In terms of mobile applications and software, the Google Play Store account is unquestionably popular and dominant. The Play Store statistics, which show that there are over 2.8 million applications on Play Store and that almost 3739 apps are launched on it every day, further solidify the domain.
In addition to being thrilling, publishing your Android app on Google Play may have a significant impact on its eventual success and is a critical part of the application development process for both Android and iOS applications. What are the chances of your program being accepted, popular, and downloaded, and installed by others in the future? It all depends on how successful your release is.
These kinds of statistics prove that the Play Store for Android is a great place to submit your software. How to publish an app on Google Play Store is now a thing of the past. Everything you need to know about Google Play uploads has been covered from beginning to end. Let’s get right into Google play store publish.
1. Before You Begin To Publish An App On Google Play
Before submitting your Android apps on Google Play, make sure it is technically and legally sound.
a) Technical Prerequisites
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API Level
New apps must adhere to the API level criteria set by the developer. A low number isn’t allowed. When an app is intended to run on a specific Android API level (also known as SDK version), it will display a number indicating the Android version it will run on.
Backward compatibility may be implemented if the Android version on the user’s device is newer than the target level of the app.
You may expect enhanced security by adding additional permissions and limitations in future Android versions. The developers who wrote the code a few years ago had no way of knowing that some actions were not permission-protected until a certain API level.
As a result of these modifications, existing versions of the app should not be affected.
However, new apps, as well as updated versions of existing ones, should adhere to the current requirements of quality and functionality. For new apps, the minimum target API level is now 29 (as of January 2020). (Android P). In August 2021, this will be increased to 30 (Android R) for the first time.
Likely, in August 2022, a similar version increment (to 31) will occur. Continue reading to find out how to launch an app on Google Play and what you need to do. Increasing the target API level isn’t merely a matter of pushing a number in the configuration file, as many people believe. When you have an existing codebase, it might be a lengthy process.
The vulnerability affects not just the application’s source code, but also third-party libraries. The app must be regularly updated and the technical debt must be reduced if you are selling app on Google Play.
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App Bundles
All new apps must use the App Bundle starting in August 2021. (AAB). You may only use this format if you want to publish your app to the Google Play Store. AppStorm’s backend creates an installable software version that is specific to the user’s hardware and operating system. A non-matching screen density will, for example, result in a reduced app size and speedier installation.
APK files cannot be uploaded. There will also be no support for APK expansion files (OBB) for Google Play apps for Androids. There is no longer a need for them, as Play Asset Delivery and Play Feature Delivery have replaced them. Instead of using the APK format, AAB may be utilized in most programs (although not necessarily games). However, if the program size surpasses 150MB, then the APK expansion files are required
b) Legal Prerequisites Of A Play Store Developer
The Google Play Store’s terms of service and US regulations must be met before your software may be released lawfully through the latter. In the meanwhile, we’ve written a separate post outlining all of these regulations, which we’ll publish shortly. The Developer Policy Center contains information on subjects such as banned material, intellectual property, and what is deemed a prohibited virus or spam.
In addition, there are videos and even interactive instructions that can be found on the site. Additionally, the official distribution agreement is available for download. Unimportantly, the app must also adhere to export regulations in the United States. The Google Play Store servers are situated in the United States, thus the program must be exported to reach customers in other countries.
Even if your app isn’t accessible in the United States, you’ll still need to provide this information. Take extra caution if your software makes use of encryption. So, for example, the PGP project could not be utilized outside of the United States for some time. On the US Bureau of Industry and Security’s official website and in the Play Store’s documentation, you can find out more about export compliance.
Your software must also comply with local legislation before you publish an app on Google Play in the countries where your users reside. EU/EEA GDPR rules are the most well-known. Italian authorities fined Facebook £8.9m for deceiving app users.
2. The Metadata Of Google Play Apps For Androids
It is safe to presume that your software is technically and legally eligible to be released on the Google Play Store if you have reached this step in the process. To begin, let’s get a good Google Play store console publication out there!
a) App Details To Publish An App On Google Play
There are three text boxes in the main app store listing:
- A maximum of 50 characters can be used for the app name
- Up to 80 characters for a brief description
- Up to 4,000 characters
In addition, they all must be localized in one of the supported regions (the combination of a language and optional region). The identical collection of words (as well as the visuals mentioned later in this article) can be sent to more than one location by use of customized listings.
Use of trademarked terms (such as other brand names) should be avoided. Consider submitting a notification in advance if you have the authorization to use restricted content (e.g. third-party intellectual property or anything reserved for governments). SEO should not be overlooked (Search Engine Optimisation).
There is a chance that consumers will have difficulty locating your software if the name is quite similar to another term. A soup recipe app named Souper, for example, is likely to appear in search results along with hundreds of other applications that begin with the letter Super. If you utilize sponsored marketing and/or other SEO-related measures, this might alter.
b) Set Pricing Before Selling App On Google Play
You must decide whether your app will be free or paid from the outset. From free to paid at any time, but not the other way around! It is impossible to charge an app once it has been released for free. Even a free app can include in-app purchases. Some nations do not allow users to send money to you.
Most of these countries, such as Iran and Cuba, are subjected to some form of economic restrictions by the United States. It’s possible to find an up-to-date list in the Play Store’s documentation. When deciding on the actual price, be cautious. Each supported currency has its value limit.
