How do I fill in the Play Console and App Store checklists?

Before you start

Your Google Play or App Store account is connected, and your app exists in Play Console or App Store Connect. See Publish your Android app or Publish your iPhone app.

Steps

1. Add your publisher details (Google Play)

1. Open My sites, your site, Your apps. In the On this page menu tap Store checklists.
2. Fill in Publisher details: Legal name (as registered), Registered address, Contact email, Phone (optional), Website and Credentials (optional), for example a press association membership.
3. Tap Save publisher details. The chip changes from Needed for Google to Complete. Keynate puts these details into your answers.

2. Link your app once (Google Play)

1. Open Play Console in your web browser (Chrome or Safari, not the Play Console phone app).
2. Tap your app's name in the list of apps.
3. Copy the address from the browser's address bar. It starts with https://play.google.com/console.
4. Paste it under Open each task in one tap and tap Link my app.

Now every item has an Open this task button that opens the right Play Console page. Some items open the App content page. Then find the item's name in the list and press Start declaration.

3. Work through the Play Console checklist

1. Tap an item to open it. It shows where it is in Play Console and the answers.
2. Tap Open this task, or follow the path shown.
3. Copy each answer with its copy button into the same question in Play Console. Save it there.
4. Back on Keynate, tap Mark as done. The count at the top shows how many are done.

The App content group follows Play Console's own list (Monitor and improve → Policy and programs → App content), in this order:

1. Privacy policy: your site's privacy page.
2. Ads: whether your app shows ads.
3. Sign in details: if readers can sign in, the answer is Yes and you add the reviewer sign-in. See Give the store reviewers a sign-in.
4. Content ratings: press Start questionnaire. The answers follow Google's steps 1 Category, 2 Questionnaire and 3 Summary. The category is All Other App Types.
5. Target audience and content: 18 and over. This avoids the extra rules for children's apps.
6. Data safety: when the item says Keynate does this, Keynate sends it for you at Publish.
7. Advertising ID.
8. Government apps, Financial features and Health apps: one answer each.
9. News apps: it shows in Play Console only after your app category is set to News under Store settings. It uses your publisher details.

The Before you send for review group has its own pages: Store settings (category News & Magazines), Countries / regions, and Send changes for review.

4. The App Store checklist (iPhone)

The App Store Connect checklist works the same way, without the one-tap links. It covers App Privacy, Age rating, Content rights, App Review information, Privacy policy, Review video and Tried on a real iPhone. Items marked Keynate does this need nothing from you. Install the TestFlight preview, try every screen, then tick Tried on a real iPhone: Keynate sends the app to App Review only after this.

Good to know

• You can fill in the checklist while your app is being built. It doesn't wait for the build.
• An item that says Add publisher details first unlocks after step 1.
• Made a mistake? Tap Undo on an item to mark it as not done.
• The answers follow your site. If you turn on reader sign-in or comments later, some answers change. Check the list again before your next release.
• If your news covers crime or war, Apple may expect a different age rating answer. You can change it in App Store Connect.

Common problems

• "This isn't your app's address." You copied the account page. Open your app in Play Console first, then copy the address.
• "This isn't a Play Console address." Copy it from the browser's address bar, not from the phone app.
• I can't find News apps in Play Console. Set the category to News under Store settings first.
• The Publish step says "Finish the checklist first". Some items are not ticked yet. The step shows how many are left.

Questions

Related

• Publish Android
• Publish iPhone
• Reviewer sign-in
• Store listing