How to Launch an App in Canada: Store Rules, PIPEDA, Payments and Support

The short answer

To launch an app in Canada you need developer accounts on both stores (Apple's is US$99 a year, Google's a one-time US$25), an app that passes each store's review rules on completeness, privacy policy and account deletion, a privacy approach that satisfies PIPEDA's ten principles, a payments plan that accounts for store commissions of 15% to 30% on digital sales, and a support setup before the first one-star review arrives. Start the accounts six weeks out; Google's closed-testing requirement alone takes two.

Before you launch an app in Canada: accounts, identity and fees

Both stores verify who you are, and both take longer than founders expect.

• Apple Developer Program. Apple lists the fee at US$99 per membership year, or the local equivalent, with fee waivers available to eligible nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities. Membership includes identity verification of the individual or organisation; organisations should have their legal entity documents and a working, company-domain website ready, because Apple checks them.
• Google Play Console. Registration is a one-time US$25 fee, and you may be asked for a government ID and a credit card in your legal name. Choose between a personal and an organisation account carefully; the verification path differs.
• Google's testing gate. Personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023 must complete a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in continuously for 14 consecutive days before applying for production access. If a tester drops out and rejoins, their days do not count. Recruit 15 so you have slack.

App Store and Google Play review rules that trip first-time publishers

Most first submissions are rejected for things that have nothing to do with the idea. These are the rules to read before you build the last screen.

• Completeness. Apple's App Review Guidelines (section 2.1) require final versions with "all necessary metadata and fully functional URLs"; placeholder text and empty pages get rejected, and if the app has a login you must include demo account details and keep your back end switched on for the reviewer.
• Privacy policy, in two places. Guideline 5.1.1 says all apps "must include a link to their privacy policy in the App Store Connect metadata field and within the app in an easily accessible manner," and the policy must identify what data is collected, how it is used, who it is shared with (including analytics and advertising SDKs) and how a user can request deletion. Google Play requires a privacy policy as well, and every published app must complete its Data safety form describing collection and sharing, including by third-party libraries.
• Account deletion. Apple's 5.1.1(v): "If your app supports account creation, you must also offer account deletion within the app." Google Play's account deletion requirement goes further: an in-app path to delete the account and its data, plus a web link where users can request deletion without reinstalling the app, both declared in the Data safety form.
• In-app purchase for digital goods. Apple's 3.1.1: unlocking features or content inside the app (subscriptions, premium content, a full version) must use in-app purchase, not your own licence keys or external checkout. If you sell physical goods or real-world services, read guideline 3.1.3 for the exceptions before you design checkout.

Privacy under PIPEDA: the rules that apply the day you launch

Canada's federal private-sector privacy law is PIPEDA, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner summarises it as ten fair information principles. For an app, five of them do most of the work: identify your purposes before or at collection; obtain meaningful consent; collect only what the app needs; safeguard the data in proportion to its sensitivity; and give people access to what you hold about them, with a way to correct it. The account deletion flows the stores require also serve the "limiting retention" principle.

Turn that into four deliverables. A data map listing every field the app collects and why. An SDK inventory, because analytics and advertising libraries collect data you are accountable for. A privacy policy written in plain language that matches the data map. And a deletion and access process someone actually operates. If you have users in Quebec, that province's private-sector law adds its own obligations; our explainer on Quebec Law 25 covers one of them. Parliament is also considering a federal replacement, Bill C-36, described in our Bill C-36 explainer; as of October 2026 it has not passed, and PIPEDA remains the law in force.

This is general information, not legal advice; a privacy lawyer can confirm what applies to your data and your users.

Payments: commissions, and what each store takes

If your app sells digital content or subscriptions, the store processes the payment and keeps a share.

