Follow along here, but also be sure to check out our App Onboarding Roadmap if you get lost along the way, as our Onboarding team is here to help!
The app review is not required to Set your app live in The Church App.
Set up your developer accounts
To submit an app to the app stores, you are required to set up developer accounts for your organization with both Apple & Google. Apple's process can be lengthy at times, so we recommend getting started on this right away and working through the remainder of these steps while you work on your developer accounts.
How do I set up my Apple developer account?
How do I set up my Google Play Console account?
Upload your branding and app store information
This part is pretty easy, so we often suggest working on this while you work on your developer accounts. To complete Step 3, you'll need to fill out the following pages in your Subsplash App Dashboard:
Build your app
This part can take as much or as little time as you'd like, depending on the complexity of your app aspirations. We have found, however, that our clients who prioritize a simple app build get up and running at a far quicker pace and have a better onboarding experience overall. Remember, you can always tweak your app to create "Version 2.0" once it's been approved by the app stores!
The goal is to ensure your app meets the content requirements. We recommend bookmarking this article so that you can continue to refer to it throughout your app-building process.
Your app must have:
At least five uploaded .mp3 audio files: Please make sure that it is possible to play at least five audio files on your app before you submit the app for review. If you don't have enough media to upload, you can add The Bible Tab and title it "Audio Bible" as a way to meet this requirement!
All images uploaded: Make sure that there are no missing images in your app. Need images? Select “stock” when adding an image to your app content or check out our Image Resource Library to use any of the royalty-free images we've provided. When adding custom images, please keep in mind that the app stores do not allow images of Android/iOS devices, Google Play or Apple logos, or images related to the pandemic.
Calendars must have at least 3 events: You aren’t required to use Events, but if you do, you must have at least three different events in every calendar you use, that begin at least four weeks from when you submit your app for review. Don't have enough events? Try adding the major holidays!
At least three tabs on the tab bar: Make sure your app has 3-5 tabs. Any less than three will result in a failed review and any more than 5 is not possible within the Subsplash platform.
At least one public messaging group: If you have Subsplash Messaging, the app stores require a public group for testing purposes.
Bible Reading plan is selected: If you are using a Bible Reading tab a plan must selected and uploaded.
Your app cannot have:
Any internal links with "Give" or "Donate" options: If you add a link to a webpage and that web page contains an option to give or donate, that web page must be set to open up externally. Here is the Apple policy that outlines the reasoning.
Any links, Internal or External, that link to a "Store" page: Links that lead to a store page to purchase items, whether a personal website or reseller, i.e. Amazon, cannot be linked within your app to be opened internally or externally. Here is the Apple policy that outlines the reasoning.
Any broken links or links that do not work: Please ensure that all of your links work and confirm this by previewing your app and trying out the links.
Any blank pages or tabs: There cannot be any blank tabs or sections of your app that do not have any content. Please ensure that all of the tabs and sections of your app have content.
No ICal Feeds: These feeds appear empty when reviewed and will cause your app to fail during review. You can add them after you app is approved.
No dynamic items: Our team reviews all the content you've loaded into your app to make sure it will pass review. Dynamic content will add more content after our review which might not pass the apps stores. This includes dynamic events, livestreams, and media.
Once you've submitted your app for review we recommend not publishing any new media or events. Feel free to create them in your dashboard but don't set them to publish until your apps are live.
Submit your app
Once your app meets the App Review Requirements, it's time to submit your app for review! You can request your app review on Step 4 of the Account Setup tile, found on the home page in your app dashboard.
In this internal review, our team will review your app to ensure that your app meets the requirements of all of the app stores. Upon review, our team will let you know if any action is needed to pass your review. If you pass the app review, our team will let you know and we will begin the work of building and submitting your app to the app stores on our end.