The Non-Developer App Launch Checklist

Website and landing page

The headline says what the app does and who it is for
The main action works on mobile and desktop
Pricing, limits, and availability are factual
Contact/support details are easy to find
Privacy policy and terms links work
Favicon, title, description, social preview, robots, and sitemap are checked
No placeholder copy, fake counts, or unverified testimonials remain

Account, database, and email tests

A new user can sign up, verify, log in, log out, and recover access
Empty, loading, success, and error states are understandable
User data is isolated from another test user
Duplicate submits and refreshes do not corrupt records
Email delivery and failure handling are verified
Backups and restore ownership are documented
Production and preview environments use the intended data sources

Payments and access

Test prices, currency, billing interval, and product IDs match
Provider test mode is separate from production
Webhook signatures and duplicate events are handled
Success, decline, cancellation, refund, and delayed-event states are tested
Access is verified server-side and not granted by a browser flag
Receipts, support path, and refund wording are clear
No secret key or private payment data is shipped to the client

Mobile and app-store basics

Main flow works at 375px and on a real phone
Keyboard, permissions, offline, slow network, and denied access are tested
Android application ID, signing, version, target SDK, and Play testing are checked
iOS bundle ID, signing, version, capabilities, privacy answers, and TestFlight are checked
Store screenshots and descriptions match the real app
App privacy and data-safety answers are based on evidence, not guesses

GitHub, deployment, and recovery

Working tree and branch are understood
Last known-good commit is recorded
Diff contains only intended changes
No secrets are tracked or printed
Production environment names and values are reviewed
Deployment URL, domain, HTTPS, redirects, and error monitoring are checked
Rollback plan covers code, database, and configuration
Known issues have an owner and a decision: fix, disclose, or postpone

Do not launch until

Pause the launch when any of these is true. “It worked once” is not enough for high-risk behavior.

You cannot explain who can read or change user data
Payment success or access is trusted only from the browser
A secret may be exposed or committed
You cannot restore the last known-good version
A core workflow silently loses data
The privacy or store information is materially inaccurate
The main error states leave users stuck
You have not tested with a second user or a fresh install

Final launch record

Write down the date, version, deployment URL, last known-good commit, database changes, tests run, known issues, support contact, and rollback steps. Keep unknowns visible; they are more useful than a confident but unsupported “ready” label.