There is no publishing step
A build that passes the check is saved as a version and set as the live version in the same action. From the first build onwards the address answers, without approving anything.
What that means in practice: if you are working on a site that already has visitors, every change you build is shown to them. To work in peace, make the app private before the round and public after it.
Three levels of access
- Public — anyone with the address gets in, and the app may appear on the launch shelf.
- By link — anyone with the address gets in, but the app appears in no list of ours and in no search engine.
- Private — the address returns “not found” to everyone but the owner.
The switch is on the “Settings” screen, and the current state is shown at the top of the “Security” screen as well.
How many apps can be live
Every plan on sale publishes with no ceiling on how many apps are live at the same time. An account that has not moved onto one is held to 1 at a time.
If you reach the ceiling, the build still runs and the version is still saved and still yours — what stops is the public address, and the message says so plainly. You can make another app private and publish this one.