click Provisioning Profiles under iOS Apps.
To go to iTunes Connect
1. Sign in to Member Center.
2. Click the icon or text next to iTunes Connect under “App Store Distribution”.
3. Enter your Apple ID and Password and click Sign In.
Recap
You learned how to enroll in an Apple Developer Program and how to access Member Center and iTunes
Connect. You’ll use these resources throughout the development process to manage your account assets.
Recap
11

Although you can test an app you’re developing in iOS Simulator, you can’t effectively test all aspects of your
app without testing it on a device. To run your app on an iOS device during development, it must be connected
to your Mac, enabled for development, and recognized by Apple. You do this by providing some information
about the app, yourself, and the device. You create a type of signing certificate, called a development certificate,
to identify yourself. All of this information is incorporated into a development provisioning profile that is
installed and that allows the app to launch on the device.
The easiest way to provision your devices for development is with Xcode. You can sign in to your account and
view all the provisioning profiles and signing certificates for your account. Xcode provides a default iOS Team
Provisioning Profile and iOS Wildcard App ID for you. Xcode automatically updates this provisioning profile
when new development certificates or device IDs are added to your account. The iOS Team Provisioning Profile
uses the iOS Wildcard App ID that matches all apps developed by you or your team. The iOS Team Provisioning
Profile allows you to begin running the app on a device immediately. However, if you use iCloud storage, push
notifications, In-App Purchase, or Game Center, you need to create a specialized provisioning profile, as
described in App Distribution Guide.
To run your app on a device, you will perform these tasks in the tutorial steps that follow:
1. Request a development certificate.
2. Add your device to the portal.
3. Code sign your app.
4. Launch your app on the device.
Request a Development Certificate
When you refresh the provisioning profiles, Xcode creates your signing certificates. Xcode creates both
development and distribution certificates on your behalf and automatically adds them to your keychain. A
distribution certificate is needed later for testing and submitting your app to the App Store.
To request your development certificate in Xcode
1. Choose Window > Organizer.
2. Click Devices.
12
Provisioning Your Devices for Development

3. In the Library section, select Provisioning Profiles.
4. Click the Refresh button at the bottom of the window.
5. Enter your user name and password and click Log in.
After you sign in to your account, a prompt appears, asking whether Xcode should request your
development certificate.
6. Click the Submit Request button.
The development certificate is added to your keychain and later added to the iOS Team Provisioning
Profile.
More prompts may appear, asking whether Xcode should request other types of certificates. Click the
Submit Request button for each prompt that appears.
Request a Development Certificate
13

7. If a prompt appears at the end of the refresh process, asking whether you want to export your developer
profile, click Export.
The private keys for your certificates are stored in your keychain, and the public keys are stored in the
portal. Therefore, you can’t move to another Mac or user account and refresh your provisioning profiles
and certificates in Xcode to restore your certificates. Instead, you should back up your certificates after
you create them and then import them from another Mac if you are missing private keys in your
keychain.
8. Enter a filename and password, and click Save.
Because the file contains your digital identity, which can be used to sign apps in your name, it is
encrypted and password protected. (You will need the password later to import your digital assets to
another system.)
Provision Your Device
The first time you add a device, Xcode creates the iOS Team Provisioning Profile and automatically installs it
on the device. You simply connect your iOS device to your Mac and click the “Use for Development” button
to add the device to the iOS Team Provisioning Profile.
To provision your device
1. Connect your device to your Mac.
2. Open the Devices organizer (Window > Organizer > Devices).
3. In the Devices section, select your iOS device.
4. Click the “Use for Development” button.
The first time you add a device ID to your account, Xcode creates the iOS Team Provisioning Profile
using the iOS Wildcard App ID, your development certificate, and the device ID. The iOS Team
Provisioning Profile is also installed on your iOS device.
Provision Your Device
14

If the device was used for development in the past, the “Use for Development” button may not appear.
If this happens, click “Add to Portal” at the bottom of the screen instead.
Code Sign Your App
When you build the app, you code sign it with the signing certificate contained in the provisioning profile you
want to use. A menu item appears (in the Code Signing Identity Build setting pop-up menu) for each provisioning
profile your development certificate belongs to. The default setting is iPhone Developer in the Automatic
Profile Selector menu, which matches your iOS Team Provisioning Profile developer certificate. If you previously
changed this build setting or created other provisioning profiles that use your developer certificate, set the
Code Signing Identity to your developer certificate contained in the iOS Team Provisioning Profile.
Code Sign Your App
15

