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Publishing to the App Store

Updated October 15, 2026

To publish your iPhone app, StoreReady needs your Apple Developer account and an App Store Connect API key. About 5 minutes, and setup step 4 walks you through it.

1. An Apple Developer account

Join at developer.apple.com. Apple charges $99 a year, and approval can take a day or two.

2. An App Store Connect API key

Sign in with the Apple ID of your Apple Developer account. The Account Holder or an Admin can make this key.

  1. Open App Store Connect → Users and Access → Integrations. On the left, pick App Store Connect API. Stay on the Team Keys tab, not Individual Keys.
  2. The first time, Apple shows Request Access. Only the Account Holder can press it. Accept the terms and access turns on right away. After that, Admins can make keys too.
  3. Press the + button next to Active. With no keys yet, the button says Generate API Key.
  4. Name the key StoreReady and choose Admin access. StoreReady needs it to make the signing certificate and profile for your app. Press Generate.
  5. In the new key's row, press Download, then Download again in Apple's dialog. The file is named like AuthKey_2X9R4HXF34.p8. Apple lets you download it only once. If you lose it, revoke the key and make a new one.
  6. Copy the Issuer ID (above the list of keys) and the Key ID (in your key's row, 10 letters and numbers, also in the file name right after AuthKey_).
  7. Add them in setup step 4, or in your app's Settings → Stores, and press Check connection.

Want notifications on iPhones? You'll add one more key later, in your app's Settings → Stores. See Push notifications.

3. Your app's page in App Store Connect

Open Apps → + → New App and fill in the form with the values StoreReady shows you. We register your Bundle ID for you, so it is already in Apple's list.

4. Build and publish

On your app's Builds tab, press New build and tick iOS. We build your app, sign it with your key and upload it to App Store Connect, where it lands in TestFlight, ready to submit for review. See Build a new version.

If Apple doesn't accept the key

  • "Apple did not accept this key." Check that the Issuer ID and the Key ID belong to this .p8 file.
  • "This key cannot make the signing certificate for your app." The key has a lower role than Admin, or it is an Individual key. Make a new key on the Team Keys tab with Admin access and use that one.
  • "The App ID is already taken by another Apple account." Pick a different App ID in setup step 3.
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Publishing to the App Store — StoreReady Help