Can you publish a vibe-coded app to the App Store?
Yes, as long as what you submit is a real iPhone app and not your website in a frame. The App Store only lists native apps, and Apple's Guideline 4.2 rejects apps that don't go beyond a repackaged website.
You built the app in a weekend and a wrapper gets it into App Store Connect in an afternoon. Two days later the review note says Guideline 4.2, Minimum Functionality, because Apple sees your website, not an app.
“Your app should include features, content, and UI that elevate it beyond a repackaged website.”
Where you start depends on your builder. Lovable, Bolt.new, Base44, v0, Glide and Webflow (and Replit web projects) make web apps, which need a native version first. Rork, Emergent, Anything, Rocket.new, RapidNative and FlutterFlow already make native code, so you can go straight to signing and submission.
yourapp.lovable.appIf a wrapper has already been rejected, see how to fix a Guideline 4.2 rejection. To compare every route side by side, read the best ways to publish a vibe-coded app.
What do you need to publish an app on the App Store?
You need an Apple Developer Program membership at $99 a year, a native build of your app, a privacy policy URL, a support URL, store screenshots and, if your app has a login, a demo account for the reviewer.
- Details
- $99 per membership year. Needs an Apple Account with two-factor authentication. Organizations also need a D-U-N-S Number
- Where it goes
- Your developer account
- Details
- A signed iOS build, made in Xcode on a Mac or with a cloud build service such as Expo's EAS Build
- Where it goes
- Uploaded to App Store Connect
- Details
- Required for every app, and linked inside the app too (Guideline 5.1.1(i))
- Where it goes
- App Store Connect and your app
- Details
- Required. It must lead to real contact information
- Where it goes
- App Store Connect
- Details
- At least one for iPhone with Dynamic Island (1179 x 2556 or 1206 x 2622 portrait), up to 10 per device size
- Where it goes
- App Store Connect
- Details
- Required if your app has a login, with your backend switched on (Guideline 2.1)
- Where it goes
- App Review information
- Details
- Required if people can create an account (Guideline 5.1.1(v))
- Where it goes
- Inside your app
| What | Details | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | $99 per membership year. Needs an Apple Account with two-factor authentication. Organizations also need a D-U-N-S Number | Your developer account |
| A native build | A signed iOS build, made in Xcode on a Mac or with a cloud build service such as Expo's EAS Build | Uploaded to App Store Connect |
| Privacy policy URL | Required for every app, and linked inside the app too (Guideline 5.1.1(i)) | App Store Connect and your app |
| Support URL | Required. It must lead to real contact information | App Store Connect |
| Screenshots | At least one for iPhone with Dynamic Island (1179 x 2556 or 1206 x 2622 portrait), up to 10 per device size | App Store Connect |
| Demo account | Required if your app has a login, with your backend switched on (Guideline 2.1) | App Review information |
| Account deletion | Required if people can create an account (Guideline 5.1.1(v)) | Inside your app |
Enroll as an individual and your legal name shows as the seller on the App Store. Enroll as an organization and you need a legal entity that can sign contracts with Apple, a D-U-N-S Number, a work email on your company's domain and a public website. Eligible nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities can ask for a fee waiver.
The fee is only part of the bill. What it costs to publish a vibe-coded app breaks down the build, the time and the ongoing costs.
How do you publish an AI-built app to the App Store, step by step?
Enroll, get a native build, create the app in App Store Connect, test with TestFlight, fill in the listing and privacy details, then submit with a demo account:
- Enroll in the Apple Developer Program and wait for Apple to confirm your membership.
- Get a native version of your app. A web app has to be converted, for example to React Native and Expo on the same backend. A native builder's project can be exported as it is.
- Create the app record in App Store Connect: name, primary language, bundle ID and SKU.
- Build and sign the iOS app, then upload it. Apple lists Xcode, Transporter, altool and the App Store Connect API; Expo's EAS Submit uploads from macOS, Linux or Windows, so you don't need a Mac for that step.
- Test with TestFlight. You can add up to 100 internal testers from your team and up to 10,000 external testers. The first build you send to external testers goes through a review, and each build expires after 90 days.
- Fill in the listing: a description of up to 4,000 characters, keywords of up to 100 bytes, screenshots, your support URL and your privacy policy URL.
- Answer the app privacy questions. Include the data your third-party code collects too, such as analytics and advertising SDKs.
- Add the App Review information (a demo account and notes for the reviewer), then submit the build for review.
Screenshots must show the app in use, not only the title art, login page or splash screen (Guideline 2.3). Take them from the native build, not your website.
What does App Review check in AI-built apps?
App Review checks every app against the same App Review Guidelines, but four of them are where AI-built apps tend to fail: 4.2 for looking like a website, 2.1 for missing a demo account or crashing, 5.1.1(v) for missing account deletion and 4.3 for looking like other apps.
