Mobile App PRD Template (With iOS and Android Specifics)

A mobile app PRD template must include platform-specific requirements for iOS and Android, offline behavior for every user flow, notification permission handling, OS-level constraints, app store metadata, and crash reporting. The template below covers all eight mobile-specific sections that generic PRD templates miss. Applicable to native iOS, native Android, and cross-platform React Native / Flutter apps.

What mobile PRDs need that desktop PRDs don't

A mobile app PRD is not a web PRD with "iOS and Android" added to the scope. Mobile-specific constraints create requirements that don't exist on web: background processing limits, OS permission gates, offline-first behavior, app store review requirements, push notification opt-in flows, and device-specific hardware access. Every one of these is a potential rejection reason from the App Store or a post-launch bug that bypasses QA because no one wrote it down.

The mobile app PRD template

1. Platform targets

iOS: iOS 16.0 minimum (covers 94% of active iPhone devices as of May 2026). iPhone primary; iPad optional (state explicitly if iPad layout required).

Android: Android 10 (API level 29) minimum (covers 87% of active Android devices). Phone primary; tablet not required for v1.

Cross-platform: [React Native 0.73 / Flutter 3.19 / specify framework and version]

2. Offline behavior

Define what each user story does when network connectivity is unavailable. This is the most commonly skipped section in mobile PRDs.

Core read flows (view dashboard, view history): available offline using cached data up to 24 hours old. Cache staleness indicator displayed when data is over 6 hours old.

Write actions (submit form, create entry): queued locally and synced when connectivity resumes. User shown "will sync when online" confirmation. No data loss on app close.

Authentication: if auth token is valid (not expired), user can access cached data offline. If token is expired, user sees "you're offline, please reconnect to continue" with a retry button.

3. Notification permissions

Notification types required: Push notifications for order status updates (critical), promotional messages (optional), in-app badge for unread items.

Permission request timing: Request push permission after the user completes their first successful action (not on first launch). iOS requires explicit permission; Android 13+ requires explicit permission.

Permission denied state: App functions without notifications. Settings screen shows "enable notifications" prompt with deep link to OS settings. Do not re-prompt more than once per 30 days.

Permission granted state: Register device token with backend within 5 seconds of permission grant. Handle token refresh on iOS (APNs token rotation) and Android (FCM token refresh).

4. OS-level constraints

Background processing (iOS): Background App Refresh required for sync. Handle the case where the user has disabled Background App Refresh, sync on foreground only, no silent notifications. Do not rely on background processing for time-sensitive operations.

Battery optimization (Android): App must function correctly when placed in Android's "battery saver" or "restricted" modes. Doze mode will defer background sync, acceptable; document expected sync delay (up to 15 minutes in Doze).

Storage access: Scoped storage (Android 11+), do not use legacy external storage paths. iOS Files app integration: not required for v1.

Camera/microphone: [List any hardware access required and the permission flow for each. If none required, state "no hardware access required."]

5. Deep linking

Universal Links (iOS) and App Links (Android) required for: email notification CTAs, shared content URLs, password reset flow.

Fallback when app not installed: redirect to App Store / Play Store. After install, deep link to the original destination.

URL scheme format: app://[resource]/[id] for internal navigation.

6. App store metadata requirements

App name: Under 30 characters (iOS App Store limit). Exact string: "[App Name]"

Subtitle (iOS): Under 30 characters. Exact string: "[Subtitle]"

Description: First 255 characters visible without "more" tap, most important copy. Keywords must not be repeated from app name.

Age rating: [State intended rating and any content implications, e.g., in-app purchases, user-generated content, location data use]

Screenshots: Required sizes: 6.7" (iPhone 15 Pro Max), 6.1" (iPhone 14), 12.9" iPad (if iPad supported). Android: phone and 7" tablet minimum.

Privacy nutrition label (iOS): List all data collected: [data type → linked to user Y/N → used for tracking Y/N]

7. Crash reporting and stability

Crash reporting tool: [Sentry / Firebase Crashlytics / specify]

Minimum crash-free session rate: 99.5% (industry standard for consumer apps). Launch blocked if crash-free rate drops below 98% in first 48 hours post-release.

ANR rate (Android): Under 0.47% (Google Play "bad behavior" threshold above which apps receive reduced visibility).

Escalation path: PagerDuty alert if crash-free rate drops below 99% for 15 consecutive minutes. On-call engineer + PM notified.

8. Mobile-specific edge cases

App receives phone call mid-flow → resume from last state on return; no data loss.

App backgrounded during long operation (file upload, sync) → operation continues; completion notification sent when done.

Low storage state (iOS: less than 500MB free) → warn user before any download operation; do not silently fail.

Screen rotation mid-flow → state preserved; layout adapts without resetting form inputs.

Large text accessibility setting (iOS Dynamic Type / Android font scale) → UI must not clip or overlap at 200% text scale.

Generate this template with AI

Paste your mobile feature description into Scriptonia and the generator will populate all 8 mobile-specific sections (including platform constraints, offline behavior, and notification flows) from your rough idea in under 30 seconds.