To set the code signing identity to your iOS Team Provisioning Profile development
certificate
1. Select the project.
2. Click Build Settings.
3. Click All.
4. Type Code Signing in the search field in the Build Settings pane of the project editor.
5. From the Code Signing Identity pop-up menu, in the iOS Team Provisioning Profile section, choose
the certificate that begins with “iPhone Developer:” followed by your name.
Launch Your App on the Device
After you provision your device for development, you can tell Xcode to launch the app on the device. You do
this by changing the run destination setting in the Scheme pop-up menu before you build the app.
To launch the app on the device
1. Choose Product > Scheme > Edit Scheme to open the scheme editor.
2. Select your device from the Destination pop-up menu.
Launch Your App on the Device
16

When you connect an iOS device with a valid provisioning profile into your Mac, its name appears as
an option in the destination Scheme pop-up menu.
3. Click OK to close the scheme editor.
4. Click the Run button.
When the app is built, it is signed. If a prompt appears asking whether code sign can sign the app using
a key in your keychain, click Allow or Always Allow.
Recap
In this chapter you learned how to request a development certificate using Xcode, and how to provision your
device for development so that Xcode could launch the app on the device you’ve chosen. You also code signed
your app with the signing certificate contained in the provisioning profile.
Recap
17

You should plan for rigorously testing the app on a variety of devices and iOS versions. It’s not sufficient to
test the app using only iOS Simulator and a device provisioned for development. A simulator doesn’t run all
threads that run on devices, and launching apps on devices using Xcode disables some of the watchdog timers.
At a minimum, test the app on all the devices you have available. Ideally, test the app on all the devices and
iOS versions you intend to support. For example, if you have a game that’s intended to run only on iPhone
and iPod touch, test it on those devices and not on iPad.
To test your app on a variety of devices and iOS versions, create a special distribution provisioning profile,
called an ad hoc provisioning profile, and send it, along with the app, to testers. An ad hoc provisioning profile
doesn’t require that testers be enrolled in an Apple Developer Program, be added to your team, create signing
certificates, or use Xcode to run your app. Instead, app testers simply install the app and the ad hoc provisioning
profile on their device to launch the app. You can then collect and analyze crash reports or logs from these
testers to resolve problems before you ship your app.
Testing your app consists of these tasks:
1. Configure your app for distribution.
2. Test your app locally.
3. Register all the testing unit device IDs.
4. Create an ad hoc provisioning profile.
5. Create an iOS App Store Package.
6. Install the ad hoc provisioning profile and app on test devices.
7. Send crash reports to developers.
Configure Your App for Distribution
Most of the settings you need to configure your app for distribution and submission to the App Store are
located in the target’s Summary pane in Xcode. The default values for these settings are sufficient to start
developing an app, but before distributing it, you should change some of those values. For example, test
versions of your app should contain artwork that iTunes uses to identify your app on the device. Otherwise,
when testers add your app to their iTunes library, iTunes uses generic artwork to represent it. Later, you’ll need
18
Testing Your App on Many Devices and iOS Versions

iTunes artwork to pass validation tests before you submit your app to the App Store. So now is a good time
to add the iTunes artwork to your Xcode project and set other distribution options. Later, you’ll set more values
for submission to the App Store.
For an iPhone app, these deployment settings are located in the project editor pane’s Summary tab in
iPhone/iPod Deployment Info.
First, set the device orientations your app supports by selecting the Portrait, Upside Down, Landscape Left,
and Landscape Right icons as appropriate. In the HelloWorld app project, select all the orientations.
App icons are nice to have for testing but are required later to submit to the App Store (because you need to
set the app icons to pass validation tests). However, launch images—the images iOS displays to the user while
your app is launching on the device—are optional. At a minimum, create two versions of your app
Configure Your App for Distribution
19

icons—non-Retina 57 x 57 pixels and Retina 114 x 114 pixels—and drag them to the corresponding wells in
the Summary tab. If your app supports the iPad, create a 72 x 72 pixels version of your app icon and drag it to
the corresponding well in the Summary tab.
To add an app icon
1. In the project navigator, select your project.
2. Select your target in the Targets section of the second sidebar.
3. Select the Summary tab.
4. Drag the icon file to the appropriate App Icons image well.
Run Your App Locally
Before you distribute your app for testing, you should finish configuring and testing your app locally. You need
to set the target devices and iOS versions that you intend to support. For example, if you want to test your
app on both iPhone and iPad devices, set the target devices to Universal. Set the target iOS version as well,
and be sure to test your app on the corresponding simulators and devices before creating the archive. For
example, if you use storyboards, your minimum iOS version is 5.0. The selection of simulators changes depending
on the values you set.
Important: Your app won’t successfully install on a test device that is not supported by your app.
In this tutorial, you will set the HelloWorld target devices to Universal, and the deployment target to 6.1. Then
you will test HelloWorld in the iPad 6.0 Simulator and iPhone 6.0 Simulator. If you have corresponding iOS
devices, connect them to your Mac and run the app on them, too.
To set the device families you want to support
1. In the project navigator, select the project.
2. From the target list in the project editor, select the target that builds your app, and click Summary.
3. From the Devices pop-up menu, choose iPhone, iPad, or (to target both device types) Universal. For
the HelloWorld project, select Universal.
20

