How to Publish an Android App on
Google Play Store: A Step-by-Step Guide
Steps To Publish Android App
·
Step
1: Create a Google Developer account
·
Step
2: Add a Merchant Account
·
Step
3: Prepare the Documents
·
Step
4: Study Google Developer Policies
·
Step
5: Technical Requirements
·
Step
6: Creating the App on the Google Console
·
Step
7: Store Listing
·
Step
8: Content Rating
·
Step
9: Pricing the Application
·
Step
10: Upload APK and Send for Review
·
Wrapping Up
When the
application development process is completed, it’s high time to introduce your
special product to the world. First publishing may be thrilling and tricky.
Don’t worry. Today we will guide you through the release process on the Play
Store that is undoubtedly the leader in the number of published apps and
users.
First, we’d like
to give you precious advice: do not postpone some crucial tasks until the
release or pre-release date. Completing them in advance will save your time and
nerves.
And now, let’s
get started with publishing your very first app.
So, let’s get
started!
Step 1: Create a Google Developer account
This is
something you can do at the beginning of the app development process.
Without registering a Google Developer Account, you can’t publish your app on
the Play Market.
You can use any
of your current Google accounts or create another one to sign up for a Google Developer Account. It
doesn’t matter whether it’s a private or corporate account. You may easily
transfer your app to another one in the future.
The creation
process includes signing the Google Play Developer distribution agreement,
adding some personal information, and paying a one-time registration fee of
$25. There is nothing complicated. Just follow the instructions.
google play store admin console
Google Play Developer distribution agreement
Usually, it
takes no more than two days to get approval from Google. Don’t worry if you
forget to add some information. You can edit your account later.
Step 2: Add a Merchant Account
If you plan to
sell paid apps or in-app purchases, you have to create a Google Merchant Account. There you can manage
app sales and your monthly payouts, as well as analyze sales reports.
Once you finish
creating the Merchant profile, the developer account gets automatically linked
to it.
Step 3: Prepare the Documents
Paperwork always
requires much effort, especially when it comes to any kind of legal documents.
Based on our experience, we highly recommend starting to prepare the End User
License Agreement (EULA) and Privacy Policy in advance.
You can take the
documents from similar apps as references and create your own based on them, or
ask a lawyer to make everything from scratch.
EULA is an
agreement between you as an owner and a user of your product. In brief, it
contains:
- What
the users can do with the app, and what they aren't allowed to do
- Licensing
fees
- Intellectual
property information, etc.
Terms of Use or
Terms and Conditions explain what services you offer the users and how you
expect them to behave in return. Though Google doesn’t demand Terms of Use, it’s
better to publish them. You can create one document, adding there Privacy
Policy and Terms of Use chapters.
Pay special
attention to include in the Privacy Policy the
following information:
- A
complete list of personal data that is collected, processed and used
through the app
- Technical
information that is collected about the device and the installed OS
- Functional
features of the app, its paid and free functionality
- Place
of registration of the company and/or location of the copyright holder of
the application
- The
chosen legal system and legislation that will be applied in resolving
disputes and regulating legal relations
- The
terms of subscription
- Citizenship
(residence) of the overwhelming majority of application users
- Age
criteria, the presence of specific content
Step 4: Study Google Developer Policies
We guess you
already made up your product concept. Now it’s time to make sure that every
feature you will implement in the app is aligned with the Google Developer Policies. These documents
explain how apps need to be developed, updated, and promoted to support the
store's high-quality standards.
If Google
decides that your product violates some policy chapters, it may be rejected,
blocked, or even deleted from the Play Store. Besides, numerous and repetitive
violations may lead to the developer account termination.
Read
also: Why Google and Apple May Remove Your App and How to Deal
With That
So study all the
available information carefully about:
- Restricted
content definition
- Store
listing and promotion
- Impersonation
and intellectual property
- Rules
for monetization and ads
- Privacy,
security and deception regulation
- Spam
and minimum functionality
Google is
constantly working on its policies, and it’s important to monitor the changes
and stay up to date even after your app is released.
Step 5: Technical Requirements
You went through
the development process, endless testing, and bug fixing, and finally, the
“X-day” comes. Before moving on to the upload process, you need to check the
following things:
- Unique
Bundle ID
The package name
should be suitable over the life of your application. You cannot change it
after the distribution. You can set the package name in the
application's manifest file.
- Signed
App Release With a Signing Certificate
Every
application should be digitally signed with a developer's
certificate. The certificate is used to identify the author of an
app and can’t be generated again.
- The
App Size
Google set the
limit size of the uploaded file: 100MB for Android 2.3 and higher (API level
9-10, 14 and higher) and 50MB for lower Android versions.
If your app
exceeds this limit, you can always switch to APK Expansion Files.
- The
File Format
Two possible
release formats are accepted by Google: app bundle and .apk. However, .aab is
the preferred one. To use this format, you need to enroll in app signing by
Google Play.
You may learn
more about app file technical requirements in the Developer Documents, Prepare for the release guide.
