Submitting an application to the Firefox Marketplace

Pre-submission checklist

For submitting your app to the Firefox Marketplace, you need:

• An app name contained in your app's manifest file: There can be a maximum of 128 characters in the manifest, and is prefilled into the Marketplace name field in Step 3 of the app upload process.
• An app description in your app's manifest file: There can be a maximum of 1024 characters in the manifest, and is prefilled into the Marketplace Description field in Step 3 of the app upload process where it can be edited further (the marketplace version is unlimited in terms of character count.)
• Several icon sizes created, and specified in your app's manifest file:
  • A 128 x 128px icon for display in the marketplace
  • A 60 x 60px icon for display on the device.
  • 32 x 32px, 90 x 90px, 120 x 120px, and 256 x 256px icons for optimal display on various other platforms your app can be installed on, such as Windows 7 and Android.

• A screenshot of your app, at least 320 x 480px in size (see Marketplace screenshot criteria for more guidelines; screenshots can be updated in Step 4 if you need to add more or change them).
• Your app's privacy terms, or the URL of a page that describes them are available. See Privacy policy guidelines for more information (this is entered into the upload app in Step 3).
• A support email address for your app (entered into the upload app in Step 3).

For hosted apps, you need:

• Web hosting for the app (not required for packaged apps). See Publishing the app for more information.
• The URL of the manifest file for your app. See App Manifest for information.

For packaged apps, you need:

• The app packaged into a zip file, with the manifest in the root.
• A launch_path specified in the manifest

Additional optional but recommended items include:

• Extra screenshots to show the different main views of the app. Each submission can have up to 6 screenshots. Ideally you should include a screenshot for each form factor that your app has a distinct layout for, for example:
  • Phone: suggested size 320 x 480px, or multiple thereof
  • Tablet: suggested size 1024 x 768px or 1280 x 800px
  • Desktop: suggested size 1280 x 800px or 1440 x 900px
• The URL of a home page for the app and/or support site for the app. These could be the same thing, or different, depending on your preference (entered into the upload app in Step 3).
• Other options available to include in the App manifest. While name, description and icons are the only required fields, there are many other options, for example:
  • You will want include information about other locales if your app is multi-lingual.
  • If you do include locales, then the default_locale field is required.
  • If you want to use specific restricted device APIs or Web Activities in your app, you will need to include the relevant App permissions or activities in your manifest.

You should also:

• Decide if you want your app to go live on the Marketplace immediately after it is approved. The default is for the app to go live immediately. If you do not want this, uncheck the option "Publish my app in the Firefox Marketplace as soon as it's reviewed" when you submit your app (chosen in the upload app in Step 2).
• Read and understand the Marketplace review criteria (Step 1).

Quick start

Are you ready to submit your app right now? Submit an app.

If you need more help, follow the steps in this video: https://vid.ly/8k2n4w

Steps to submit an app

Submitting an app to the Firefox Marketplace involves the following steps.

Log in to the Firefox Marketplace site

1. In a Web browser, visit the Firefox Marketplace site.
2. At the bottom of the page, click Developer Hub.
3. Click the Sign in link at the top of the page. A login window opens.
4. Login with Mozilla Persona:
   • If you've previously used Persona, select the email address for the identity you want to use, and click sign in.
   • If you haven't used Persona, or you want to use a different email address, you need to create an account.

   The Persona window should close, and you should now be logged into the Marketplace Developer Hub.

Enter information about the app

This process includes four clearly labelled steps, indicated at the top of the page.

First of all, click the Submit An App link at the top of the page.