The scheme toolbar menu changes to include the devices you have selected.
The deployment target setting specifies the lowest operating-system version that your app will run on. For
example, the lowest available setting for iPad apps is iOS 4.3.
To set the deployment target
1. In the project navigator, select the project.
2. From the target list in the project editor, select the target that builds your app, and click Summary.
3. From the Deployment Target pop-up menu, choose the minimum iOS release you want to target. For
the HelloWorld project, choose 6.1.
21

The scheme toolbar menu changes to include the iOS releases you selected.
You should also test your app in iOS Simulator using Instruments and other tools before distributing your app.
To test your app in iOS Simulator
1. Choose a simulated device from the scheme toolbar menu.
2. Choose Product > Run.
22

Register Device IDs
Before you can create an ad hoc provisioning profile, you need to collect device IDs from testers and add them
to the iOS Provisioning Portal.
Testers can get their device ID using iTunes. (They do not need to install Xcode to do this.) Send these instructions
to testers, and ask them to send their device IDs to you.
To simulate a person testing your app, use a device and Mac that you are not using for development to get
the device ID. Then follow the steps to add the device ID to the portal.
To get a device ID using iTunes
1. Launch iTunes.
2. Connect your device to your Mac.
3. Click your device on the top-right corner of iTunes.
4. In the Summary pane, click the Serial Number label.
Register Device IDs
23

The label Serial Number changes to Identifier and displays the device ID.
5. To copy the device ID, Control-click the device ID and select Copy Identifier (UDID).
Next, you need to collect device IDs from testers and add the devices to Member Center.
To add a tester’s device ID
1. Access Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles from Member Center.
2. Click All listed under Devices.
3. Click the plus button (+).
Register Device IDs
24

4. Enter a device name and the device ID.
5. Click Continue.
Create an Ad Hoc Provisioning Profile
Using the iOS Provisioning Portal, you create an ad hoc provisioning profile containing your App ID and the
device IDs.
25

To create an ad hoc provisioning profile
1. Access Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles within Member Center.
2. Select Provisioning Profiles under iOS.
3. Select Distribution under Provisioning Profiles.
4. Click the plus button (+) in the upper-right corner.
5. Select Ad Hoc as the distribution method, then click Continue.
6. Select Xcode iOS Wildcard App ID as the App ID, and click Continue.
7. Confirm that your distribution certificate is displayed, and click Continue.
8. Select the devices you want to be able to run the app on, and click Continue.
26

9. Enter a profile name, and click Generate.
10. Click Done.
Create an iOS App Store Package
When the app is ready to be tested, use Xcode to create an archive and generate an iOS App Store Package
(a file with a .ipa filename extension).
To create an archive
1. Select the Xcode project window.
2. Choose iOS Device or your device name from the scheme toolbar menu.
27

You cannot create an archive of a simulator build. If an iOS device is connected, the iOS Device menu
item appears when you disconnect it.
3. Choose Product > Archive.
After Xcode creates the archive, the Archives organizer appears and displays the new archive.
To create an iOS App Store Package for testing on devices
1. In the Archives organizer, select the archive.
2. Click the Distribute button.
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3. Select “Save for Enterprise or Ad-Hoc Deployment,” and click Next.
4. Choose your distribution certificate (the one contained in your ad hoc provisioning profile) from the
Code Signing Identity pop-up menu, and click Next.
29

5. Enter a filename and location for the App Store package, and click Save.
The file will have a .ipa extension
Install the Ad Hoc Provisioning Profile and App on the Device
Finally, download the ad hoc provisioning profile from iOS Provisioning Portal and give it to testers, along with
the IPA file. Testers will use iTunes to install the provisioning profile and the app on their device. When the
app crashes on a device, iOS creates a record of that event. The next time the tester connects the iOS device
to iTunes, iTunes downloads those records (known as crash logs) to the tester’s Mac. Testers should send these
crash logs to you.
To download the ad hoc provisioning profile
1. Access Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles from Member Center.
2. Select Provisioning Profiles under iOS.
4. Select the distribution provisioning profile to be downloaded.
5. Click the Download button.
A file with the provisioning profile name and the .mobileprovision extension appears in your
Downloads folder.
30

