Release Review

Release Review for Apple Platforms

Performs a comprehensive pre-release audit of macOS and iOS applications from a senior developer's perspective. Identifies critical issues that could cause rejection, security vulnerabilities, privacy concerns, and UX problems—with actionable fixes.

When This Skill Activates

Use this skill when the user:

• Says "review for release", "release review", or "pre-release audit"
• Asks for "senior developer review" or "critical review"
• Mentions preparing for "App Store", "TestFlight", or "notarization"
• Wants to know what "power users might complain about"
• Asks to "review before shipping" or "check before release"

Review Process

Phase 1: Project Discovery

First, understand the project:

# Find project typeGlob: **/*.xcodeproj or **/*.xcworkspaceGlob: **/Info.plistGlob: **/project.pbxproj

Identify:

• Platform (macOS, iOS, or both)
• App type (standard app, menu bar app, widget, extension)
• Distribution method (App Store, direct download, TestFlight)

Phase 2: Security Review

Load and apply: security-checklist.md

Key areas:

• Credential storage (Keychain patterns, no hardcoded secrets)
• Data transmission (HTTPS, certificate validation)
• Input validation (injection prevention)
• Entitlements audit
• Hardened runtime (macOS)

Phase 3: Privacy Review

Load and apply: privacy-checklist.md

Key areas:

• Data collection transparency
• Privacy manifest (iOS 17+)
• User consent flows
• Third-party SDK disclosure
• GDPR compliance basics

Phase 4: UX Polish Review

Load and apply: ux-polish-checklist.md

Key areas:

• First launch / onboarding
• Empty states and error handling
• Loading states
• Text truncation and accessibility
• Platform-specific UX patterns

Phase 5: Distribution Review

Load and apply: distribution-checklist.md

Key areas:

• Bundle identifier format
• Code signing configuration
• Info.plist completeness
• App icons
• Platform-specific requirements (notarization, App Store)

Phase 6: API Design Review

Load and apply: api-design-checklist.md

Key areas:

• User-Agent headers (honest identification)
• Error handling patterns
• Token expiration handling
• Rate limiting
• Offline handling

Output Format

Present findings in this structure:

# Release Review: [App Name]
**Platform**: macOS / iOS / Universal**Distribution**: App Store / Direct Download / TestFlight**Review Date**: [Date]
## Summary
| Priority | Count ||----------|-------|| Critical | X || High | X || Medium | X || Low | X |
---
## 🔴 Critical Issues (Must Fix)
Issues that will cause rejection, crashes, or security vulnerabilities.
### [Category]: [Issue Title]
**File**: `path/to/file.swift:123`**Impact**: [Why this matters]
**Current Code**:```swift// problematic code

Suggested Fix:

// fixed code

🟠 High Priority (Should Fix)

Issues that significantly impact user experience or trust.

[Same format as above]

🟡 Medium Priority (Fix Soon)

Issues that should be addressed but won't block release.

[Same format as above]

🟢 Low Priority / Suggestions

Nice-to-have improvements and polish.

[Same format as above]

✅ Strengths

What the app does well:

• [Strength 1]
• [Strength 2]
• [Strength 3]

Recommended Action Plan

1. [Critical] [First thing to fix]
2. [Critical] [Second thing to fix]
3. [High] [Third thing to fix] ...

## Priority Classification
### 🔴 Critical- Security vulnerabilities (credential exposure, injection)- Crashes or data loss scenarios- App Store rejection causes- Privacy violations- Hardcoded secrets or spoofed identifiers
### 🟠 High- Poor error handling (silent failures)- Missing user consent or transparency- Accessibility blockers- Missing required Info.plist keys- Broken functionality
### 🟡 Medium- Incomplete onboarding- Suboptimal UX patterns- Missing empty states- Performance concerns- Minor accessibility issues
### 🟢 Low- Code style improvements- Additional features- Polish and refinement- Documentation improvements
## Platform-Specific Considerations
### macOS- Menu bar app window activation (`NSApp.activate`)- Sandbox exceptions justification- Notarization requirements- Hardened runtime- Developer ID signing- DMG/installer considerations
### iOS- App Tracking Transparency- Privacy nutrition labels- Launch screen requirements- Export compliance- In-app purchase requirements- TestFlight configuration
## References
- **security-checklist.md** - Detailed security review items- **privacy-checklist.md** - Privacy and data handling- **ux-polish-checklist.md** - User experience review- **distribution-checklist.md** - Release and distribution- **api-design-checklist.md** - Network and API patterns