Submitting Apps

Submission Process

An introduction to the app submission process.

Before an app can be released to the public or a team, it must be submitted for review and pass through an app review process. The submission itself takes place via the Developer Portal.

How to submit apps for review

The exact steps and outcome of submitting an app depend on whether it's a public app or a team app.

Public apps

1. Generate a bundle of the app's source code.

2. Navigate to the app via the Developer Portal.

3. On the Code upload page, upload the bundle to the App source field.

4. On the App listing details pages, provide written content and visual assets.

5. On the Testing instructions page, if the app uses credentials to authenticate users, provide the following information:

   • Login credentials that let app reviewers test the app's functionality.
   • Any additional details that will help the review team test your app, such as an explanation of how the third-party platform works, or how the app integrates with the third-party platform.

6. Within App status on the Submit app page:

   1. Agree to the terms and conditions.
   2. Select Submit app.

The app will be added to Canva's app review queue, and a Jira Service Desk (JSD) ticket will be created to track the progress of the submission. All communication related to the submission should happen via this ticket.

Team apps

1. Generate a bundle of the app's source code.
2. Navigate to the app via the Developer Portal.
3. On the Code upload page, upload the bundle to the App source field.
4. On the App listing details pages, provide written content and visual assets.
5. Within App status on the Submit app page:
   1. Agree to the terms and conditions.
   2. Select Submit app.

The app will be added to the team's app review queue.

If the owner or an administrator of the team doesn't check the review queue regularly, be sure to notify them of the submission. You can identify the owners or administrators of a team via the Account settings > People page.

How to modify submitted apps

After an app has been submitted for review, it enters a Submitted state. In this state, the app can't be modified. If you want to make changes to the submitted app, you need to cancel the submission.

How to cancel app submissions

1. Navigate to the app via the Developer Portal.
2. Within App status on the Submit app page, select Cancel submission.
3. In the confirmation dialog, select Cancel submission.

After a submission has been canceled, the app is removed from the review queue, and it's possible to make changes to the app. When you're ready to resubmit the app, restart the submission process via the Submit app page.

Submission Checklist

What to do before submitting an app for review.

Before your app can be released to the public, it must go through and pass Canva's review process.

This page outlines Canva's review criteria for developer apps, as well as some best practices to consider during development. This will help you understand the review process so you can develop and easily release your app.

After submission, a reviewer from the Canva Apps team verifies if your app is suitable for distribution on the Apps Marketplace.

Note: To prevent spam, an app can only be submitted for review up to 5 times in a single day.

Before submission

Use the following sections as a checklist to ensure that your app is ready for submission.

Check email

When submitting your app, make sure that the email address you use to log in to Canva is integrated with your external platform. This helps to associate your app with that platform.

Read Canva's terms and conditions

Canva's terms and conditions contain essential information about our basic expectations for developers and their apps.

At a minimum, read the following pages:

• Terms of Use
• Canva Developer Terms

You're asked to agree to these terms when submitting an app.

Make sure your app idea is unique

The Canva App ecosystem thrives on creativity, diversity, and solving real user needs in new ways. We encourage developers to focus on what makes their app unique. What problem are you solving? What experience are you creating that doesn’t already exist?

Submitting copycat apps isn't allowed. Copycat apps replicate the name, layout, or functionality of existing Canva apps or native Canva features, with only minor changes.

Copycat apps dilute the ecosystem, make discovery harder, and reduce opportunities for genuine innovation. Canva supports original thinking, and we expect all apps in the ecosystem to reflect that standard.

All public apps can be found in the Apps Marketplace. Check the Apps Marketplace to make sure your app is unique.

Use a suitable hosting platform

If your app sends HTTP requests to a third-party server, use a hosting platform that's reliable, secure, and capable of handling the expected traffic.

For production apps, don't use free services, such as Glitch. Free servers can be slow and sleep after a few minutes of inactivity, which causes timeout errors when opening an app.

Follow Canva's brand guidelines

If your app integrates with a third-party platform, any references to Canva on that platform must adhere to Canva's brand guidelines.

Follow the design guidelines

Canva's Design guidelines outline how to create delightful apps. To reduce the amount of time your app spends in review, double-check it follows the guidelines.

Secure your app

At Canva, the security of our platform is paramount, and we expect app developers to maintain similar standards. To learn how to keep your app (and its users) secure, see Security guidelines.

Upload UI strings for translation

To support people who use Canva in languages other than English, you need to upload your app's UI strings for translation, in line with our localization documentation.

We’ll then translate your app to all supported locales for free.

Test the app

Run through the app to ensure it's complete and everything works as expected. This avoids friction in the review phase and reduces the chances of rejection.

At a minimum, test the following:

• Core functionality
• Authentication flow:
  • With and without an active session
  • With an existing user
  • With a newly signed-up user
• Endpoints
• Links
• Buttons
• Scopes:
  • Check your app's functionality to make sure that any required scopes are configured. See Configuring scopes.
• Themes:

  • Test your app in both light and dark themes, using the Dev Toolkit.

  • For compatibility, make sure your theme uses the App UI Kit.

• Feature support:
  • Check for any unsupported APIs in your app. See feature support guidelines.
  • If there are unsupported APIs, make sure to test your app in the relevant Canva design types (both fixed and responsive).

