Submit IOS app to Apple App Store

1. Create a distribution provisioning profile for your app

jump in to your account provisioning profile list

Press the + icon to create a new profile, and then choose App Store as the type.

Select your App ID from the drop down list and click continue

Select your distribution certificate, which you should have from your test app
<b>e.g.</b> mine is Steven Martin (IOS Distribution)

Name the profile, and click Generate <b>e.g.</b> I named mine Steven Martin App Store Distribution Profile

It should now let you know that your provisioning profile is ready

Now you can download the profile, double click to install it

2. Create a Release build and submit it to the App Store.

We are assuming your app is perfect, and ready to go onto the App Store :)

Open up your app project in Xcode.

Click the Build Settings tab and scroll down to the Code Signing section. Select iOS Distribution setting

Go to the the <i>Product</i> menu item, under Destination make sure it has IOS Device selected

Now Click Clean, Build and then select Archive:

Your app archive will be created and the Xcode Organizer will launch, showing all of your archives

Now we need to switch from XCode into the iTunes Connect portal to set up our App Store listing with all of the information.

After that, we can go back into the Xcode Organizer and submit the app through Xcode.

3. Create an app listing in iTunes Connect

You can jump in to itunes connect cloud service at https://itunesconnect.apple.com. Once enrolled in the iPhone developer program, you have access to iTunes Connect as well.

In iTunes Connect click on My Apps. Then Click the blue + new App button

Enter your App Information, the bundle id you can get from your XCode project under the Info tab, the SKU is your own unique identifier, for mine I used <i>sm—ios-app-001</i>

Now click <b>Create</b>

Now you need to add in all the required App information:

Attach up to 5 screenshots or a video, an App icon. detailed information for your app, url for support and marketing, etc…

You should be able to click Save, and then the App will be ready to submit. The button Submit for Review will be available.

Of course we haven’t yet uploaded the ipa yet, so that is our final step.

4. Submission and Approval on the App Store

Jump back into XCode

In the Organizer, with Archives open click on <b>Submit</b> to submit your ipa

After a few minutes you should get a message telling you your build has been submitted

Now you will still need to jump back into iTunes Connect, and give it a few minutes, the build should show up in the build section, select it to add it.

Make sure all the information, description, screenshots, app icon, support and marketing url etc… are updated.

Click to <b>Save</b> app details.

Now you should have the option to Submit for Review in the top right

<b>... submit your app</b>

Once submitted, your app will go through a certification and app store review process

Here are the App store review guidelines

here is a good reference this article is mainly based on with some screenshots to walk you through.