When you’re signed in to your Google Play Developer account, you can upload apps to Google Play using your Play console.
Tip: Use the Android App Bundle, the recommended publishing format on Google Play, to create your app.
Create an Application
Access the Play Console.
Select All apps > Create an application.
Select a default language and give a title to your application. Enter the name of your app as it should appear on Google Play.
Create the Play Store listing for your app, complete the content classification quiz, and set rates and availability.
Prepare the Production or Test Version of Your Application
To launch the test or production version of your application, you must prepare and deploy releases for a specific target audience.
A release is a combination of one or more build artifacts that you prepare before you deploy an application or update an application to users.
Manage APK Files
The package names for the application files are unique and permanent. So choose them carefully. They cannot be deleted or reused later.
Search APK Files
To view APKs for your app, follow these steps:
Access the Play Console
Select an application.
Select Version Management > Artifact Library. The list of temporary, active and archived APK files is displayed.
- Draft: APKs that you have not yet released to users.
- Assets: APK files currently distributed to users.
- Archived: APKs that have been active, but are no longer served to users.
Sign Your Application
In Android app development, you are required to digitally signed a certificate before its installation. If the message shows that you have an unsecured certification to sign your APK file, and the key size has to be 1024 bits, then follow the instructions for ‘Sign Your App Manually’.
Important: Register your app with Google Play app signing or keep your keystore in a safe place. You are required to get a new key and new package name for your app, if you have lost your key store. In this case, you must also cancel the publication of the original application and update its description.
APK Version Specifications for the Play Console
All APKs have versionCode in the manifest file, which is incremented every time you update your app.
If you want to import your application into the Play console, know that 2100000000 is the largest possible value for the version code version versionCode.
When choosing the version code version versionCode for your APK file, you must increase ce code for each update and always stay below the maximum limit.
Note: To learn more about the versions of your APK, visit the Android Developers site. Don’t forget that the value for Android MAXINT differs from the one mentioned in import specification for Play Console.
Target API Level Specifications for The Play Console
All APKs contain a target SdkVersion property (or target API level) in the manifest file, indicating how to run the application depending on the version of Android installed.
If you have targeted the latest API level to configure your app, then you must verify that users get significant performance and security improvements, in order to enable them to run these apps on a former Android version.
The APK to be uploaded must meet the Google Play’s requirements for Target API level. The available levels that apps could target now and in future are listed below.
| API Level Required | Start Date |
| Android 8.0 (API level 26) | August 1, 2018: required for all applications.
November 1, 2018: Required for application updates. |
| Android 9 (API level 28) |
August 1, 2019: required for all applications. November 1, 2019: Required for application updates.
|
As soon as these requirements come in to effect, Play Console will start preventing you from sending APKs with a specified API level that is lower than the above.
Set Up a Store Listing
Google Play displays listing for your app on Play Store and includes information which helps users know more about application. Form for this is available for all version of the app including testing ones.
Product Information
Access the Play Console.
Select All apps > applications.
Select an application and fill in the fields under ‘Product Information’.
| Field | Description | Maximum No. of Characters | Remarks |
| Title | Your app name on Google Play. | 50 | You can add a localized title by language. |
| Short Description | The first text displayed when users visit your app’s detailed information page in the Play Store app. | 80 | Users can expand this text to see the full description of your application. |
| Full Description | Description of your app on Google Play. | 4000 |
Note: Repeated or unjustified use of keywords in the title, description, or promotional text of the app may be uncomfortable for the user and may cause the app to suspend on Google Play. Please read all instructions in the Google Play Program Policies (for developers).
Graphic Elements
Learn more about adding graphics, screenshots, and videos for your app
Add and Manage Translations
When you import an application, the default language is English (United States, en-US). You can translate information about your application, but also add screenshots and other graphics in the language.
1. Access the Play Console.
2. Select All apps > applications.
3. Select an application and review the languages listed under ‘Product Information’.
4. To add new languages, select Manage translations > Buy translations or Add your own translations.
You can provide your own translations for the following languages:
Tip: To translate the app description into other languages, you can use the Google Play app translation service.
Localized Images and Videos
To more effectively market an application in multiple languages, you can add localized graphics to the app’s Play Store listing.
Users see the localized Google Play graphics if their language preferences match the languages you added.
Automatic Translations
If you do not add your own translations, your app’s Google Play store listing will appear either in a language translated automatically through Google Translate, or in the default language.
In case of automatic translation, a comment is displayed to indicate it, and an option to display the default language of the application. Please note that automatic translation is not available for Armenian, Romance languages, Tagalog or Zulu.
Classification
To select the type and category of the application, follow these steps:
Access the Play Console
Select All apps > applications.
Select an Application
Under “Classification”, select an application type and category.
Contact Information
To add support resources for your app for Google Play users, follow these steps:
Access the Play Console.
Select All apps > applications.
Select an application.
Add your details under “Coordinates”. You can offer several support solutions (website, e-mail, phone, etc.), but you must provide an e-mail address to publish apps on Google Play.
Tip: Learn how to provide support for your users.
Privacy Policy
Addition of privacy policy to your app store listing gives an impression of your to be transparent and reflect how you treat device and sensitive data.
Your privacy policy, as well as any releases made within the app, must describe in detail the collection, use, and sharing of user data, including the parties with whom this information is shared. We advise you to consult a legal specialist to define the elements to include.
For applications that require access to permissions or sensitive data (as defined in the User Data Policy), you must add a link to your app’s Play Store listing and within the app store. to privacy rules. Ensure that your privacy policy that is applicable to your apps and users are accessible via an active URL.
For Family applications, you need to create a link to privacy policies on your app’s store listing and within your app regardless of access to permissions or data sensitive of which it benefits. Ensure that your privacy policy that is applicable to your apps and users are accessible via an active URL.
Access the Play Console.
Select an application.
Select
Under “Privacy Policy”, enter the URL of the site where your privacy policy is hosted.
Save the changes.
Following Steps
Fill out the classification questionnaire for the content corresponding to the application.
Consult best practices to create an attractive listing.
Learn how to distribute your app to other countries and other Android programs.
Publish the application using standard or scheduled publishing.
Perform tests to optimize your Play Store listing.
