How to launch an app

An app launch has more moving parts than most products. You have to get through store review, make your listing easy to find, and keep people using the app after they install it. Planning these in the right order makes the launch much smoother. A waitlist can carry the early work, because it gives you testers before you need them.

Prepare the app itself

Define the core task

Pick the one thing the app does for a new user, and make sure a person can finish it in the first minute. Everything else can come later. Apps that get to the first useful moment quickly keep more people.

Build onboarding around that task

Show the user how to finish the core task, and only ask for permissions or sign-up details when they're needed. Each extra step at the start is a place people can leave.

Check the basics before submission

Test on the devices and operating system versions you plan to support. Check that sign-up, payments if you have them, and notifications all work, and that the app doesn't crash on first launch.

Test with a group before launch

Run a closed beta

Invite a small group to use the app before the wider launch. TestFlight covers iOS, and Google Play offers closed testing for Android. Ask testers to report crashes, confusing screens, and anything they expected to happen but didn't.

Watch them use it

Ask a few testers to think out loud while they use the app. You'll notice problems you wouldn't see otherwise, such as a button people miss or a step they don't understand.

Fix the most common problems first

A short list of the issues testers hit most is more useful than a long list of minor complaints. Fix the ones that stop people from reaching the core task.

Prepare the store listing

Write the title and subtitle for search

Use words people type when they look for the kind of app you've built. Keep the title short and clear, and use the subtitle or short description to explain what the app does.

Make the screenshots do the selling

Most people decide from the first two or three screenshots. Show the core task in each one, add a short line of text, and keep the design consistent.

Write the privacy policy and check the data

Explain what data the app collects and why. Your policy needs to match what the app actually does, so check it against your code and third-party tools before submission.

Allow time for review

Store review can take a day or more, and it sometimes asks for changes. Submit early enough that you can respond to feedback without missing your launch date.

Build a waitlist before the app is live

Open the waitlist early

A waitlist gives you people to invite to the beta and people to tell on launch day. Share the link as you build, and say what the app does and when people can try it.

Use the list to pick testers

Ask waitlist members what they'd use the app for and what device they have. A group that matches your target user gives you more useful feedback than friends and family alone.

Give early testers a reason to stay

Offer early access, a founding plan, or a feature built with their input. Tell them how their feedback shaped the app, since that keeps them engaged after launch.

Plan launch day

Email the waitlist first

Send your list the store link and a short summary of what's new. Make sure the email works on a phone, since most people will tap through from it there.

Ask for ratings in the right moment

Ask for a rating after someone has completed the core task, not during onboarding. A review from a user who has just succeeded is worth more than one from someone who is still confused.

Post where your users already are

Share the launch in the communities, newsletters, and social accounts where your target users spend time. Reply to questions quickly, since early answers help people decide to install.

The first weeks after launch

Track retention, not only installs

Installs show interest. Retention shows whether the app is useful. Look at how many people come back on day two, day seven, and day thirty, and find out what the people who return have in common.

Fix crashes and slow screens first

Crashes and slow loading are the fastest way to lose users in the first week. Check your crash reports every day, and release fixes quickly.

Respond to reviews

Reply to reviews, especially the critical ones. Users see your replies, and a thoughtful response can turn a low rating into a higher one when the problem is fixed.

Ship regular updates

A steady release schedule shows people the app is being maintained. Keep each update focused, and tell users what changed in the release notes.

Plan the next release

Use what you learned from testers and early users to decide the next release. Keep the waitlist open for the next version as well, since people who joined early are the most likely to try new features and tell others about them.

An app launch works best when the app is ready for real use, the store listing is clear, and the first users are invited early. Build the waitlist before you launch, test with the people on it, and use launch day to bring them in.