Submit Apache Cordova Applications for iOS and Android to the Apple App Store & Google Play
In the past, we have looked at setting up Apache Cordova mobile applications for iOS and Android with HTML5, JavaScript and how to develop for this versatile platform. In what follows we will look at how to submit your application to the app stores of the respective platforms once you have finished developing your application.
As we looked at before, you will need a computer with the SDKs of the platform(s) you want to release on. If you want to release for Android devices, you will need to grab the Android SDK. I actually recommend you install Android Studio as this will download everything you need for this and future releases. If you want to release for iOS devices, you will of course need a Mac computer with Xcode installed. Unfortunately, you cannot develop iOS applications without a Mac. So if you want to build and release for iOS you will have to find some way to get access to one.
You will also need to sign up for developer accounts for the platforms you want to release on. These developer accounts do cost money. For Google Play (Android) there is a one time developer fee of $25. For an iOS developer account the fee is $99/per year.
Once you have signed up for your developer accounts, we can build our applications for release on the iOS and Android platforms.
Submitting to Your Cordova App for iOS to the Apple App Store
Once you are satisfied with how your app functions on all of the devices that you want your application to run on, you can start the process of preparing your project for submitting your app to the Apple App Store.
To submit your Apache Cordova application for sale (or free download) on the App Store you will need to go through the normal process that all apps must go through before they are submitted to the store. Building an app for release on iOS is a fairly straightforward process. You need to compile the release file by running the following command in the root of your Cordova project…
$ cordova build --release ios
This will build your application for release. There will be a generated Xcode project in the platforms/ios directory
Next, you’ll need go to https://developer.apple.com and click on “member center.” Sign in with your developer account if you have not already.
Creating an iOS Distribution Certificate
Click on “Certificates Identifiers and Profiles” and then on the next screen click on “Certificates.”
Click on the “+” button on the certificates page and scroll down in the production section and choose the “App Store and Ad Hoc” option and click “Continue”
We will want to create a new certificate so we will need to open up Keychain Access. The easiest way to do this is in your Mac click on the search bar in the top right and search for “Keychain Access” and open this application, Click on Keychain Access in the menu in the top left, and in the dropdown hover over “Certificate Assistant” and choose “Request a Certificate From a Certificate Authority”
This will open up a modal which you can then fill out the e-mail address with your developer account e-mail and then a common name which can usually just be the same of your organization. After you have filled these out choose the “Save to disk” option and save the certificate to wherever you want on your computer.