Store	Standard rate	Reduced rate	Notes (as of October 2026)
Apple App Store	30% on paid apps and in-app purchases	15% through the App Store Small Business Program for developers who earned up to US$1 million in proceeds the previous calendar year	You must enrol; crossing US$1 million in a year returns future sales to the standard rate
Google Play	30% on earnings above US$1 million a year	15% on the first US$1 million for developers enrolled in the 15% service fee tier; 15% on auto-renewing subscriptions	Google introduced a new fee structure in the EEA, UK and US (June 30, 2026) and Australia and Japan (September 30, 2026); other markets, including Canada, remain on the schedule shown

Three planning notes. First, both reduced rates require you to enrol; they are not automatic. Second, commissions apply to digital goods; if you sell physical products or services delivered outside the app you can usually use your own payment processor, subject to the store rules above, and the GST/HST you collect follows the same rules as any Canadian sale, covered in our ecommerce launch checklist. Third, model your pricing net of commission from day one; a US$9.99 subscription nets you about US$8.49 at 15% and about US$6.99 at 30%, before taxes and refunds.

Support and operations: what users expect from day one

Reviews arrive within hours of launch, and a reply within a day is the difference between a one-star rating that stays and one that gets updated. Have these ready before release:

• A support channel inside the app (a contact form or email link that pre-fills the device and version), plus a help page with the five questions you already know people will ask.
• Crash and error monitoring, with someone receiving alerts.
• A review-response routine. Both stores let developers reply publicly; polite, specific replies are visible to every future downloader.
• Consent for marketing messages. Emails and texts you send from the app to Canadian users fall under CASL, so capture express consent in the sign-up flow and keep the record.
• An update cadence. iOS and Android ship major versions every year; budget at least two maintenance releases a year to keep up, and more if you depend on third-party SDKs.

The launch checklist

• Apple Developer Program and Google Play Console accounts open and verified.
• Google closed test running with 12 or more testers for 14 consecutive days (personal accounts).
• Privacy policy linked in both store listings and inside the app; Data safety form complete and matching your data map.
• Account deletion available in the app, plus a web deletion link for Google Play.
• Demo account and back end live for reviewers; no placeholder content anywhere.
• Digital purchases through in-app purchase; Small Business Program and Google's 15% tier applied for.
• Marketing consent captured in sign-up.
• Support channel, crash monitoring and review replies ready for day one.

If the app is a first version, read our MVP app development guide before scoping anything else; the cheapest launch is of an app that has already proved people want it. For teams that want this whole sequence handled, our mobile app development work includes store setup, review-ready privacy flows and submission, at a fixed price in writing.

Key takeaways

• Apple is US$99 a year, Google US$25 once; both verify identity, and Google's personal accounts face a 12-tester, 14-day closed test.
• Rejections usually come from completeness, missing privacy policy links, no account deletion or digital sales outside in-app purchase.
• PIPEDA applies from day one: identify purposes, get consent, collect less, safeguard, give access. Quebec adds its own rules.
• Store commissions are 30% standard and 15% for small developers on both platforms, but only if you enrol.
• Support, monitoring and review replies are launch features, not afterthoughts.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to publish an app in Canada?

The store fees are US$99 per year for the Apple Developer Program and a one-time US$25 for a Google Play developer account, as of October 2026. On top of that come development, hosting and the commissions each store takes on digital sales (15% or 30% depending on your revenue and enrolment). Physical goods and services sold through an app are generally paid through your own processor.

Does my app need a privacy policy in Canada?

Yes, twice over. Both stores require one as a condition of listing, linked in the store metadata and inside the app, and PIPEDA's openness principle requires you to make your personal-information practices public and easy to find. The policy must match what the app actually collects, including through third-party SDKs.

How long does app store review take?

Apple and Google do not publish guaranteed times, and first submissions take longer because rejections are common. Plan for a week of review and resubmission on Apple, and allow for Google's 14-day closed test if you publish from a personal account created after November 2023.

Sources

1. Apple Developer Program: What's included — Apple Developer, accessed October 2026
2. App Review Guidelines — Apple Developer, accessed October 2026
3. Apple announces App Store Small Business Program — Apple Newsroom, November 18, 2020
4. Register for a Google Play Developer account — Google Play Console Help, accessed October 2026
5. App testing requirements for new personal developer accounts — Google Play Console Help, accessed October 2026
6. Account deletion requirements — Google Play Console Help, accessed October 2026
7. Service fees — Google Play Console Help, accessed October 2026
8. PIPEDA fair information principles — Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

How Flowmatix can help

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