Launch · Add-on
Plan a mobile app release
Mobile releases go through app store review and users update slowly. Plan for both.
About 2-5 daysChanges yearlyLast reviewed 5 November 2026
Who this applies to
- Skills it builds
- Delivery and executionTechnical and AI fluency
- PM types
- All
- Product types
- Consumer digital product
- Starting points
- All
- Ways of working
- All
- Experience
- All
- Size of organisation
- All
Steps, by experience
Beginner (under 1 year)
- Check the app store rules that apply to your features.
- Allow time for review, and for rejection and resubmission.
- Prepare the store listing: description, screenshots and privacy details.
- Release to a small share of users first.
- Plan for users on older versions.
Intermediate (1 to 4 years)
- Check store guidelines and plan review time.
- Prepare listings and privacy details.
- Use staged rollout.
Experienced (5+ years)
- Use feature flags to decouple release from deployment.
- Set minimum supported versions.
- Track crash rates and ratings after release.
Who can do this
Owner: Product manager
Can be delegated to
- Frontend Engineer or Full-stack Engineer: Prepare builds and handle store submission
- Content Designer: Write store listing
Reviewed by: QA / Tester, Policy / Legal / Compliance
Tool examples
- GitHub
- Automate builds and track release tags.
- Jira
- Track release checklist items.
Definition of done
- Store rules checked
- Listing and privacy details ready
- Staged rollout planned
Common pitfalls
- No time for review
- Forgetting older versions
- Missing privacy declarations
If you lead the team
What good looks like: Mobile releases allow for app store review and slow user updates.
Ask your PM
- How long does app review take us, and is it in the plan?
- How do we handle users on old versions?
Warning signs
- Launch dates ignore app review.
- Old app versions break when the backend changes.