After you send the application and ad hoc provisioning profile to testers, they perform the following tasks on
their devices. Send these instructions to testers.
To install the app on a device
1. Connect the testing device to a Mac running iTunes.
2. In the Finder, drag the provisioning profile (the file with the .mobileprovision extension) to the
iTunes icon in the Dock.
3. Double-click the app archive (the file with the .ipa extension).
The app appears in the iTunes app list.
4. Click your device in the upper-right corner of iTunes.
5. Select the Apps tab.
6. Click Sync Apps and HelloWorld.
7. Click the Apply button to sync the device.
The app and the provisioning profile are uploaded to the device so that the user can start testing.
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Send Crash Reports to Developers
It’s difficult to simulate a crash using the HelloWorld app, but when you distribute your own app for testing,
know that it may crash on test devices and that you’ll want the crash reports. Send these instructions to testers,
along with the ad hoc provisioning profile and app package.
To send crash reports to developers
1. Connect the testing device to a Mac running iTunes.
iTunes downloads the crash reports to your Mac.
2. In the Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder.
3. Enter ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice.
4. Open the folder identified by your device’s name.
5. Select the crash logs named after the app you’re testing.
6. Choose Finder > Services > Mail > Send File.
7. In the New Message window, enter the developer’s address in the To field and appropriate text in the
Subject field.
8. Choose Message > Send.
9. (Optional) Delete the crash reports you sent in order to avoid sending duplicate reports later.
Recap
In this chapter you learned the Xcode preparatory steps for testing your app on a variety of devices and iOS
versions. You then created a special distribution provisioning profile-the ad hoc provisioning profile—containing
your App ID and the device IDs. This profile allows developers to install your app and run it without needing
to go through Xcode. Finally, you leaned how to use iTunes to collect and handle the crash reports submitted
by testers.
Send Crash Reports to Developers
32

When an app is sold in the App Store, the store displays a lot of information about the app, including its name,
a description, an icon, screenshots, and contact information for your company. To provide that information,
you sign in to iTunes Connect, create a record for the app, and complete some forms. In this chapter you learn
how to go through this process.
Note: Normally, you create your iTunes Connect app record late in the development process because
there’s a time limit from when you create the record to when you must submit your app. However,
some Apple technologies, including Game Center and In-App Purchase, require that an iTunes
Connect record be created earlier. For example, with In-App Purchase, you need to create the app
record so that you can add the details of the items you want to sell. This content needs to be created
before the development process is complete so that you can use it to test the code you added to
implement In-App Purchase.
When you create an iTunes Connect app record, an assistant guides you through the process and asks detailed
questions about your company and app. For example, you need an official company name that iTunes Store
displays for your app, a support email address, and a support URL. You also need some screenshots of your
app ready for upload. Some of this information is entered once and cannot be changed later. Other information
can be changed up until you submit the first version of your app. Always refer to the online help for the latest
information and instructions on using iTunes Connect.
Before You Begin
Before you begin, make sure that you have these assets ready to enter into the forms:
● The date when you want to ship your app (you can set the latest date allowed and change it later)
● A brief description of your app that iTunes displays to customers
● An app icon (512 x 512 pixels) ready for upload
● At least one screenshot of your app ready for upload
● An internal version number for your submission
● A bundle ID that you’ve set to match your App ID
33
Creating Your App Record in iTunes Connect

Before you can create the actual iTunes Connect app record, you need to accomplish three main tasks using
Xcode:
1. Capture screenshots.
2. Set the launch image.
3. Set your bundle ID.
Capture Screenshots
Using Xcode, you can capture screenshots of your app on a device and save the images on your desktop to
upload to iTunes Connect later and use as a launch image.
To capture a screenshot on your device
1. Connect the device to your Mac.
2. In Xcode, run your app on the device (as described in To launch the app on the device (page 16)).
3. Configure the app on the device to show the features you want in the screenshot.
4. In Xcode, open the Devices organizer.
5. In the Devices section, click the disclosure triangle next to the iOS device.
6. Select Screenshots.
Before You Begin
34

7. Click New Screenshot in the lower-right corner.
To save a PNG file of a screenshot, drag the screenshot from Xcode to the desktop. Or, move the screenshots
to a folder so that you can keep them all in one place.
Set the Launch Image
Besides capturing screenshots, you should set a launch image that acts as a placeholder for your app’s user
interface at launch time. Do this at the same time that you capture screenshots for iTunes Connect.
To set your launch image
1. In the Xcode Devices organizer, select the screenshot in the Screenshots folder of the Library section.
2. Select “Save as Launch Image.”
Before You Begin
35

