The App Review Checklist: 47 Things to Check Before You Ship

You've been coding for months. The app works on your phone. Your beta testers said "looks great!" But are you actually ready to ship?

After reviewing 150+ apps at RealAppReview, I built this checklist from every issue I've ever found. It's the same list I use before giving any app a green light. Print it. Bookmark it. Share it with your team.

Let's go through all 47 items, organized by category.

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🎨 UX & Design (Items 1–12)

1. First-time user experience (FTUE)

Open your app as if you've never seen it. Is it immediately clear what it does and how to start? If you need more than 3 taps to reach the core feature, simplify.

2. Onboarding flow

Keep it under 4 screens. Every screen should earn its place. Skip button must be visible. Don't ask for registration before showing value.

3. Empty states

What does the app look like with zero data? No content, no friends, no history. Empty states should explain what goes there and how to fill it — not just show a blank screen.

4. Error messages

Every error message should tell the user: (1) what went wrong, (2) why, and (3) what to do next. "Something went wrong" is not acceptable.

5. Loading states

Every network call should have a loading indicator. Use skeleton screens instead of spinners where possible. Never show a blank screen while loading.

6. Navigation clarity

Can a new user find the main features within 5 seconds? Is the back button behavior consistent? Does the tab bar match standard patterns for your platform?

7. Touch targets

All tappable elements should be at least 44×44 points (iOS) or 48×48dp (Android). Test with your thumb, not a stylus.

8. Typography readability

Body text should be at least 16px. Line spacing at least 1.4×. Sufficient contrast against the background (WCAG AA minimum: 4.5:1 for text).

9. Dark mode support

In 2026, dark mode isn't optional — it's expected. Test every screen in both light and dark mode. Watch for hardcoded colors that break in dark mode.

10. Landscape orientation

Does your app handle rotation gracefully? Even if you lock to portrait, make sure it doesn't crash or break if a user rotates their device.

11. Accessibility basics

VoiceOver (iOS) and TalkBack (Android) should be able to navigate your app. All images need alt text. Interactive elements need labels.

12. Consistent visual language

Same spacing, same colors, same button styles across all screens. Inconsistency signals amateur work — even subconsciously.

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⚡ Performance (Items 13–20)

13. Cold start time

Your app should be interactive within 2–3 seconds of tapping the icon. Profile your launch sequence. Defer anything that isn't needed immediately.

14. Scroll performance

Lists and feeds should scroll at 60fps. Test on older devices — if it stutters on an iPhone 11 or Pixel 4a, it's not ready.

15. Memory usage

Monitor memory with Instruments (iOS) or Android Profiler. Your app shouldn't use more than 200MB for typical usage. Watch for leaks in long sessions.

16. Battery impact

Does your app drain battery noticeably? Common culprits: continuous GPS, excessive background fetch, unoptimized animations, wake locks.

17. Image optimization

All images should be compressed and served at the right resolution. No loading 4000×3000 images to display at 400×300. Use WebP or AVIF when possible.

18. Offline behavior

What happens with no internet? Your app should show cached content or a clear message — never a blank screen or infinite spinner.

19. Network transitions

Switch between Wi-Fi and cellular mid-use. Toggle airplane mode on and off. Your app should recover gracefully without requiring a restart.

20. Background/foreground transitions

Send your app to the background for 5 minutes, then come back. Is the state preserved? Does it need to refresh? Does it crash?

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🔒 Security & Privacy (Items 21–28)

21. Privacy policy link

Accessible both in the App Store listing AND inside the app (usually in Settings). Link must work and be up-to-date.

22. Data collection disclosure

Accurately fill out Apple's App Privacy section and Google's Data Safety form. Include ALL SDKs and their data collection.

23. Account deletion

Apple requires in-app account deletion. It must actually delete the data — not just deactivate the account.

24. Secure data transmission

All network calls must use HTTPS. No exceptions. Enable App Transport Security (iOS) and check for certificate pinning if handling sensitive data.

