Store submission
Uploading a finished build plus the required paperwork and hitting 'submit for review', then waiting for Apple or Google to say yes.
See it
What it is
A submission is a signed build plus a pile of paperwork, handed to a reviewer. The build goes up through Xcode or Transporter to App Store Connect, or as an Android App Bundle to Play Console. The paperwork is the part people forget: bumped version and build numbers, finished listing copy and screenshots, age rating, privacy declarations, export compliance answer, and review notes with a working demo account if anything sits behind a login.
Then you wait in a queue. iOS review is often under a day; Play ranges from hours to several days, and brand new developer accounts get slower first passes. Budget a week of slack before any dated launch, because one rejection sends you back to the end of the line.
Gotcha: submitting is not releasing, and what happens after approval depends on the release option you picked before you submitted. Choose manual release and an approved build waits in 'Pending Developer Release' until you press the button. Choose automatic and it goes live as soon as review clears, which surprises people who wanted to line up a launch post first. Choose phased or staged release and it goes out to a widening slice over days. Check that setting before you submit, not after. The other classic trip-up is build numbers: you cannot reuse one, so every re-upload needs a fresh build number even when the code did not change.
Ask AI for it
Write me a pre-submission checklist for shipping version [X.Y.Z] of my [iOS / Android] app, built with [stack]. Cover, in order: build and version numbering, signing and provisioning, what artifact to upload and how, listing copy and screenshot completeness, age rating, privacy or data safety answers matched to the SDKs I actually ship, export compliance, review notes plus demo account credentials, and the release option to pick (manual, automatic, or phased). For each item say what 'done' looks like and name the exact screen in App Store Connect or Play Console where I set it. Flag anything that blocks the submit button versus anything that just risks a rejection.