3. Specify the name of the image and the target app, and click Next.
After performing these steps, the corresponding launch image is set in the Summary pane in Xcode. For
example, if the screenshot was captured on an iPhone 5, the screenshot now appears in the Summary pane
as the Retina (4-inch) launch image in iPhone/iPod Deployment Info.
Set the Bundle ID to Match the App ID
The record in iTunes Connect also includes a field for a bundle ID; the value you place in this field must exactly
match the bundle ID for the app. The app name and version you enter in iTunes Connect must also match the
Xcode project configuration.
You set the bundle ID for your app when you create your Xcode project, but you can also look it up in the
project target Summary section. For your convenience, the bundle ID defaults to a reverse domain name using
the company identifier followed by the product name that you entered when you created your Xcode
project—for example, com.charlestaylor.HelloWorld, where com.charlestaylor is the company
identifier and HelloWorld is the product name. The bundle ID is actually set in the Info.plist file of your
Xcode project and can be changed to any identifier that follows the RFC 1034 specification.
Before You Begin
36

The bundle ID that you enter in iTunes Connect cannot be changed after the first version of your app is approved
or after you enabled some specialized technologies, such as iCloud storage or push notifications. Therefore,
you should pick the final bundle ID for your app now.
To set your bundle ID in the Info.plist file
1. In the Xcode project navigator, select the project.
2. Select your target in the Targets section, in the second column, to display the project editor.
3. Click the Info tab.
4. Enter the bundle ID in the Value column of the “Bundle identifier” row.
Create the iTunes Connect App Record
Next, you create the actual iTunes Connect app record and complete some forms. After you finish this process
the status of your app is “Prepare for Download.” You need to answer additional questions about export
compliance before the status changes to “Waiting for Upload.” The app record status needs to be at least
“Waiting for Upload” to submit your app to the App Store.
Warning: The steps to create your iTunes Connect app record and submit your app to the App Store
are provided in this tutorial for you to refer to later when you are ready to submit your own app to the
App Store. The HelloWorld app and other settings that appear in these screenshots are examples of
the type of information you need to provide. Do not create an app record for the HelloWorld app and
submit it using your account.
To create an iTunes Connect app record
1. Sign in to iTunes Connect (described in To go to iTunes Connect (page 11)).
2. Select Manage Your Applications.
37

3. Click Add New App.
4. Complete the forms by inserting your app’s information.
38

5. Click Done.
To complete the export compliance question
1. In iTunes Connect, select Manage Your Applications.
2. Select your app.
3. Click View Details.
4. Click “Ready to Upload Binary.”
39

5. Answer the Export Compliance question, and click Save.
6. Click Continue.
The status of the app should change to “Waiting for Upload.”
Recap
In this chapter you learned how to create a record for your app in iTunes Connect and then enter some of your
app’s assets into the forms that iTunes asks you to complete.
Recap
40

Submitting your app to the App Store is a multistep process involving several tools. First, create a distribution
provisioning profile using Member Center. Then create an archive, validate it, and submit it to the App Store
using Xcode. When your app is approved, set the date when your app will be available to customers using
iTunes Connect. Finally, respond to user issues after you ship your first version.
Before You Begin
Before starting, you should have the distribution certificate you created in Testing Your App on Many Devices
and iOS Versions (page 18) and the status of your iTunes Connect app record should be “Waiting for Upload”
or later, as described in Creating Your App Record in iTunes Connect (page 33).
Now, create a distribution provisioning profile using Member Center.
Create a Distribution Provisioning Profile
When the app is ready for publication, you create a distribution provisioning profile by selecting App Store as
the method of distribution. The steps are similar to creating an ad hoc provisioning profile for testing except
that you select an App ID only. You do not select any signing certificates or device IDs.
To create a distribution provisioning profile
1. Access Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles in Member Center.
2. Select Provisioning Profiles under iOS Apps.
3. Select the Distribution tab.
4. Click the plus button (+).
41
Submitting Your App

5. Select App Store as the distribution method, and click Continue.
6. Choose Xcode iOS Wildcard App ID as the App ID, and click Continue.
7. Confirm that your distribution certificate is displayed, and click Continue.
Submitting Your App
Before You Begin
42

8. Enter a profile name, and click Generate.
9. Click Done.
Create and Validate the Archive
When the app is ready for submission, use Xcode to create and validate an archive. It’s recommended that you
use the version of your app that you built for testing (in Testing Your App on Many Devices and iOS
Versions (page 18)) if it exhibited no problems during testing and if it is the version of the app you want to
ship. Otherwise, you may inadvertently submit an untested version of your app.
Submitting Your App
Before You Begin
43