25. Sensitive data storage

Passwords, tokens, and personal data should use Keychain (iOS) or EncryptedSharedPreferences (Android). Never store sensitive data in plain text or UserDefaults.

26. Permission timing

Request permissions only when the user is about to use the feature. Never ask for all permissions on first launch. Explain why before the system dialog appears.

27. Third-party SDK audit

Review every SDK in your app. Are they all necessary? Are they up-to-date? Do any have known vulnerabilities? Remove anything you're not actively using.

28. Deep link validation

Test all deep links and universal links. Malformed deep links should be handled gracefully — not crash the app or show broken states.

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🏪 App Store Compliance (Items 29–37)

29. Screenshots accuracy

Every screenshot must show the current version of the app. No mockups, no Photoshop enhancements, no features that don't exist yet.

30. App name and subtitle

No keyword stuffing. The name should be recognizable and honest. Subtitle should describe the app's core function.

31. Category selection

Choose the category that genuinely matches your app. Gaming apps in "Education" or utility apps in "Health" will be flagged.

32. Age rating accuracy

Answer the age rating questionnaire honestly. User-generated content automatically requires at least 12+ on iOS.

33. In-App Purchase flow

Test the complete purchase flow: buy, restore, cancel subscription, handle errors. "Restore Purchases" button must be visible and functional.

34. Subscription terms

Price, duration, and renewal terms must be clearly displayed before the purchase button. Free trial terms must explain what happens when it ends.

35. Review notes for Apple

If your app needs a login, provide demo credentials. If it needs special hardware, explain. If a feature is region-locked, tell them how to access it.

36. App icon requirements

1024×1024px, no alpha channel, no rounded corners (Apple adds them). Icon should be recognizable at 29×29 size. No screenshots or photos as icons.

37. What's New text

For updates: describe what actually changed. "Bug fixes and performance improvements" is technically fine, but specific notes help both reviewers and users.

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🧪 Testing (Items 38–43)

38. Clean install test

Delete the app entirely. Reinstall from scratch. Go through the entire onboarding and main flow. This is exactly what a reviewer does.

39. Device diversity

Test on at least: one large phone, one small phone, one older model. For iPad: test on both sizes. For Android: test on Samsung AND one other brand.

40. OS version testing

Test on the latest OS AND the oldest you support. iOS 16 and iOS 18 behave differently. Android 12 and 15 have different permission models.

41. Edge cases

Very long usernames, special characters (émojis, Arabic, Chinese), extremely long text inputs, very large files, rapidly tapping buttons.

42. Push notification testing

Do notifications arrive? Do they deep-link correctly? What happens if the user taps a notification for deleted content? Test with notifications disabled too.

43. Sign-in with Apple / Google

If you support social sign-in, Apple requires "Sign in with Apple" as an option. Test the full flow: sign up, sign out, sign back in, delete account.

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📈 Analytics & Launch Readiness (Items 44–47)

44. Analytics implementation

Verify your analytics SDK is tracking key events: app open, onboarding completion, core feature usage, purchase funnel. Check the data is flowing to your dashboard.

45. Crash reporting

Set up Crashlytics, Sentry, or equivalent. Verify it captures crashes in both debug and release builds. You need this from day one.

46. App Store Optimization (ASO)

Research keywords for your category. Optimize your title, subtitle, and keyword field. Write a compelling first sentence for your description (it's what users see before "Read More").

47. Launch day communications

Prepare your social media announcements, Product Hunt listing (if applicable), press kit, and support email response templates. You won't have time to write these on launch day.

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✅ How to Use This Checklist

Don't try to do all 47 items in one sitting. Here's my recommended approach:

1. Week before submission: Items 1–12 (UX) and 13–20 (Performance)
2. 3 days before: Items 21–28 (Security) and 29–37 (Compliance)
3. Day before: Items 38–43 (Testing)
4. Submission day: Items 44–47 (Analytics & Launch)

Or, if you want to save yourself 2–3 days of work: get a professional pre-launch review. We check most of these items during our standard review process — on real devices, with fresh eyes.