Mag+ issues instructions for magazine publishers who want to get their tablet editions into iOS 5's Newsstand

The public launch of iOS 5 is right around the corner and no doubt publishers who qualify to be in the new digital Newsstand found in the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system are starting to scramble to make sure their publications are included.

Mag+ this morning issued a couple of emails to its customers to remind them of what they need to do to get their magazines into Newsstand. First off, remember, only periodicals that are selling subscriptions through the Apple App Store qualify to get into Newsstand. The new Newsstand app will be loaded onto a users iPhone, iPod touch or iPad when they upgrade to iOS 5, available on October 12, two days before the new iPhone 4S is launched.

Here is some of the advice offered by Mag+:

How do I make my app Newsstand compatible?

• In order for your app to be Newsstand compatible, you must offer an Apple subscription option. The upgrade consists of five easy steps.
• Go into publish.magplus.com, go into the tab “Apps”, go into “Build options”, check the “Enable Newsstand”
• Upload the the new required asset: A newsstand icon image and for each issue a new cover icon.
• Go into publish.magplus.com, go into the tab “Apps”, go into “Build options”. And verify that you have a push notification certificate uploaded. If not, you’ll need to generate one out of your iOS developer portal.
• Go into iTunes Connect and set up your app for Newsstand [see the details in the in-depth manual].
• Submit the new app to Apple via your iTunes Connect account as an update, suggested version number 2.6.

One thing that is extremely important to remember is that inside ITunes Connect, inside the Pricing and Availability section you should select "No" next to "Cleared for Sale". Then on the day of the iOS 5 launch next Wednesday you need to go back into the iTunes Connect site and change this to "Yes" – now cleared for sale.

The team at Mag+ are doing a good job of communicating with its customers to explain the ins and outs of Newsstand. It will be interesting to see if Newsstand becomes popular enough to force those publishers still on the fence concerning selling subscriptions through the App Store to finally come on board.