Note: If your testers report crashes or other bugs and you fixed them, it is always wise to have them
test a new version of your app. Ask them to verify that the bug is fixed before you submit this new
version to the App Store for approval.
The archive that you submit must be signed with your distribution certificate contained in the distribution
provisioning profile you created in Create a Distribution Provisioning Profile (page 41). You download the
distribution provisioning profile from Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles in Member Center and import it into
Xcode. Then you can sign the archive using your distribution certificate.
Before you can submit the archive to the App Store, it must pass validation tests. The validation process performs
an automated check against the app in the archive and against the information you provided in your iTunes
Connect record. If problems are found during validation, you need to fix them before continuing. At this stage
in the development process, it’s good practice to periodically validate your archive to identify these types of
problems early.
To download the distribution provisioning profile
1. Access Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles in Member Center.
2. Select Provisioning Profiles under iOS Apps.
4. Select the distribution provisioning profile you want to download.
A file with the provisioning profile name and the .mobileprovision extension appears in your
Downloads folder.
Next, import the distribution provisioning profile using Xcode.
To import the distribution provisioning profile
1. In Xcode, choose Window > Organizer.
2. Click Devices.
3. Select Provisioning Profiles.
4. Drag the provisioning profile with the .mobileprovision extension to the Devices organizer.
After Xcode imports the distribution provisioning profile, it should appear in the Devices organizer.
Next, set the code signing identity. The app is then code signed when you create as archive.
Submitting Your App
Before You Begin
44

To set the code signing identity to your distribution certificate
1. In the Xcode project editor, select the project.
2. Click Build Settings.
3. Click All.
4. Type Code Signing in the search field in the Build Settings pane of the project editor.
5. From the Code Signing Identity pop-up menu, in the distribution provisioning profile section, choose
the certificate that begins with “iPhone Distribution:” followed by your name.
Next, create an archive. Archives allow you to build your app, and store it in a bundle managed by Xcode.
To create the archive
1. Select the Xcode project window.
2. Choose iOS Device from the scheme toolbar menu.
Note: You cannot create an archive of a simulator build.
3. Choose Product > Archive.
The Archives organizer appears and displays the new archive.
To validate the archive
2. Click the Validate button.
3. Enter your iTunes Connect credentials, and click Next.
Submitting Your App
Before You Begin
45

4. Select the app you want to share and the appropriate signing identity, and click Next.
5. Review validation issues found, if any, and click Finish.
You need to fix any validation issues, create a new archive, and validate it again. You cannot proceed until
the archive passes the validation tests.
Submit and Ship Your App
Submitting your app to the App Store is a multistep process, too. First, you transmit the archive to Apple, then
Apple approves your app, and then you set a ship date before it actually appears on the App Store.
Warning: The steps to create your iTunes Connect app record and submit your app to the App Store
are provided in this tutorial for you to refer to later when you are ready to submit your own app to the
App Store. The HelloWorld app and other settings that appear in these screenshots are examples of
the type of information you need to provide. Do not create an app record for the HelloWorld app and
submit it using your account.
Submitting Your App
46

Submit the Archive
Only after passing validation tests can you submit your app to the App Store. In fact, Xcode validates your
archive again during the submission process.
To submit the archive to the App Store
2. Click the Distribute button.
3. Select “Submit to the iOS App Store,” and click Next.
4. Enter your iTunes Connect credentials, and click Next.
5. Select the app you want to share and the appropriate signing identity, and click Next.
Submitting Your App
47

Xcode runs the validation tests again. If issues are found, click Cancel and fix them before continuing.
6. Enter a filename and location for the App Store package, and click Save.
Xcode transmits the archive to Apple, where it is examined to determine whether it conforms to the app
guidelines. If the app is rejected, correct the problems that were brought up during app approval and
resubmit it. Before you submit the app, read iOSHumanInterfaceGuidelines and AppStoreReviewGuidelines
for iOS Apps to avoid problems.
Ship Your App
Use iTunes Connect to set a date when the app is available on the App Store. For example, you can choose a
date that immediately releases the app to the App Store after it is approved, or you can set a date for sometime
in the future. Using a later availability date allows you to arrange other marketing activities around the launch
of your app.
To set the availability date
1. Sign in to iTunes Connect.
2. Select Manage Your Applications.
3. Select your app in the iOS App Recent Activity section.
4. Click Rights and Pricing.
Submitting Your App
48

5. Choose a date from the Availability Date pop-up menus.
6. Optionally, edit the other fields on this form.
7. Click Save.
Changes you make to Rights and Pricing go live immediately (expect 24 hours for a full refresh of the
changes on the App Store).
Respond to User Issues
After you submit the app to the App Store, you need to manage the app records and maintain the app
throughout its lifetime. After the app is available on the App Store, you need to monitor your app, respond to
user issues, and submit updates as needed.
Pay attention to how users perceive the app. Customer ratings and reviews on the App Store can have a big
effect on the success of the app; if users run into problems, work quickly to determine the bug and submit a
new version of the app through the approval process.
Investigate iTunes Connect data. iTunes Connect provides data to help you determine how successful the
app is, including sales and financial reports, customer reviews, and crash logs submitted to Apple by users.
Crash logs are particularly important, because they represent significant problems that users are seeing in the
app. Make investigating these reports a high priority.
Submitting Your App
Respond to User Issues
49