Step 1: Agreement

1. Review the Developer Agreement and click Agree and Continue.

Step 2: Submit

1. Choose whether your app will be Free or Paid.
2. Select the devices your app is compatible with. You'll only get the Packaged option if you just select Firefox OS, as this is the only system that currently supports them. Firefox OS is also currently the only option that supports paid apps.
3. Provide the location of your app:
   1. If your app is a hosted app, enter the location on your server of the app manifest for your app (this must be a full URL), and click Validate.
      • If the app manifest validates, click Continue.
      • If there are validation errors, correct them and revalidate the manifest.
   2. If your app is a packaged app, click the Packaged tab and select the zip file that you want to upload.
      • The package will upload automatically. If your app validates, click Continue.
      • If there are validation errors, correct them and re-upload your package.
      • You can find more information on creating packaged apps at our packaged app guide.
4. Optionally, click the View all button in the "App Minimum Requirements" section and check all the boxes for the Web API features your app uses that are required to be supported on the device for the app to be used. Your app will be hidden from users whose devices don't support it.

Step 3: Details

1. The app's name and description, pulled from the app's manifest file, are required. You may now edit the description if you wish, and the length of the marketplace version can go over the 1024 character limit of the manifest version: it is unlimited.
   • Basic HTML tags are supported, so you can structure your description somewhat.
2. Check the categories that are relevant to your app, which determines what listings your app will appear in on the Marketplace. These are also required.
3. Enter your privacy policy. This is also required.
4. Enter your app homepage and support site details. These fields are optional.
5. Enter a support email address. This is required.
6. Say whether your app requires Flash support (optional.)
7. Add screenshots/videos to demonstrate your app's features and workflows. Having at least one screenshot is required.
8. Uncheck the "Publish my app in the Firefox Marketplace as soon as it's reviewed." checkbox if you don't want it instantly published as soon as it's been reviewed.

Step 4: Next Steps

There are many different options available in this section. The first thing you need to do is review the information in the first page, then press CONTINUE.

1. First, Add a Content Rating using the Content Rating Tool (press the "Create an IARC Ratings Certificate" button to get started.) This will provide you with a Submission ID and Security Code that you can  enter into the bottom box and Submit. If you already have a rating certificate, you can just enter the details straight into the bottom box and press Submit. This is required.
2. Review the Content Ratings that come up on the next screen and make sure you are happy with them.
3. Click on the Compatibility & Payments link on the left of this section to review the compatibility and payments option. Here you can choose to:
   • Change with platforms the app is to be distributed on
   • Set what the pricing is, in the "Paid/In-app tab" (see App pricing for pricing details)
   • Alter the regions the app is listed in
4. Click on the Team Members link on the left and add more app team members if required. These team members have access to the app's details as follows:
   • Owner — Can manage all aspects of the app's listing, including adding and removing other team members.
   • Developer — Can manage all aspects of the app's listing, except for adding and removing other team members and managing payments.
   • Support — Can view the app's settings and manage refund requests.
   • Viewer — Can view the app's settings but cannot make any changes.

After you submit the app

Before your app is made available to the public, it goes through a review process to ensure that it is of high quality and not malicious. See the Marketplace review criteria for the review criteria and process.

You can use the Manage Status page for your app to view its status in the review process, disable it (Disable App hides it from users) or delete it (Delete App removes it from the Firefox Marketplace).

After you have submitted your App and gotten it published, you should start promoting it! We would recommend creating a information and support page somewhere, to point people to for more information. We have created some button assets that you can use to promote your app and link through to the Marketplace.

Receiving and responding to user feedback

Receiving and responding to user feedback is an integral part of engaging users. User feedback provides invaluable insight into:

• What the general reception of the app is
• Criticisms of the app
• Ideas for improvement and feature requests
• Device-specific bugs

The right response can elicit buzz and faithfulness from app purchasers; an unprofessional or negative response can ruin your chance to fix app problems.

App refunds

Firefox Marketplace users are entitled to refunds within 30 minutes of purchases. After that 30 minutes, developers can review refund requests on an individual basis. Read the Marketplace Payments FAQ for more information about payments and refunds.

App update process

To find out more about publishing and propagating app updates, read Updating Apps.

Gianluca Giuliani