Work a slice of the launch checklist

Why this matters

Twelve steps stand between a finished app and a download. Three are done, and eight more sit downstream of the fourth, where the portfolio is waiting.

Knowing exactly which is which, and what it actually needs, is how a launch stops slipping.

What you need to know first

The full pipeline lives on Ship it. Steps 1 to 3 are done.

Steps 4 through 9 all need an account, a fee, or a legal document, not more code.

Step 4

Open the Apple and Google developer accounts.

Step 5

Create the signing material: certificates, profiles, an upload key.

Step 6

Create the paid products in both consoles.

Step 7

Make a real sandbox purchase; confirm it unlocks and restores.

Step 8

Host a privacy policy for each app.

Step 9

Fill in each store's privacy declaration form.

The steps

1. Claim one step

   Pick a single step from 4 to 9, or another unclaimed step on Ship it.

2. Find out exactly what it needs

   Fees, documents, and how long approval actually takes.

3. Write down what would block it

   The specific thing that would stop this step cold.

4. Write down what it depends on

   Which earlier step has to clear first, if any.

A worked example

Step 8: host a privacy policy for each app.

It has to be a real, reachable web address, one per app, not a single shared page for all seven.

Both Apple and Google require this address before the app can be submitted, for every app, including the free tiers.

It depends on nothing upstream: hosting a page needs no developer account, so it can start immediately.

Links: the exact Apple or Google help page you read, not one recalled from memory.

Hand it in

If you get stuck

Pick a step no one else has claimed. Check the board for existing launch findings first.

If a fee or a rule seems to vary by country, say so plainly rather than picking one number and presenting it as universal.

Cannot find an authoritative answer? Reporting exactly which question is still open is itself a useful finding.