Launching an app is an exciting next step for your on-demand staffing platform. But to get your app ready to be approved in the App Store and Google Play store, there are a number of elements you'll have to put together.

We've put together this guide to native app deployment to help you understand all the requirements needed to get your on-demand staffing app launched successfully.

Name and Icon:

1. Name for the app: This is what will appear right below the icon on the phone screen. It should be directly related, if not exactly the same, as your platform.

2. iOS and Android icons: Your icon is what will stand out both in the App Store/Google Play store and on the phone screen of all the users. It is a key opportunity to show off your brand--one of the benefits of working with a completely white-label platform. This article from Apple and this article via Android contain additional information regarding guidelines, attributes, specifications, etc. for your icon, and even include templates for 3 different programs that a designer could use.

3. Icon background image: This is your icon without any design layered on top of it. In the images of the Netflix app icon below, you can see that the background is only the area in black. Please title this icon_back.png and make sure it is sized 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels. If you do not send us a background image, it will default to white.

Image A: The ACME/ WOLF Icon

Image B: ACME/WOLF Icon Background

Image C: Netflix Icon Foreground

4. Icon foreground image: This is the design of your icon without any background color supporting it. As you can see in the images of the ACME/WOLF app above, the foreground is only the letters. Please title this icon_front.png and make sure it is sized 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels as well. The background should be transparent.

For items number 3 and 4, please note that if you do not have an icon with the foreground and background separated, a designer will be able to do it for you.

Android Requirements:

1. Short Description: Please write up to 80 characters of copy that quickly and concisely summarize what your app does. This is the first text that users and potential users will see in the app listing in the Google Play store. See WOLF’s short description below and check out the Google Play store for even more examples!

2. Standard Description: Please write up to 4,000 characters that provide detail on your app and staffing platform. This provides another great opportunity to convey what your brand is about as well as share the functionalities that the app offers. Below you can see the standard description for WOLF. The same standard description can be used for both iOS and Android.

3. Screenshots: Screenshots are images of different views of the app. They are incredibly visible in the Google Play store and serve as a first impression of your app and brand to potential new users. The WOLF app in the Google Play store uses their screenshots to show off different functionalities of the app, as well as the capabilities and benefits of the app.

For Android, the screenshots should have a minimum length for any side of 320 pixels and a maximum length for any side of 3840 pixels. They can be created at this website. Please submit between 2 and 8.

4. Feature Graphic. The feature graphic is a 1024 x 500 pixel banner that can show in the Google Play store. It may also be displayed when doing a brand search, or in the 'Recommended' or 'Ads' section. You can think of it like a presentation image. The feature graphic can be designed any way you like. Try this website to create your feature graphic, and see WOLF's below.

iOS Requirements:

1. Subtitle: Please write up to 30 characters to provide a subtitle for your app. This text goes right below your app name and can be thought of as an extension or addition to the name itself. The best subtitles are short, do not contain words that are found in the name of the app, and draw attention to what the app is all about. Airbnb hits the mark with theirs!

2. Promotional Text: Guess what? This one's optional. But if you really want to make a great impression--or if you're offering a limited time promo code or referral program, you'll want to put that information here, using up to 170 characters. Think of the promotional text as an introduction to your app and a lead in to your description that can be edited at any time, even if the app is not being updated. That means as your promo codes change (maybe for the month of May you're offering the job type of Teaching Assistant for $5/hour but in June you'll be offering the job type of School Nurse for $5/hour) you can have your promotional text reflect that without having to do a full app update. It may not be necessary to provide us with this information when we're submitting your app to the App Store for the first time, but it's important to know the benefits of promotional text should you want to add something there in the future.

3. Standard description: See Android standard description.

4. Screenshots: Just as with the Google Play store, screenshots providing different views of the app are displayed prominently in the App Store. They provide not only a first impression of your brand, but of the app, its functionalities, and its user experience. Below you can see how the WOLF app shows off what the app does, gives a look at the interface, and prominently displays their well-known brand colors.

For Apple iOS screenshots, please send a 1024 pixel by 2688 pixel screenshot for 6.5 inch screen and a 2208 by 1242 pixel screenshot for 5.5 inch screen. They can be created at this website. Please submit between 2 and 8.

Other:

1. Tags: Tags are also known as the keywords by which users will be able to find your app. We recommend providing 5 to 7. For example, if you are in Healthcare Staffing in the Midwest, some keywords could be nurse, jobs, Chicago, Milwaukee, dental...and so on.

2. Test user account: Please have a test user candidate email and password available and make sure that the user is assigned to shifts and has additional shifts available for the upcoming 7 day period. This is required so that the app can be approved for the category in which it is submitted (and does not, for example, contain mature content or references).

3. Onboarding Title and Description: The app will have 3 slides to welcome and onboard new users. Please provide the title and description (copy) for these slides. Be sure to review your web-based platform for consistency and check out Jira's onboarding slides below for a general idea of the formatting of the slides.

Once you've gathered all the material, you can head to Configuration -> iOS & Android Apps to enter all the information needed, then submit to review. Your app should be able to be deployed to the App Store and Google Play Store within approximately 2 weeks.

Having an app is a great way to keep candidates engaged with your platform--they'll be able to create and edit their profiles, search for shifts, apply, check in and out, and everything that they can do on the web. Wolf is excited to help you take this next step!

This article has been updated as of May 10, 2024.
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