Step 6: Creating the App on the Google Console
Now you have the
file that is ready for uploading. It’s time to get to the fun part. Let’s create
a new app in your Developer Account:
- Reach
to All applications tab in the menu
- Now
select Create Application
- Choose
the app’s default language from the drop-down menu
- Add a
brief app description (you can change it later)
- Tap
on Create
After this, you
will be taken to the store entry page, where we will add the complete data
about the app.
Step 7: Store Listing
First, let’s
prepare the Store listing. It contains the most important information useful
for app store optimization (ASO) and gives the users more details about your
app before downloading. The mandatory sections are marked with *.
You may need
some designer and copywriter efforts, so it’s better to start preparing the
following materials in advance.
- Product
description
It contains a
title of your app (up to 50 symbols), a brief description (up to 80 symbols),
and a full description (up to 4000 symbols). Control yourself and do not overdo
the keywords.
play store console publish
Store
listing
- Screenshots
You may add from
2 to 8 screenshots. Choose the ones that show the app functionality and value
the most.
The requirements
are the following:
- JPEG or 24-bit
PNG (no alpha)
- from 320px to
3840 px
- the ratio of
the long side to the short side should not be more than 2:1
Store
listing - Product details
- Icon
The requirements
are the following:
- 512px by 512px
- 32-bit PNG
(with alpha)
- Maximum file
size: 1024KB
- Feature
graphic
It is an
optional marketing tool displayed in various places on the Play Store, for
example, on the homepage.
The requirements
are the following:
- JPEG or 24-bit
PNG (no alpha)
- 1024px x 500px
- Promo
video
If you have any
promo video, you may add a link to your YouTube channel. This video will be
shown before the screenshots on the app’s page.
- Tags
You may choose
from the list the most relevant to your app keywords for better ASO. There is
no possibility to add any custom tags.
- Localization
If your app
supports several languages, mention all of them and add translations of your
app’s information. It’s highly recommended to include localized screenshots and
images.
- Application
type and categorization
First, through
the drop-down menu, select the application type: game or app. Then pick the
category that your app fits into. You can also add a section to rate your
content after uploading APK to Google Play.
android play store console
App categories on Google Play
- Contact
details
Here you should
provide the support service contacts. By filling the website URL, email, and
phone, you make it easier for the users to contact you if necessary.
- Privacy
Policy
Google requires
you to add a link to the Privacy Policy that we discussed above.
While editing
the Store Listing, you can take a break at any moment, click Save Draft,
and complete this stage later.
Step 8: Content Rating
In order not to
be marked as an Unrated App (that may lead to app removal), pass a rating
questionnaire. You can easily find this section on the left-side menu.
The information
provided in the questionnaire must be accurate. Any misrepresentation of your
app’s content might lead to suspension or removal of the Play Store account.
- Click
on Save Questionnaire once you complete the survey
- Click
on Calculate Rating
- In the
end, click on Apply Rating to confirm the rating and move
forward with the pricing & distribution plan
Step 9: Pricing the Application
In the Pricing
and distribution section, you need to fill the following information:
- Whether
your app is free or paid
- Where
the app will be available (just choose the countries from the list)
- Whether
your app will be available only on the specific devices
- Whether
the app has sensitive content and is not suitable for children under the
age of 13
- Whether
your app contains ads
Remember that
you can change your paid app to a free one later, but you cannot do the vice
versa. If you decide later that you want to distribute it for money, you’ll
have to create another app.
google android console developer
Store
presence
Step 10: Upload APK and Send for Review
Finally, you are
ready to upload your app file. That’s the most exciting moment ever.
Let’s go to
the App Releases section on the left panel. Here you will find
three options for publishing the app: Production, Beta and Alpha tracks.
We highly recommend
starting with Alpha or Beta versions.
In this case, after passing the review process, your app will not be available
to everyone on the Play Store.
The Alpha
version assumes closed testing and is available only to those who you invite as
testers. The Beta version means that anyone can join your testing program and
send feedback to you.
Pre-release
testing allows you to gather people’s opinions, test your app in a broader
audience, and fix issues before making the app public.
Note that if you
decide later to change the Alpha or Beta version to Production type, it will
take time to go through another review round.
Once you choose
the type of release, follow the steps:
- Choose Manage
(Production/Beta/Alpha)
- Click
on Edit Release
- Upload
an APK or app bundle
The release name
will be added automatically. For the first time, you may delete the text from
the What’s new in this release field.
play store developer console login
App
releases
- Click
on Review to confirm the changes and send your app to the
review by pressing Start rollout to production.
Don’t worry that
you may forget to add some information. All the way, Google will show you the
instructions and tips. Actually, you won’t manage to send the app to the review
if something important is missed.
Remember that
with the very first version, there is no opportunity to set manual publishing.
The app will be released right after it passes the review. Usually, it takes up
to 2 days. Google says the review process could take up to 7 days or even
longer.
Once the app is
reviewed, you’ll receive a notification on Google Console Dashboard.
Wrapping Up
We hope these
instructions will help you to get through the publishing process easily, and
soon the Play Store users can download your very special app.
But remember that the journey does not stop at publishing. Running a mobile application requires continuous efforts to get it trending, otherwise competition will overshadow the app.
Let’s
discuss your mobile
app strategy. Our experts will help you in making it a success!
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