App Store Deployment

Deploy your app to the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

Prerequisites

iOS Deployment

# Build production
npm run build
npx cap sync ios
npx cap open ios

iOS Checklist

• App icon (1024x1024 for App Store, all sizes for app)
• Launch screen configured
• Privacy policy URL
• App description and keywords
• Screenshots for all required device sizes
• Contact information
• Age rating questionnaire completed
• In-app purchases configured (if applicable)
• Privacy nutrition labels

Android Deployment

# Build production
npm run build
npx cap sync android
npx cap open android

android {
    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.mycompany.myapp"
        versionCode 1       // Increment for each release
        versionName "1.0.0"
        minSdkVersion 22
        targetSdkVersion 34
    }
}

keytool -genkey -v -keystore my-release-key.jks -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 -alias my-key-alias

storePassword=your_store_password
keyPassword=your_key_password
keyAlias=my-key-alias
storeFile=../my-release-key.jks

def keystorePropertiesFile = rootProject.file("keystore.properties")
def keystoreProperties = new Properties()
if (keystorePropertiesFile.exists()) {
    keystoreProperties.load(new FileInputStream(keystorePropertiesFile))
}
 
android {
    signingConfigs {
        release {
            keyAlias keystoreProperties['keyAlias']
            keyPassword keystoreProperties['keyPassword']
            storeFile file(keystoreProperties['storeFile'])
            storePassword keystoreProperties['storePassword']
        }
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            signingConfig signingConfigs.release
            minifyEnabled true
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android-optimize.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }
}

cd android
 
# Build AAB (recommended for Play Store)
./gradlew bundleRelease
 
# Or build APK
./gradlew assembleRelease

Android Checklist

• App icon (512x512 for Play Store)
• Feature graphic (1024x500)
• Screenshots for phone and tablet
• Short and full description
• Privacy policy URL
• Content rating questionnaire
• Target audience and content
• Signing key securely stored
• Version code incremented

App Store Assets

Required Screenshots

Tips for Screenshots

• Show key features in first 2-3 screenshots
• Use device frames for professional look
• Add captions highlighting benefits
• Keep text minimal and readable
• Use consistent style across all screenshots

Versioning Strategy

Use semantic versioning:

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
1.0.0 → 1.0.1 (bug fix)
1.0.1 → 1.1.0 (new feature)
1.1.0 → 2.0.0 (breaking change)

For both platforms:

• Version Name (e.g., "1.2.3"): User-visible version
• Version Code/Build (e.g., 42): Internal number, must increment

Automating Version Updates

// scripts/bump-version.js
const fs = require('fs');
 
const version = process.argv[2];
const build = Date.now(); // Or increment from current
 
// Update package.json
const pkg = require('../package.json');
pkg.version = version;
fs.writeFileSync('package.json', JSON.stringify(pkg, null, 2));
 
// Update iOS
// Xcode project version is typically updated in Xcode
 
// Update Android
const gradle = fs.readFileSync('android/app/build.gradle', 'utf8');
const updatedGradle = gradle
  .replace(/versionName "[^"]*"/, `versionName "${version}"`)
  .replace(/versionCode \d+/, `versionCode ${build}`);
fs.writeFileSync('android/app/build.gradle', updatedGradle);

Over-the-Air Updates

For pushing updates without app store review, consider:

• Capgo: Capacitor-specific OTA updates
• Appflow: Ionic's official update service

CI/CD

Automate builds with GitHub Actions:

# .github/workflows/mobile.yml
name: Mobile Build
 
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'
 
jobs:
  build-android:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
      - name: Setup Node
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
 
      - name: Setup Java
        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'
 
      - name: Install and Build
        run: |
          npm ci
          npm run build
          npx cap sync android
 
      - name: Build AAB
        run: |
          cd android
          ./gradlew bundleRelease
 
      - name: Upload Artifact
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: app-release.aab
          path: android/app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

Common Rejection Reasons

iOS

• Missing privacy policy
• Incomplete metadata
• Bugs or crashes
• Guideline 4.2: Minimum functionality (app is too simple)
• Guideline 2.1: Performance issues

Android

• Missing privacy policy
• Incorrect content rating
• Policy violations
• Crashes on review devices
• Incomplete store listing