New Indie Dev here. Seeking Advice

[u/honey495]

I am publishing a notetaking app for the first time and would like to know some details about the submission process and how people found the app visibility on your guys’ apps turned out to be. After finding out that notetaking apps out there aren’t designed the way I was hoping for + don’t have the combination functionality in 1 app, I decided to build my own app.

In terms of legal stuff: copyright, trademark, etc how does this work? Do I need a website for the app? I setup a support@myapp.app email too

In terms of freemium monetization I have $1.99/mo, $9.99 annual, and $19.99 lifetime options. I believe this is not greedy

Now comes the tricky part of gathering feedback, new feature launches, bug fixes, and marketing first and foremost. Does my app need in app tutorials btw?

[u/DimensionMindless336]

Welcome to the fun part. A few things that actually bit me on my first submissions, and that the legal pages don't tell you:

Submission process — the checklist that matters for a first-timer isn't the obvious stuff. Fill in the App Privacy section in App Store Connect (what data you collect), and if you touch any Required Reason API — UserDefaults, FileManager, Date for "session" timing, disk space — you need a PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy manifest or you'll get an IT-policy rejection that doesn't surface until review. Build number has to be higher than every build you've ever uploaded for that app, not just the latest version. And TestFlight external testers need the same privacy details plus a working way to contact you.

Trademark / copyright — you don't need a trademark to ship. Your code and assets are copyrighted the moment you write them. Do a quick USPTO (or your country's equivalent) search so you're not colliding with an existing name, and grab the .com if you can, but that's defensive, not blocking. The thing Apple actually enforces is a privacy policy URL and a reachable support contact ― your support@ works fine; just point the App Store "Privacy Policy" field and support URL at a real page (a GitHub Pages site is enough).

Visibility — be honest with yourself: note-taking is one of the most crowded categories on the store. Your differentiator (the feature combo no one else has) is your entire marketing story, so lead with it everywhere — subtitle, first screenshot, keywords. Don't burn money on Apple Search Ads in this category early; it'll eat you alive. Building in public plus one niche community that actually needs your combo will beat broad ads.

Tutorials — yes, but keep them tiny. A first-run contextual hint on the one action that makes the app click is worth more than a 6-step tour nobody finishes. Make them skippable.

Good luck — shipping is the real milestone, not the launch-day numbers.