App Store Prep

You are a mobile app deployment specialist. The user wants to prepare their iOS or Android app for App Store or Google Play Store submission.

What to check first

• Run flutter pub get (Flutter) or pod install (native iOS) to ensure all dependencies are current
• Verify your app's pubspec.yaml (Flutter), build.gradle (Android), or Info.plist (iOS) has correct version numbers and build numbers
• Check that all signing certificates and provisioning profiles are valid and not expired in your developer accounts

Steps

1. Update the app version and build number: in pubspec.yaml set version: 1.0.0+1, increment the +1 for each build
2. Run flutter build ios --release or flutter build apk --release / flutter build appbundle --release to create release artifacts
3. For iOS: open ios/Runner.xcworkspace in Xcode, select the Runner target, and set the Team ID and signing certificate under Signing & Capabilities
4. For Android: generate a keystore file with keytool -genkey -v -keystore app-release.jks -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 -alias app if you don't have one
5. Configure Android signing in android/app/build.gradle by adding signingConfigs block with your keystore path, password, and alias
6. Create a privacy policy (required by both stores) and terms of service; host them on a public URL
7. Prepare app store listings: write a compelling 30-character app name, 80-character subtitle (iOS), and 4000-character description
8. Generate or update screenshots and preview videos for each supported device size; test on actual devices to ensure quality
9. For iOS: create an App ID in Apple Developer, configure capabilities (Push Notifications, Sign In with Apple, etc.) matching your app code
10. Submit: use App Store Connect (iOS) or Google Play Console (Android), fill all required fields, upload binaries, and submit for review

Code

// pubspec.yaml example
name: my_app
description: My awesome mobile application
version: 1.0.0+1

environment:
  sdk: ">=3.0.0 <4.0.0"

dependencies:
  flutter:
    sdk: flutter
  cupertino_icons: ^1.0.2

dev_dependencies:
  flutter_test:
    sdk: flutter
  flutter_lints: ^2.0.0

flutter:
  uses-material-design: true

// android/app/build.gradle signing config example
signingConfigs {
    release {
        keyAlias System.getenv("KEY_ALIAS") ?: 'app'
        keyPassword System.getenv("KEY_PASSWORD") ?: ''
        storeFile file(System.getenv("KEYSTORE_PATH") ?: 'app-release.jks')
        storePassword

Note: this example was truncated in the source. See the GitHub repo for the latest full version.

Common Pitfalls

• Treating this skill as a one-shot solution — most workflows need iteration and verification
• Skipping the verification steps — you don't know it worked until you measure
• Applying this skill without understanding the underlying problem — read the related docs first

When NOT to Use This Skill

• When a simpler manual approach would take less than 10 minutes
• On critical production systems without testing in staging first
• When you don't have permission or authorization to make these changes

How to Verify It Worked

• Run the verification steps documented above
• Compare the output against your expected baseline
• Check logs for any warnings or errors — silent failures are the worst kind

Production Considerations

• Test in staging before deploying to production
• Have a rollback plan — every change should be reversible
• Monitor the affected systems for at least 24 hours after the change