How to Publish an Adalo App to the App Store & Google Play
You built the app in Adalo. It works. Now comes the part that trips up most makers: turning that project into a live listing on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The good news is that Adalo does the heavy engineering for you — it compiles real native builds and uploads them to both consoles, so you never open Xcode or Android Studio. The work that's left is mostly account setup, store assets, and answering review questions correctly.
This guide walks the full path for how to publish an Adalo app to the App Store and Google Play, in the order you'll actually do it. If you want the platform-agnostic version first, read our pillar on publishing an app without code — this post is the Adalo-specific version of that flow.
What you need before you start
Line these up first. Missing one of these is the most common reason a publish stalls halfway.
| Requirement |
Apple App Store |
Google Play |
| Developer account |
Apple Developer Program — $99/year |
Play Console — $25 one-time |
| Adalo plan |
Starter, Professional, Team, or Business |
Same |
| Build format Adalo produces |
Signed .IPA |
Signed .AAB (Android App Bundle) |
| App icon |
1024×1024 PNG, no transparency |
512×512 PNG (plus the 1024 icon works too) |
| Store screenshots |
Required (see sizes below) |
Required + a 1024×500 feature graphic |
| Privacy policy URL |
Required |
Required |
| Age rating / content rating |
Required |
Required (questionnaire) |
Adalo publishing requires a paid plan — publishing to either store is not available on the free trial. Everything else (developer accounts, a privacy policy, screenshots) you can prepare in parallel while you finish the app.
Step 1: Set your app icon, name, and version in Adalo
Open your app in the Adalo editor and go to Settings → App Settings. This is where the store build pulls its identity from:
- App name — this is the on-device name and feeds your build metadata. Keep it under ~30 characters so it isn't truncated on the home screen.
- App icon — upload a 1024×1024 PNG with no transparency. Transparency is the single most common cause of a rejected or blank icon. If you upload the icon after generating a build, that build won't have it — regenerate.
- Version number — Adalo lets you set the version (e.g.,
1.0.0) and increments the build number for each new build. Every submission to either store needs a version/build higher than the last one you uploaded, or the console rejects it as a duplicate.
- Splash screen — set your launch screen here so the first frame users see is branded, not blank.
Get this right once and you rarely touch it again except to bump the version.
Step 2: Publish to the Apple App Store
2a. Create your bundle ID and app-specific password
In your Apple Developer account, create a bundle ID in the format com.yourapp.ios. It must match exactly in both Apple and Adalo — no leading or trailing spaces, which silently break the build. Then, in your Apple ID security settings, generate an app-specific password and give it to Adalo. This is what lets Adalo upload the signed build to App Store Connect on your behalf; it is not your main Apple password.
2b. Generate the iOS build in Adalo
In Adalo, go to Publish → iOS, enter your Apple ID email, the app-specific password, and your bundle ID, and start the build. Adalo compiles a real native .IPA and uploads it to App Store Connect / TestFlight. This can take a while — it's a full native compile, not an export.
2c. Fill out the App Store Connect listing
While the build processes, go to App Store Connect and create the app record. You'll need:
- App name, subtitle, and keywords
- Description and promotional text
- Screenshots at the required sizes: iPhone 6.9" is 1320×2868 and iPhone 6.7" is 1290×2796
- Privacy policy URL
- App Privacy ("nutrition label") answers describing what data your app collects
- Age rating
This is where Adalo Studio does the most work for you. Its App Store screenshot generator exports frames at those exact Apple sizes so App Store Connect never rejects them for being off-spec — see our screenshot sizes guide for the full spec table. Its store-listing generator produces the name, subtitle, keyword field, and descriptions, and the app privacy policy generator gives you a hosted URL to paste in.
2d. Attach the build and submit
Once the build finishes processing in App Store Connect (it appears in the Build section), click the +, select your uploaded build, and click Done. Answer the export-compliance questions, then click Add for Review and submit. If you're not ready, click Save and come back.
Step 3: Publish to Google Play
3a. Generate the Android build
In Adalo, go to Publish → Android. Adalo produces a signed .AAB (Android App Bundle) — the format Google Play now requires. Download it (or let Adalo push it, depending on your setup).
3b. Create the app in Play Console and upload the AAB
In the Google Play Console, create a new app, then upload your .AAB to a release track. New apps go through a release you build up via testing tracks before production.
Heads up if your Play account is new. For personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023, Google requires a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 continuous days before you can apply for production access. Organization accounts and older personal accounts can publish straight to production. Plan for this two-week window — it's the biggest surprise in Google Play timelines for indie makers.
