Where to find it
App Store Connect is at appstoreconnect.apple.com. You sign in with the Apple Account that is a member of an Apple Developer Program team. There is also an App Store Connect app for iPhone and iPad to check sales, answer reviews and manage TestFlight on the go, and an API for automation.
What you can do in App Store Connect
| Area | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Apps → App Store | Versions, metadata (name, subtitle, keywords, description, promotional text), screenshots, pricing |
| TestFlight | Beta testing with internal and external testers |
| Features | In-app purchases, subscriptions, in-app events, custom product pages, product page optimization |
| Ratings and Reviews | Reviews per country, developer responses, rating reset on release |
| Analytics | Impressions, product page views, conversion rate, sources, retention |
| Sales, Trends, Payments | Units, proceeds, financial reports, tax and banking |
| Users and Access | Team roles and API keys |
How to publish an app, step by step
- Join the Apple Developer Program ($99 per year) as an individual or an organization (organizations need a D-U-N-S number).
- Create the app record in App Store Connect with its name, bundle ID and primary language. Find any app’s IDs with the free App Store ID finder.
- Upload a build from Xcode (or Transporter) and test it with TestFlight.
- Fill in the product page and App Privacy details, choose pricing and availability.
- Submit for review. Apple says it typically reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours.
- Release manually, automatically after approval, or as a phased release over seven days.
Ratings and reviews in App Store Connect
Reviews are listed per country under Ratings and Reviews. You can sort, filter and post one public reply per review, which you can edit later; the user is notified. To see every country at once, use the App Store Connect API — or let allstarsbot post each new review from every storefront to Slack or Microsoft Teams, with a reply link.
App Store Connect vs Xcode vs TestFlight
- Xcode builds and uploads the app.
- App Store Connect manages everything around it: listing, review, release, business.
- TestFlight is the beta testing part of App Store Connect, with its own app for testers.
The Android counterpart is the Google Play Console.