Except for low-memory crash logs, all crash logs contain stack traces for each thread at the time of termination.
To view a crash log, open it in the Xcode Organizer. As long as your Mac has the archive corresponding to the
version of the app that generated the crash log, Xcode automatically resolves any addresses in the crash log
with the actual classes and functions in the app.
Recap
In this chapter you learned how to use various tools to prepare and submit your app to the App Store. You
first created a distribution provisioning profile in Member Center. You then created an archive, validated it,
and submitted it to the App Store using Xcode.
Submitting Your App
Recap
50

This tutorial has taught you how to provision your devices for development and testing, and how to prepare
your app for distribution. Because provisioning and code signing are complicated, all the pieces need to be in
the right place for you to run your app on a device and distribute it successfully. If you inadvertently change
your app configuration, a key in your keychain, or an iOS provisioning profile asset, provisioning may fail.
Fortunately, there are some common problems that are easy to fix.
For a complete discussion of troubleshooting, read iOS Development: Troubleshooting.
Review: How Provisioning Works
A provisioning profile allows an app to run on a device. A provisioning profile resides in Certificates, Identifiers
& Profiles within Member Center and is downloaded by Xcode and eventually installed on a device. Development
and ad hoc provisioning profiles are conceptually similar. A development provisioning profile is used by the
team to test the app during development and contains a list of development certificates, an App ID, and list
of device IDs. An ad hoc provisioning profile allows outside testers to run the app on specific devices and
51
Review and Troubleshooting

contains a single distribution certificate, an App ID, and a list of device IDs. Both development and ad hoc
provisioning profiles are installed on a device. If the configuration of the signed app matches the provisioning
profile installed on the device, the app launches on the device.
Build and sign
Signed application
Development device
Team portalTeam member
App ID
List of authorized device IDs
Xcode project
Development certificate
Private key
Intermediate signing certificate
Development Provisioning Profile
App IDDevelopment
certificates
App ID
List of
device IDs
List of authorized
signing certificates
Public keys
When you create a development or distribution certificate on your Mac, the private key is stored in your keychain
and the public key is stored in the portal. These certificates are issued by Apple and validated by an intermediate
signing certificate, called Apple Worldwide Developer Relations Certification Authority, which is added to your
System keychain when you install Xcode.
If you use a specialized technology that requires an explicit App ID, you need to register that App ID using
Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles within Member Center. The App ID you create needs to match the bundle ID
set in the Xcode project. The bundle ID is contained in the signed app that is installed on the device, and it is
compared with the App ID in the provisioning profile at launch time. If the bundle ID matches the App ID, the
app launches.
New devices that you add using Xcode are automatically added to the default iOS Team Provisioning Profile
but are not automatically added to specialized provisioning profiles. If you use a specialized provisioning profile,
update the provisioning profile using Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles within Member Center and refresh it in
Xcode to run your app on a new device.
Review: How Provisioning Works
52

Verify Your Certificates Using Keychain Access
After you request a development or distribution certificate using Xcode and it is approved, the certificate is
installed in your login keychain. In Xcode, code signing fails if these certificates are not valid. If you accidentally
removed the intermediate signing certificate, you can retrieve it from Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles within
Member Center and install it again. First, you should verify the state of your certificates using Keychain Access.
To verify your certificates using Keychain Access
1. Launch Keychain Access, located in the /Applications/Utilities folder.
2. In the Category sidebar, select Certificates.
3. In the window’s search field, enter iPhone.
Two certificates beginning with the text “iPhone” should appear. The name of the development
certificate begins with the text “iPhone Developer:” and the distribution certificate begins with the text
“iPhone Distribution:” followed by your name. Each certificate should have a disclosure triangle next
to the name.
53

You should remove other certificates beginning with “iPhone” that do not have a disclosure triangle.
These certificates may appear if the associated private key is accidentally deleted from Keychain Access.
4. Click the disclosure triangle next to the name of the certificates to reveal the private keys.
The private key is stored in your keychain, and the public key is stored in the portal.
5. Select each certificate separately.
The pane above should display a green circle containing a checkmark, and the text next to the circle
should read “This certificate is valid.”
To use your certificates, you must have the correct intermediate certificate installed in your keychain.
To install the intermediate certificate
1. Sign in to the Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles within Member Center.
54