3c. Complete the Play Store listing and Data Safety form
Google requires more declarations than Apple up front:
- Store listing — title (30 char), short description (80 char), full description (4000 char), an app icon, screenshots, and a 1024×500 feature graphic
- Content rating questionnaire
- Data safety section — a structured form declaring what data you collect and why
- Privacy policy URL
- Target audience and ads declarations
Screenshots for Play export at 1080×1920 from the screenshot generator. The Data Safety form must match your actual privacy policy — mismatches get flagged — so generate both from the same source of truth.
3d. Roll out to production
Once your listing is complete, your content rating is set, Data Safety is filled out, and (for new accounts) your closed test is satisfied, promote the release to production and submit for review.
Step 4: Track review and go live
Apple review typically clears in 24–48 hours (often under a day), sometimes up to a week for flagged apps. Google Play established accounts clear in 1–3 days; brand-new accounts can take longer even after the testing requirement is met. For a realistic breakdown of both, see how long App Store review takes.
If you get rejected, don't panic — most first-timer rejections are metadata or privacy issues, not your actual app. Our guide to why apps get rejected from the App Store covers the fixes.
Common Adalo publishing errors (and fixes)
These are the snags that eat the most time for Adalo makers. Knowing them in advance saves you a rebuild cycle each.
| Symptom |
Cause |
Fix |
| Build fails immediately |
Space before/after the bundle ID, or a bundle ID mismatch between Apple and Adalo |
Retype the bundle ID in com.yourapp.ios format in both places; delete any trailing whitespace |
| Icon is blank or rejected |
PNG has transparency, or the build was made before the icon upload |
Upload a flat 1024×1024 PNG (no alpha) in App Settings, then regenerate the build |
| "Redundant binary" in App Store Connect |
Version/build number wasn't incremented |
Bump the version or build number in Adalo and rebuild |
| Screenshots rejected for size |
Uploaded off-spec images |
Export from the screenshot generator at 1320×2868 / 1290×2796 (iOS) or 1080×1920 (Play) |
| Google Play won't let you go to production |
New personal account hasn't met the closed-test rule |
Run the 12-tester / 14-day closed test, then apply for production access |
| Data Safety flagged |
Form contradicts your privacy policy |
Regenerate both from one source so declarations match |
A realistic timeline for a first Adalo launch
- Day 0: Icon, version, screenshots, privacy policy, and listing copy prepared.
- Day 0–1: Generate iOS and Android builds (native compiles take time).
- Apple: Submit → review typically clears in 24–48 hours → live within 24 hours of approval.
- Google (established account): Submit → 1–3 days → live.
- Google (new personal account): Add 14 days for the closed-testing window before you can even submit to production.
Budget roughly a week for a smooth first Apple launch, and up to three weeks if you're on a brand-new personal Google Play account. Prepping assets in parallel while builds compile is the single biggest time-saver.
Adalo publishing checklist
- [ ] Paid Adalo plan active (Starter or higher)
- [ ] Apple Developer account ($99/yr) + app-specific password
- [ ] Google Play Console account ($25)
- [ ] App icon: 1024×1024 PNG, no transparency
- [ ] Version/build number bumped
- [ ] Bundle ID matches exactly in Apple + Adalo
- [ ] Screenshots at 1320×2868, 1290×2796 (iOS) and 1080×1920 + 1024×500 feature graphic (Play)
- [ ] Privacy policy URL live
- [ ] App Privacy (Apple) + Data Safety (Google) answers match the policy
- [ ] Age / content rating set
- [ ] (New Play accounts) 12-tester / 14-day closed test satisfied
For the full cross-store version, keep our app store submission checklist open in another tab. And if the cost side is what's holding you back, the Adalo Studio pricing page lays out exactly what's free versus a one-time unlock.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a Mac to publish an Adalo app?
No. Adalo generates the signed iOS (.IPA) and Android (.AAB) builds for you in the cloud, so you never touch Xcode or Android Studio. You only need a web browser, an Apple Developer account, and a Google Play Console account.
What does it cost to publish an Adalo app to both stores?
Beyond a paid Adalo plan (Starter or higher for native publishing), you pay Apple $99/year for the Apple Developer Program and Google a one-time $25 for a Play Console account. Screenshots, a privacy policy, and store copy can be produced for free or a one-time unlock with Adalo Studio.
Why won't my Adalo app icon show up on the build?
Upload a 1024×1024 PNG with no transparency in App Settings, then regenerate the build. If the icon still doesn't appear, re-upload it and rebuild — Adalo bakes the icon in at build time, so a build made before the upload won't have it.