Launch & publishing

Publishing Your Auction App to App Store and Play

July 10, 2026 · 6 min read

Getting your auction app in front of bidders means publishing to Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. It’s a manageable process once you know what each platform requires. We handle the technical build and deployment, but there are accounts you’ll set up and settings you’ll configure along the way.

Required accounts and setup

You need three accounts to run push notifications and deploy your app: an Apple Developer account, a Google Play Developer account, and a OneSignal account. Set these up early so you’re not waiting on them when you’re ready to go live.

Apple Developer Program costs $99 per year, renewed annually to keep your app on the App Store. Enrollment asks for basic company information and payment details. Once you’re in, you can create the signing certificates and provisioning profiles we use to build and sign your iOS app for release.

Google Play Developer has a one-time registration fee of $25. You set it up with a Google account, personal or Workspace. Unlike Apple, there’s no annual renewal; the account stays active as long as you keep at least one published app. Google may ask for identity verification on your first enrollment.

OneSignal is free to set up. It handles push notifications for your app. You create an organization, add your app configuration, and give us your OneSignal API keys during deployment so the app can notify your bidders. OneSignal charges based on active audience size rather than per notification sent.

Publishing under your own accounts

You own and control your app listing. The developer accounts are created in your company’s name, not ours, so you own the app’s presence on both stores, the download and revenue data, and direct access to store reports and reviews.

We use your credentials to submit the app for review and handle updates after launch, but the app stays under your accounts. You’re not renting branded space from us.

This matters if you ever want to make changes, respond to user reviews, or move the app elsewhere. You keep full control.

The review process: what to expect

Both Apple and Google manually review apps before they go live, and neither publishes a guaranteed approval timeline.

Apple checks that the app does what you’ve described, handles payments securely, and follows their guidelines, and they pay particular attention to apps that involve money. Most auction apps pass on the first submission. If Apple rejects yours, they explain why, and you fix the issue and resubmit.

Google checks similar ground: functionality, that you’re not impersonating another service, and that payments are handled safely. Rejections are less common on Google Play, and there’s a clear appeal process if one happens.

Neither store guarantees approval. If your app runs afoul of a policy, for example handling payments in a way they don’t allow, it can be rejected. That’s rare with established auction software, but we’ll flag anything specific to your region or payment processor before you submit.

After launch, Apple and Google will periodically ask you to update the app for new OS versions. This typically happens every year or two and isn’t optional if you want to stay listed.

App settings: configuration during deployment

When we prepare your app for release, we configure the settings that control branding, payments, and notifications. You provide the details, we build them in.

Your app icon and splash screen are your visual identity. You supply logo files in the formats each store requires. The icon appears on the home screen, in app lists, and in search results; the splash screen is what bidders see while the app loads.

Store links add deep links to your website, contact pages, or other resources, so bidders can jump out to your site without leaving the app.

Stripe keys matter if you accept credit card payments in-app. You provide your Stripe account details, and the app routes payments through Stripe’s gateway, which handles PCI compliance for you.

OneSignal keys connect your app to the push notification service, pasted in during the build process so the app can send notifications through OneSignal’s infrastructure.

Beyond that, you can configure the home and category banner, turn consignor management and region selection on or off, set your time zone, and decide whether bidders must log in or can browse without an account.

There’s also a maintenance mode, which pauses the app temporarily without pulling it down. Useful while you’re upgrading the site or making changes.

Building and deploying your app

We handle the technical build. You provide the signing credentials from your Apple Developer and Google Play accounts, and we create production builds of the iOS and Android apps. They go through our testing process, then we submit them to each store using your developer accounts.

You’ll get a summary of what we submitted and where to find your app once it’s approved. How long that takes depends on how quickly you provide accounts and assets, plus how fast each store completes its review.

If a store rejects the app, we work with you to understand the issue and resubmit. Most rejections are straightforward: a settings change, a privacy policy update, or a clarified feature description.

After launch: updates and support

Once your app is live, you’re in control of future updates. We include 30 days of free email support for bug fixes after deployment. Beyond that window, new features or branding changes are customizations, quoted separately. A minor AuctionWorx software update, like a compatibility fix for a new iOS or Android release, runs about $300 and is optional; a major version upgrade costs more.

Apple and Google require OS compatibility updates roughly every one to two years to keep your app listed, and those typically run $500 to $1,000 depending on scope. It’s not a hidden cost. It’s a normal part of maintaining a mobile app, and we’ll walk through it upfront.

Common questions

Can I publish to both stores at once? Yes. We submit to Apple and Google simultaneously. Approval timelines differ, so you might go live on one store before the other.

What happens if my app gets rejected? We diagnose the issue from the store’s feedback and resubmit after making changes.

Do I need to be a U.S. company? No. Developers from many countries publish to both stores, though some regions have their own tax or payment requirements.

Can I update the app without your help? You own the account, but publishing updates yourself requires the source code and signing certificates, which is available as a separate service. Most customers have us handle updates when needed.

Ready to launch

Publishing takes some planning, but it’s a one-time effort. Once your app is live, bidders can download it and start bidding right away.

Start by setting up your Apple Developer and Google Play accounts; we’ll walk you through every step from there. If you want to see the full experience first, check out our demo apps, the features you’re publishing, or read about what an AuctionWorx Mobile app costs before you commit to a plan.