- What Apple asks
- More than a repackaged website
- How AI-built apps miss it
- A wrapper that loads the site, with web menus, footers and cookie banners
- The fix
- A native app with native navigation (guide)
- What Apple asks
- A final, tested build, and a demo account if there's a login
- How AI-built apps miss it
- No demo login, a paused backend, placeholder text or a crash on launch
- The fix
- Test on a real device and add a working demo account
- What Apple asks
- Delete the account from inside the app, if people can create one
- How AI-built apps miss it
- The builder added sign-up but no delete option
- The fix
- A Delete account option in settings (guide)
- What Apple asks
- No copies of the same app and nothing hard to tell apart from apps in the store
- How AI-built apps miss it
- A builder's default look, a generic name and template copy
- The fix
- Make it visibly yours and explain what's different (guide)
| Guideline | What Apple asks | How AI-built apps miss it | The fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.2 Minimum functionality | More than a repackaged website | A wrapper that loads the site, with web menus, footers and cookie banners | A native app with native navigation (guide) |
| 2.1 App completeness | A final, tested build, and a demo account if there's a login | No demo login, a paused backend, placeholder text or a crash on launch | Test on a real device and add a working demo account |
| 5.1.1(v) Account deletion | Delete the account from inside the app, if people can create one | The builder added sign-up but no delete option | A Delete account option in settings (guide) |
| 4.3 Spam | No copies of the same app and nothing hard to tell apart from apps in the store | A builder's default look, a generic name and template copy | Make it visibly yours and explain what's different (guide) |
Apps rejected for one of these are often flagged for another in the same review. Why Apple rejects AI-built apps goes through each one with the fix.
How long does App Store review take?
Apple says it typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in less than 24 hours and 90% in less than 48 hours. Getting ready to submit takes longer than the review.
“If your submission is incomplete, review times may be delayed or your submission may not pass.”
- The native build: converting a web app is the longest step. An app that is already native skips it.
- TestFlight: the first build for external testers needs its own review before testing starts.
- The listing: screenshots, privacy answers and a demo account all have to be ready before you can submit.
- Rejections: each one adds a fix and another review.
You can ask for an expedited review for a critical bug fix or an event you're directly associated with. If you think a reviewer misunderstood your app, you can appeal to the App Review Board, once per rejected submission, with specific reasons it complies.
Can my AI builder publish to the App Store?
It depends on whether your builder makes a web app or native code. Web apps need converting first; native projects need signing, a listing and submission.
- What it makes
- Web app
- Where you start
- Convert to native
- What it makes
- Web app (its Expo route is separate)
- Where you start
- Convert to native
- What it makes
- Web app
- Where you start
- Convert to native
- What it makes
- Web app (Next.js)
- Where you start
- Convert to native
- What it makes
- Web app, or an Expo mobile project
- Where you start
- Convert a web app; submit an Expo project
- What it makes
- Progressive Web App
- Where you start
- Convert to native
- What it makes
- Website
- Where you start
- Convert only if it works like an app
- What it makes
- Web app, or native from Bubble's mobile editor
- Where you start
- Depends on the editor you used
- What it makes
- Native code
- Where you start
- Sign, list and submit
- What it makes
- React Native and Expo for mobile app jobs
- Where you start
- Sign, list and submit
- What it makes
- Expo and React Native
- Where you start
- Sign, list and submit
- What it makes
- Flutter
- Where you start
- Sign, list and submit
- What it makes
- React Native and Expo
- Where you start
- Sign, list and submit
- What it makes
- Flutter
- Where you start
- Sign, list and submit
| Builder | What it makes | Where you start |
|---|---|---|
| Lovable | Web app | Convert to native |
| Bolt.new | Web app (its Expo route is separate) | Convert to native |
| Base44 | Web app | Convert to native |
| v0 | Web app (Next.js) | Convert to native |
| Replit | Web app, or an Expo mobile project | Convert a web app; submit an Expo project |
| Glide | Progressive Web App | Convert to native |
| Webflow | Website | Convert only if it works like an app |
| Bubble | Web app, or native from Bubble's mobile editor | Depends on the editor you used |
| Rork | Native code | Sign, list and submit |
| Emergent | React Native and Expo for mobile app jobs | Sign, list and submit |
| Anything | Expo and React Native | Sign, list and submit |
| Rocket.new | Flutter | Sign, list and submit |
| RapidNative | React Native and Expo | Sign, list and submit |
| FlutterFlow | Flutter | Sign, list and submit |
Can you publish to the App Store yourself?
Yes. If your builder already makes native code, every step above is something you can do on your own with a developer account and an afternoon for the listing.
It gets harder with a web app: the native conversion, sign-in, account deletion and in-app purchase are where most of the time goes. That's the part we take on, with a free native preview on your phone first; see pricing.
Shipping to Android as well? How to publish a vibe-coded app to Google Play covers the $25 account and the 12-tester closed test.
We take your AI-built app the last mile.
We rebuild your web app as a native React Native and Expo app on the same backend, or take your native project as it is, then do the store work: icons, screenshots, privacy details, account deletion, a Guideline 4.2 pass, signing, submission and reviewer replies. We resubmit until approved, and if your app follows Apple's policies and still can't be approved, you get a full refund. Try the native preview on your phone for free first.
