With 12 testers and 14 days of patience! That’s how!
For eSIM op reis, which I talked about in the last blog post, I developed 2 apps: first for iOS, then for Android.
So, by now, I would say I have a pretty good understanding of what it takes to release an app on both platforms nowadays.
The Apple experience is like this: You pay €100 (or thereabouts), and you get access to App Store Connect. You submit an app by uploading it (through Xcode typically). Then your app gets reviewed by a human being. If they need extra info, they provide clear communication, and you can sort it out. You can even communicate with the reviewer via an e-mail-like system. Then, when approved, the app is on the App Store.
Android, however, works differently. While I did have apps in the store in the past, I opted to create a new Android Developer account and paid the one-time €25 fee for said new account. I then had to upload identification documents (???), which took some time to be verified. But the real surprise came after that
You have to find 12 testers for your app and test the app for 1 days. This is to prevent garbage and low-effort apps, which, I can get behind somewhat. But I found it to be both annoying and excessive. My app does not need 12 testers testing the app for 14 days.
What is a better way? I don’t know. However, I found myself liking Apple’s way more. The arbitrary 14-day waiting period by Google is probably costing me precious turnover.
For now, I found 12 testers. And the app has since gone live on the Google Play Store.
Any feedback on the app is appreciated.
What do you think of the ‘review’ methods? Excessive? Fine?