When It's Necessary to Republish Your App

After your app goes live in the App Store and Google Play, there are some changes that require a full app update in order to take effect. Changes to content and design are automatically updated without republish due to the dynamic hosting of our apps. When an app is updated and released, users will be prompted to install the new version on their devices. Once they do so, they'll see those changes reflected in the app.

If your change falls under one of these categories below, just  republish your iOS app or update your Android app for free.

Note: Any changes you make within the Design or Features tab of the app builder will automatically reflect within your live app—just make sure to refresh the app to see those changes take effect. Exception: If you're adding features that aren't compatible with your source code, this will require an update. See the "Updating the Source Code" section below for more info.

Changes to Publish

• App Information: The App Name, App Keywords, App Category, App Description, What's New in This Version, Support URL, Marketing URL, Audio Background Play option, and App Rating all require an update to change. All other elements can be updated at any point through your clients' AppStore Connect account on the app listing page. 
• App Icon: The icon that appears in the App Store and the icon that appears on the device screen once installed require republishing in order to change. These are built into the app file that we send to Apple, and for that reason, can't be altered without building and uploading an entirely new version.
• Screenshots: Apple doesn't allow you to alter screenshots once an app is live. Like the app name, keywords, etc., the screenshot field in iTunes Connect becomes un-editable as soon as the app is released.
• Splash Loading Screen: Like the app icon, the splash loading screens are built into the app file, and thus require a new app version in order to change.

Adding an iPad Version

If your app was uploaded as iPhone-only, it will need to be updated in order to add on an iPad version. The app must be rebuilt and resubmitted to include different device compatibility. When you republish your app, make sure to select both iPhone and iPad as your device options.

Updating the Source Code

When we release new source codes, they include new features and updates to existing features. If you'd like to take advantage of that, it's necessary to republish your app for the new source code so it can be rebuilt and resubmitted as such. It's important to resist adding the new features to your app until the app update is approved by Apple and released—otherwise, your existing, live app (operating on the older source code) won't function properly for users because of the incompatible features.

Time to publish to iOS explanation

Here at Eazi-Apps we understand that the time it takes to publish or republish your app can often be longer than you expect but due to Apple's stringent review process it is often out of our hands, that's why we recommend submitting to publish weeeks in advance of your expected launch day.

That's also why we always stress the importance of reviewing and confirming the information in Publish with your clients before submitting for upload. In the long run, you'll save a great deal of time (and money) by going through Publish at least twice to ensure everything is perfect!