How Long Does It Take to Build a Mobile App? Real Timelines

"Can we launch in six weeks?" is a question almost every founder asks, often about an app that needs ten weeks of work and two weeks of waiting nobody planned for.

How long does it take to build an app? A focused MVP takes about 8 to 12 weeks, a full first version 4 to 6 months, and a platform with several user roles 6 to 12 months. Those numbers assume someone is working on it consistently and the scope stays put. Below is where the time actually goes, the waits you can't code your way out of, and how to make a deadline realistic.

Key takeaways

• MVP: 8 to 12 weeks. Full v1: 4 to 6 months. Platform: 6 to 12 months, for a React Native app with its own backend.
• About a fifth of the calendar is not coding: discovery, design reviews, feedback rounds and store setup.
• Store waits are real. Apple reviews most submissions within 24 to 48 hours, and new personal Google Play accounts must run a 14-day closed test with at least 12 testers before production.
• Timelines slip because of decisions, not typing speed. Slow feedback, changing scope and late content cost more weeks than any technical problem.
• React Native shortens timelines mainly because iOS and Android share one codebase, so features ship to both at once.

The short answer, by project size

The hours and the calendar don't convert one-to-one. A 400-hour MVP built by one full-time developer is roughly 10 weeks of work, but feedback rounds, store setup and testing stretch it.

Where the weeks go

Here's a typical 12-week MVP, phase by phase:

Notice the right-hand column. That's where many delays start: an Apple account that takes days to verify, a logo that arrives in week nine, feedback that takes a week instead of a day.

The waits you can't code your way out of

Plan these into the calendar from the start, because no amount of overtime makes them shorter.

Developer accounts. Enrolling in the Apple Developer Program as an organisation requires a D-U-N-S number and identity checks. Start this in week one.

Google Play's testing rule. If you create a new personal Google Play developer account (created after 13 November 2023), you must run a closed test with at least 12 testers who stay opted in for 14 days before you can apply for production access. That's two weeks on the calendar before your Android launch, so recruit testers early. Organisation accounts are the usual way around this, so set one up if your company is registered.

App Review. Apple says it reviews at least 50% of submissions in under 24 hours and 90% in under 48 hours. A rejection adds another cycle. Submit at least a week before any announced launch date.

Third parties. Payment providers, banks and some APIs need business verification before you can take real money. KYC for a payment gateway can take days to weeks.

Why is App Store review taking so long?

Most reviews finish within a day or two, so a long wait usually has a cause. New apps get more scrutiny than updates; holiday periods slow reviews down, and Apple announces its holiday schedule each year; and a submission can sit waiting when App Review needs information from you, so check App Store Connect for messages. If a launch date depends on it, request an expedited review with a clear reason.

Why timelines slip

The causes are almost never "the code was harder than expected." They're these:

1. Scope drift. "Can we also add…" in week six resets parts of weeks three to five. Keep a written v2 list and use it.
2. Slow decisions. Every question that waits a week for an answer blocks something else. Agree a response time for feedback.
3. Missing content. Real product photos, copy, prices and legal text are needed for testing and for the store listing.
4. Unknown integrations. An API that's documented as "simple" turns out to need a VPN, a sandbox approval or a partner contract.
5. No real-device testing until the end. Bugs found in week 11 are slower to fix than bugs found in week 5.

How to make a deadline realistic

• Work backwards from launch. Put the store review, the Google testing window and a one-week buffer on the calendar first. Then see how many weeks are left for building.
• Cut scope, not quality. If the date is fixed, the feature list must flex. Decide in advance which features can move to v1.1.
• Ship weekly demos. A build on your phone every week (TestFlight on iOS, internal testing on Android) surfaces problems while they're cheap.
• Use over-the-air updates for small fixes. With Expo's EAS Update you can ship JavaScript-level fixes after launch without a full store review, within the stores' rules.
• Keep one owner. Projects with one person accountable for app, backend and release lose fewer days to handoffs.

If you do one thing: set up the store accounts and recruit testers in week one. Apple's verification and Google's testing window don't care how fast the app was built.

Building an app by yourself: a realistic timeline

Work it out from hours rather than guesses. A focused MVP is roughly 300 to 500 hours of work for an experienced developer. At 40 hours a week, that's about 8 to 12 weeks; at 15 hours a week around a day job, it's five to eight months. If you're learning as you go, multiply by two or three: the coding is learnable, but the release process, backend security and debugging on real devices are where solo first-timers lose months.

Two habits shorten the solo path more than any tool: cut the first version to one flow, and use managed services (Expo, hosted auth, a managed database, a payments provider) instead of building plumbing.

Timelines for an app like Instagram or Uber

The apps themselves took years and large teams, and they keep growing. What you can build is the core loop. A photo-sharing MVP (profiles, posting, a following feed, likes, comments, moderation) is typically four to six months. An Uber-style MVP is bigger, because it's two apps (riders and drivers) plus live location, dispatch, payments and payouts: usually six to nine months or more. In both cases, launch in one city or community first.

Building it with AI

• Building it with AI? AI coding tools make experienced developers faster, especially on boilerplate, tests and refactors. They don't remove design decisions, store review, testing on devices or the waits above. A prototype can appear in a weekend. A production app still takes weeks.

FAQ

How long does it take to build an app from scratch?

For a React Native app with its own backend, plan 8 to 12 weeks for an MVP and 4 to 6 months for a full first version. Add one to two weeks for store setup and review, and two more for Google's closed test if you use a new personal developer account.

Can an app be built in a month?

A very small app can, if the scope is one simple flow, the design is basic, the backend is a managed service and decisions are fast. Most apps that "must launch in a month" ship a narrower MVP in that time and add features over the next releases.

How long does Apple take to review an app?

Apple says it reviews at least half of submissions within 24 hours and 90% within 48 hours. Rejections add another review cycle, so leave at least a week between submitting and any public launch date.

Why does my app need 12 testers on Google Play?

New personal Google Play developer accounts, created after 13 November 2023, must run a closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 continuous days before getting production access. Organisation accounts follow different rules.

Next steps

If you have a launch date in mind, send it to me with your core flow and I'll tell you honestly whether it's realistic, and what would need to move to make it so. Get in touch, or read more about how I work as a React Native developer.

Sources

• App Review: review times, Apple
• Apple Developer Program enrollment, Apple
• App testing requirements for new personal developer accounts, Google Play Console Help
• EAS Update introduction, Expo