We just shipped an iOS app to TestFlight, and now have data to share on how long the various required processes take to complete. This writeup only includes critical path timelines and assumes everything else gets done in parallel. In other words, during the process you are never blocked on app development, and while you are waiting, the app is built and tested using “Sign In with Your Apple ID”, Apple’s free offering with many limitations. Fun fact that the “one week” build expirations seem to use timing from a different universe. Sometimes it means one earth week, but occasionally a new phone build installed in the morning will be unavailable later that day. If you decide to go this route, you must bring a dev machine for demos. You cannot trust your sense of time to keep your build active on your phone so plan to build the app for the test phone right before you start your demo
Step 1: Form the LLC
LLC formation slows down release compared with releasing under someone’s personal Apple Account, but is probably worth it for the legitimacy and as a layer of privacy. Went with a registered agent based on some research during development (Northwest) who did the business formation paperwork with the state. One slight misstep during the process cost a bit of time— our submitted name was not available. This is totally avoidable in California because there is an LLC search on the Secretary of State website which I could link you but for the authentic experience, google “california llc search” like we did many times. LLC formation overhead varies state-by-state. California actually keeps somewhat live processing data results for LLC formations which currently sit at approximately a 5-day backlog which is faster than the estimates from other sites you might come across, but is in-line with what we experienced
4-6 days
Step 2: DUNS
LLC in hand, it is now time to get a DUNS number which is required to create an Apple Developer account for an organization. You provide Dun & Bradstreet with a bunch of business information, and they give you a number. Beware that some of the information you provide is publicly available through their search. If phone number or address is information you want to keep private, you will need to make additional plans, but your first instinct strategies of VOIP phone and PO Box address are not permitted. Estimates on how long this takes vary wildly, including between their website and Apple’s description of the process, and the company offers expedited service to take it down to merely within 8 business days down from a max of 30(!!!). When you’re sitting on a functional product, it starts to feel worth it to expedite despite it costing a pretty chunk of change! In this case, we held out and the request worked its way through the system in just six days
6 days, 10-12 cumulative
Step 3: Create the Apple Dev Account
You have the number in-hand now, so what’s left? Apple has to learn about it. Apparently in the past there was a two-week interval, so if you just missed it, add another 14 days, but at the time of writing it is supposed to be two business days. Apple’s DUNs search wasn’t pulling up company information for the two days after the number was issued even after business hours, but the night of the second business day, the developer account application accepted the number!
2 days, 12-14 cumulative
Step 4: Create the Apple Dev Account
Wait… again? There’s some extra verification process that Apple does to ensure that whoever filled out the application is authorized to enter into legally binding agreements with them. Information online about how long this takes range from 30 minutes (I wish) to several months. Companies formed in common jurisdictions (USA) seem to have it faster on average. This is an opaque process with only anecdotal estimates. Apple does the reviews in order received, but the length of the queue can vary with events like WWDC leading to increased wait times which caused some delay in our case. This extra verification for us included a phone call where our point of contact confirmed the information we had put online. Then comes paying the subscription fee and wrangling the UX of App Store Connect, which had its fair share of bugs. Switch to Safari to avoid some bugs, and fill out information starting from the information banners at the top
6 days, 16-20 cumulative
Step 5: App Review
Now you have an Apple account and can upload your app and get in line for review! There’s a lot of work to do on App Store Connect before you can press the button, but at this point, it is the highest possible priority work. Read the legalese, figure out if you are a “trader under the DSA” (because if so, you get another opportunity to be doxxed unless you pick up a business address and phone number). Once the button is pressed, you get into the same line as everyone else, which Apple estimates at 50% chance of within 24 hours and 90% chance within 48. If this is your first time releasing an app, there’s a good chance that the reviewer will not approve what you’ve uploaded for one of nearly infinite reasons, and you iterate with extra delays, but there’s no way to tell how many times this will happen, and you could get lucky and pass on your first attempt. We got our build kicked back once asking why there was “lorem ipsum” text in the binary. Once we explained that it is used for temporary anonymization rather than placeholder, it was approved without a rebuild later that day
1-2 days, 17-22 cumulative
Verdict:
21 days, 3-4 entities
More waiting and red tape than we expected and, with a fully built app, we got pretty antsy over the three weeks it took to finally make it available. None of the steps prior to App Review involve software development, so if the amount of work you have left before release is less than 16 days, start the waiting process and build as you go. For us, we burned through quite a bit of backlog and design for upcoming features during the last week. When users (including you, dear reader) check it out, they will see a little higher polish and planned updates ahead of schedule.
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