5 things nobody tells you before you publish your first app:
1) Account deletion is mandatory: if your app has auth, users must be able to delete their account. Apple will reject you otherwise.
2) Sign in with Apple is mandatory: offer Google or any other provider? Apple requires Sign in with Apple too. No exceptions.
3) Your app takes ~24hrs to appear after approval: your first submission won't show up instantly. This is normal, don't panic.
4) Google requires 12 testers for 14 continuous days before production access: this is the main reason I haven't published to the Play Store in 3 years. I just don't have that many friends.
5) Building and publishing is only 30% of the job: publishing feels like the finish line, but it's the starting line. Getting people to find and use your app is the real challenge.
If you're building a React Native app, I cover the entire process from zero to both stores in my course, the Publishing section alone is a 75-minute step-by-step walkthrough and includes a Figma template for app store assets. (link below)