Canva monitors the app's health regularly and might disable the app if there's a high error rate.

Create the Apps Marketplace listing

Your app's listing in the Apps Marketplace drives attention and engagement to your app once released. Before submitting your app, create written content and graphics that clearly communicate your app's benefits.

For a complete list of guidelines, see Create your app listing.

Review written content

Your app's written content reflects its quality. Keep the language simple and free from typos and formatting errors. Proofread the written content, run a spellcheck, and review the grammar and punctuation. Remove any external links.

Provide the required details

We need the following details before proceeding with the app review:

• Login details for a test account that allow the reviewer to test the app's full functionality (required only if the app uses authentication).
• Documentation that explains how the platform works.
• Documentation that lets the reviewer know where to find content if your app provides it.

Depending on the complexity of the app, the above steps might be able to be skipped.

Recommendation

Creating an app on Canva means you can get your product or idea in front of 135M+ users. To leverage the most use of your app possible, we recommend making your app free to use, which leads to more users trying the app and discovering your platform, likely leading to more sign-ups.

After submission

After developing your app and submitting it for review, the Canva Ecosystem team checks if it meets Canva's guidelines.

Duration

The duration of the app review process depends on the complexity of the app and the amount of feedback required. We have a dedicated team that reviews submissions as quickly as they can and will provide progress updates via a support ticket.

Updates

Updates and messages from the team are added to your ticket, which is automatically generated once you submit your app via the Developer Portal.

You also receive feedback via the portal when we approve or reject your app.

App Review Process

An overview of how apps are reviewed.

Before an app can be released, it must be submitted for review and pass through an app review process. The exact details of this process depend on whether the app is a public app or a team app.

Public apps

A public app is an app that can be made available to the general public and, once released, is discoverable via the Apps Marketplace. If you want an app to be used by as many people as possible, it should be created as a public app.

Why is there an app review process?

At Canva, we conduct extensive user research and have a clear understanding of what will resonate with users.

The purpose of our app review process is to share these insights with app developers, with the ultimate goal of releasing better apps that are more likely to succeed in the Apps Marketplace.

This dedication to quality prevents the Apps Marketplace from becoming bloated with low-quality apps, while also rewarding developers who are willing to create high-quality apps. As a result, there's less competition, users are more likely to try new apps, and developers (and their apps) have the best opportunity to thrive.

Who reviews public apps?

Public apps are reviewed by Canva's dedicated team of app reviewers. This team consists of engineers, designers, and quality assurance experts who will work with you to make the best app possible.

What is the review criteria?

Public apps must adhere to a number of requirements, both in terms of functionality and design. These requirements are explained throughout the documentation, where relevant, and in the submission checklist.

How long is the app review process?

There are many factors that affect the duration of the app review, such as the complexity of the app and the amount of feedback required, so it's not practical for us to provide an average or expected duration.

How do I get help with my submission?

When a public app is submitted for review, a Jira Service Desk (JSD) ticket is created to track the progress of the submission. You can use this ticket to communicate with Canva, such as to ask clarifying questions.

What are the outcomes of a review?

There are two possible outcomes of a review:

• Approved
• Rejected

Approved

If a public app is approved by Canva's app review team, the app review process is complete, and the app can be released on-demand by the owner of the app. To learn more, see Releasing apps.

Rejected

If a public app is rejected, the app owner will receive feedback that explains what changes are required before the app review process can continue. This feedback will be visible in the Developer Portal, via the View feedback page.

The rejected version of an app cannot be modified. A new version of the app must be created before it can be updated and submitted for review. To learn more, see App versioning.

All communication relating to the submission will continue on the original JSD ticket.

Team apps

A team app is an app that can only be made available to members of a team. If the app is only useful to a team, such as an app that integrates with an organization's internal systems, it should be created as a team app.

AVAILABILITY: Team apps are only available to teams on an Enterprise plan.

Who reviews team apps?

Canva is not involved in the review process for team apps.

Instead, team apps are reviewed by the owner or an administrator of the team. Any owner or administrator has the power to single-handedly review an app. There's no need for a consensus.

To learn more about reviewing and otherwise managing team apps, see Managing team apps.

What is the review criteria?

As Canva is not involved in the review process for team apps, we don't enforce any specific review criteria. The criteria are at the discretion of the team's owner and administrators.

How long is the app review process?

The duration of the review process depends on the team's own processes and may be affected by a number of factors, such as the team's capacity and review criteria.

How do I get help with my submission?

There's a built-in mechanism for app reviewers to provide feedback to app owners, but if additional help is required, the team will need to organize alternative means of communication.

What are the outcomes of a review?

There are two possible outcomes of a review:

• Approved
• Rejected

Approved

If a team app is approved, the app is immediately released and made available to members of the team — that is, the approval and release steps are combined into a single step. To learn more, see Releasing apps.

Rejected

If a team app is rejected, the app owner will receive feedback that explains what changes are required before the app review process can continue. This feedback will be visible in the Developer Portal, via the View feedback page.

The rejected version of an app cannot be modified. A new version of the app must be created before it can be updated and submitted for review. To learn more, see App versioning.

Known limitations

• In the Developer Portal, only the most recent feedback is visible.