2. Click Certificates under iOS Apps.
3. Click the certificate that needs to be installed.
5. Double-click the certificate file to install it in your system keychain.
Export and Import Your Digital Identities
Because a signing certificate public key is stored on the portal and the private key is stored in your login
keychain, you can’t refresh your provisioning profiles and certificates in Xcode to replace a missing private key.
Instead, you export your digital identities after they are first created as a backup or if you want to develop on
Export and Import Your Digital Identities
55

another Mac. The exported file is password protected. You should not share this file or the password with
others. Later, you can import your digital identities to repair your keychain or import them to another Mac you
want to use for development.
When you refreshed your provisioning profiles and created your development and distribution certificates for
the first time, Xcode displayed a prompt asking whether you wanted to save your developer profile. If you did
not choose the export option then, export your digital assets now.
To export your code signing certificates and provisioning profiles
1. In the Devices organizer, select a team from the Team section.
2. Click Export.
3. Enter a filename and password.
4. Click Save.
The file saved has a .developerprofile extension.
If you move to another development system, you need to import your digital identities to the new system.
To import your code signing certificates and provisioning profiles
1. In the Devices organizer, select a team from the Team section.
If the Team section doesn’t appear, refresh your provisioning profiles before continuing, as described
in To request your development certificate in Xcode (page 12).
2. Click Import.
3. Select the developer profile file you want to import.
4. Enter the password for the file.
5. Click Open.
The code signing certificates contained in the file are added to Xcode and to your keychain. The
provisioning profiles are added to Xcode.
Verify the iOS App Target Settings
When you distribute an ad hoc provisioning profile and installer package to testers, even though testers may
successfully install the app on their device, it may not launch. One reason may be that the iOS App Target
settings do not match the device and installed iOS version. Verify that the iOS App target settings, in the
56

Summary pane in Xcode, are correct. For example, if the Devices pop-up menu is set to iPad, your app won’t
launch on an iPhone. If you want to support all types of devices, choose Universal from this pop-up menu. If
your Deployment Target is set to the most recent iOS version, your app may not run on older devices.
57

This tutorial assumes that you can develop and test your app on devices using the iOS Wildcard App ID and
iOS Team Provisioning Profile. But, if you use any of the specialized technologies—such as iCloud storage,
push notifications, or Game Center—you need to use an explicit App ID and specialized ad hoc and distribution
provisioning profiles. Furthermore, if you are not an individual developer, you may need to add others to your
team and perform other team administrative tasks.
Using iCloud Storage
iCloud storage allows you to share the user’s data among multiple instances of your app running on different
iOS and Mac OS X devices. You can test your iCloud app using the iOS Team Provisioning Profile that Xcode
creates for you. But first you need to enable and set iCloud storage entitlements using Xcode. To learn more
about using iCloud storage, read Your Third iOS App: iCloud.
Using Other Technologies
If you use push notifications, In-App Purchase, or Game Center, you need to register an explicit App ID in some
cases. Enable these technologies, and create specialized provisioning profiles for development and testing
using Member Center. Read the App Distribution Guide to learn how to perform these administrative tasks,
and read the following documents to learn more about specific technologies:
● Local and Push Notification Programming Guide
● In-App Purchase Programming Guide
● Game Center Programming Guide
Managing Your Team
If you enrolled in the iOS Developer Program as a company, you are the primary contact for your development
team. If your team members also need signing certificates and provisioning profiles for development and
testing, you add the team members to your account and manage these assets. Read App Distribution Guide
for this information.
58
Next Steps

Getting Your App Approved
Apps are approved only if they adhere to the published Apple guidelines. To learn how to design an app for
the App Store, read iOS Human Interface Guidelines and App Store Review Guidelines for iOS Apps.
Marketing Your App and Managing Your Account
There are additional tasks you need to perform to market and maintain your product. These tasks are described
in iTunes Connect Developer Guide.
Next Steps
Getting Your App Approved
59

This table describes the changes to App Store Submission Tutorial.
NotesDate
Retired in favor of App Distribution Guide.2013-09-18
Content updated for new Member Center changes.2013-04-23
Updated the tasks to describe the new Member Center.2013-04-05
Applied minor edits throughout. Formerly titled Your First App Store
Submission.
2012-07-17
Updated for Xcode 4.3.1.2012-03-07
New tutorial that describes how to provision your devices for testing and
submit your app to the App Store.
2012-02-16
60
Document Revision History

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Copyright © 2013 Apple Inc.
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provided that the documentation contains
Apple’s copyright notice.
No licenses, express or implied, are granted with
respect to any of the technology described in this
document. Apple retains all intellectual property
rights associated with the technology described
in this document. This document is intended to
assist application developers to develop
applications only for Apple-branded products.
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