How Long Does App Store Review Take for an MVP?

The Quick Answer

Apple reviews most apps quickly: it says 90% of submissions are reviewed in under 48 hours. But a first MVP launch involves more than the review itself. If everything is ready and the app is approved on the first attempt, plan on about five days from setting up your developer account to a live App Store listing. Each rejection adds a few more days while you fix the issue and resubmit. Google Play has its own rules, covered at the end.

Before You Start: Account and D-U-N-S

To publish on the App Store you need an Apple Developer Program membership, which costs $99 a year. You can enroll as an individual or as a company.

If you enroll as a company, Apple requires a D-U-N-S Numberfrom Dun & Bradstreet. Individuals do not need one. If your company does not have one yet, check the D-U-N-S website first: Apple says it can take up to five business days to receive the number, and up to two more business days for Apple to see it. Start this early, because it is the step most founders forget.

Day 1: Developer Account and TestFlight

Assuming your D-U-N-S Number is ready (or you are enrolling as an individual), most of the setup can be done on Day 1:

Enroll in the Apple Developer Program and fill in your details as an individual or a company.
Open App Store Connect, where your app moves through its stages: development builds, TestFlight testing, and the production release.
Upload a build to TestFlight and invite your first testers.

TestFlight lets people install your app on their iPhone before it is public. Up to 100 members of your team can test it straight away. Friends, family, and early users count as external testers: you can invite up to 10,000 of them, but the first build has to pass a short beta review by Apple first.

Testing can start almost immediately. What takes time is the production release, where anyone can search for your app and download it.

Submitting for Production

To submit for production, you fill in the App Store listing and upload your build from Xcode. The listing asks for a lot of information:

Privacy details: what data the app collects and how it is used
Screenshots for each device size you support
The app name, tagline, and description
Which countries the app is available in
Whether the app is free or paid
Links to your privacy policy and support pages

Once everything is filled in and the build is attached, you submit it for review.

How to Avoid a Rejection

Most of the delay in a first launch comes from rejections, so it is worth checking these before you submit:

Everything works. Every screen loads, and there are no crashes or blank screens.
The details are accurate. The privacy answers match what the app really collects, and your privacy policy and terms pages are live on your website.
Apple can reach every page. If your app has a login, give Apple a working demo account, and keep your backend running while they review.
Users can delete their account. If people can create an account in the app, Apple expects them to be able to delete it from inside the app too.
Payments follow Apple's rules. Digital content and subscriptions sold inside the app generally need Apple's in-app purchase system.
The app is finished. No placeholder text, test content, or features marked "coming soon".

The Realistic Timeline

Approved on the first attempt: under about five days from account setup to a live listing.
Rejected: allow about two days to fix the issue and resubmit, then another review. This repeats until the app is approved.
In our experience, a typical first app is accepted within two to three attempts.

When we built DiaryDad, an AI journaling app, both Apple and Google approved it on the first attempt and it was live 14 days after kickoff. That came from experience with store submissions, but it is never guaranteed. Because the timing depends on Apple and Google, we never promise a store launch inside our 2-week MVP build. You can read the whole story in A 2-Week MVP Build, Day by Day.

What About Google Play?

Google Play works differently. Google says app review usually takes up to seven days, and longer in exceptional cases. If you created a personal developer account after 13 November 2023, you must first run a closed test with at least 12 testers for at least 14 days before you can apply to publish. For a new personal account, that alone means more than two weeks, so plan for it from the start, or publish from an organization account.

Building an app for both stores? See our MVP app development page for how we handle iOS and Android builds.

LAUNCHING A MOBILE MVP?

We build iOS and Android MVPs in 2 weeks and handle the store submission for you.

Book a 30-min call with Ganesh Ghatti See our MVP development services

Frequently asked questions

How long does Apple take to review an app?

Apple says it reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours. A first launch takes longer overall, because of account setup and any rejections.

Can people test my app before it is approved?

Yes, through TestFlight. Up to 100 members of your team can test right away, and up to 10,000 external testers can be invited once the first build passes Apple's beta review.

Why do apps get rejected?

Common reasons are crashes or broken screens, missing or inaccurate privacy details, no working privacy policy, and no demo account for Apple to sign in with.

Do I need a D-U-N-S Number?

Only if you enroll as an organization. Individuals do not need one. Getting a D-U-N-S Number can take up to five business days.

How long does Google Play review take?

Google says review usually takes up to seven days. New personal developer accounts must first run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before applying for production access.