A final look.
A better launch.
Practical downloads for your next App Store release. Keep a copy, work through it with your team, and come back when your listing changes.
ASO pre-release checklist
From your first keyword shortlist to your first review of the results. Use it before a new app launch or a listing update.
Free · No email required · English
3-page PDF with fillable checkboxes. Markdown for
your own notes.
What to check before release
Tick items in the PDF or copy the Markdown into your notes. Assign an owner to any open item. For a first release, record the launch date; for an update, save a baseline before making changes.
Positioning & research
- Write one sentence explaining who the app helps and what they can do with it.
- Choose the first storefront and language. Record the user problem you want to reach.
- Compare three relevant listings: their promise, first screenshots and missing use cases.
- Shortlist relevant search terms with evidence and intent. Treat popularity and difficulty scores as estimates.
Name, subtitle & keywords
- Make the name and subtitle clear and accurate. Check each against the 30-character limit.
- Use relevant keyword terms without competitor brands or unnecessary repeats. Separate terms with commas.
- Validate the keyword field in App Store Connect. Apple describes a 100-character limit in marketing and 100 bytes in its technical reference; check UTF-8 bytes too.
- Save the final metadata for each locale, with an owner, version and reason for the change.
Screenshots & product page
- Show the app in use and make the first screenshot communicate the main benefit.
- Give each frame a clear purpose. Check captions at actual phone size, not only on a design canvas.
- Check Apple's current screenshot specifications for every supported device. Use fictional account data and assets you have rights to use.
- Read the description and preview the icon and screenshots together. Remove placeholder copy and claims the release cannot support.
Localization & submission
- Review localized copy and screenshots with a fluent reader. Check truncation and text inside the app.
- Open the support and privacy URLs. Confirm that they work and describe the actual app and its services.
- Check category, age rating, App Privacy answers and purchase disclosures against the release build.
- Complete review information and access instructions where needed. Verify availability, pricing and the release option in App Store Connect.
Measurement setup
- For an update, save a comparable pre-release baseline. For a new app, mark the baseline unavailable and record the launch date.
- Record storefront, source, date range and unique-device settings for impressions, product page views and downloads.
- Name the conversion metric and its denominator. Keep Apple's standard conversion rate separate from custom page-view ratios.
- Save the release date, keyword shortlist and listing assets. Note campaigns and other changes that could affect comparisons.
Release & follow-up
- Inspect the live listing in each launch storefront after release. Confirm the intended copy, images and download destination.
- Assign a first review date. Allow for reporting delays and missing data before drawing conclusions.
- Compare visibility, page views and downloads separately. A change in downloads alone does not show what caused it.
- Choose one next hypothesis, its owner and a review condition. Keep a change log rather than promising a ranking or install increase.
Keep the requirements current
By ASO Guide. Reviewed October 10, 2026. This checklist covers ASO preparation; it is not a complete submission audit or a guarantee of rankings or installs. Check Apple’s current requirements before submitting.
- Apple: Creating your product page
- Apple: Platform version information
- Apple: Screenshot specifications
- Apple: App Review Guidelines