The absolute value of a sum that is near the upper or lower limit may not be possible to accomplish in all currencies. It will be 0.50 EUR and 0.99 CHF (Swiss Francs) in January 2021, respectively. Assuming the current exchange rate, the lowest limit in CHF is almost 2 times greater than in EUR. Current restrictions can be seen in the official table.
c) Graphic Assets
To be included in the app store, you must supply the app icon and screenshots (for TV and daydream-enabled apps, additional content is needed). You may also include a link to a YouTube video if you like. These elements are used to draw attention to and advertise your mobile app’s functionality.
The app may be pushed even if it isn’t available on the Google Play store console. By adjusting the settings in the Play Store interface, you may opt out of external marketing. Keep in mind that this modification may not take effect for up to 60 days. The Developer Program Policies require that all assets adhere to them.
In addition, they must not infringe on any intellectual property rights or utilize prohibited features such as badges that imitate those supplied by Google Play Store, such as Editors’ Choice badges, etc.
d) Promotional Video
Although it’s optional, it’s highly recommended, especially for video games. Before the screenshots, a video is presented if one is available. To prevent the appearance of another’s advertisement, be sure to avoid infringing content and turn off monetization. Of course, the footage must not be kept secret from the general public. Find out more in the documentation.
3. Content Policy
Google needs to know a few things about the content of your app to properly index it. Among other things, this is required to properly handle the age limitations. So let’s double-check the settings:
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Privacy Policy
Information about how you handle sensitive data is included in this section. Children under the age of 13 should be included in your target audience. Usually, attorneys draught the privacy policy wording for a company’s website. Although guidelines are provided, they aren’t the only option. This is even though the Google Play form validation rules enable you to proceed without adding a privacy policy, even if you are only targeting adults.
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Advertisements
Whether your app contains advertising must be declared. Ads include more than just banners and interstitials. Sponsored articles, for example, are also classified as advertisements.
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App Access
Your reviewers will need instructions if any element of your app is limited (e.g. by geolocation or sign-in requirement).
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Content Rating
IARC ratings must be issued to your app or game. According to the ratings given by agencies such as the PEGI, ESRB, or USK after taking out an online questionnaire. Most parents use them to determine whether an app is suitable for their children.
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Target Audience
The age group must be specified (s). There are more qualifications and questions the younger the age group you pick. A privacy policy is required when targeting children less than 13 years of age. You may be interested in the family policy if the software is meant for both children and adults.
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Newsletters
The last part is devoted to the latest in the world of news. If your app is classified as a news app, this field is required. As a result, you will have to adhere to additional regulations. An app’s link with the publisher will be scrutinized if it purports to have a relationship with the publisher.
4. Targeting
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Country Restrictions
Due to licensing, copyright, or other legal agreements, you may need to limit your app’s availability based on geography. You may further refine limitations within a nation by choosing certain cellphone carriers. Production, open (beta), closed (alpha), and internal testing might each have their own set of limitations.
Please refer to the official documentation for additional information on this topic. “Country” refers to a Google Play user account. It’s possible that it’s not the same as the real location of the user. But it can only be set to the current country’s value once a year.
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Device Restrictions
Sometimes, even though a device meets all of the criteria, an app doesn’t operate well on it (like the minimum Android version or the presence of hardware features like NFC). It is possible to exclude such devices from the device list.
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Setups For Advanced Performance
You may also customize Google’s Actions and add websites for App Indexing purposes by adding them to your Google Account.
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Payments
Create a payment profile before selling your applications or accepting in-app payments. There is also the requirement to provide an actual postal address in this situation.
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Developer Page
You have the option of setting up the developer page. For all apps published from the same developer account, this is the case. Your name, promotional content, developer’s emblem, and header picture must be specified if you wish to publish the page on the website.
No those fields can be empty. The above postal address will also be published on the Google Play store console if you monetize your apps. As an option, you may also include a website address and select an app.
5. Technical Settings
If you want to know how to publish an app on Google Play, you’ll need to know a few technical parameters in addition to the commercial ones.
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Application ID
There must be a unique identifier for each app. For the CCC app, for example, it’s EU.ccc.mobile. As an example, a link may display the App ID to the user. No one else can use the ID once it has been submitted to the shop. It is also not possible to alter the ID (you can, however, publish the new app with a different ID). Therefore, it is important to pick an ID that is appropriate for your needs.
Incorporating a brand name or personal ID inside the app may not be a smart move. Rebranding may occur, for example, if you decide to buy another firm or if you are bought. Since the App ID cannot be altered, the old brand will remain in the app ID for the rest of the time. In the documentation, you’ll find the technical requirements for the app ID.
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Signing
Every app must be signed before it can be downloaded. Generally speaking, signing is a large topic that would require an own article. We’ll stick to the essentials here. Using Google Play’s app signing service is the easiest method to do it these days. Usage of a key generated by the retailer is usually adequate in the majority of cases.
In certain sophisticated circumstances, such as specific permissions utilizing signature protection, the same key may be required for numerous apps. These items aren’t utilized very much anymore. It may be necessary to use a key that you have produced yourself for legacy programs.
6. Finishing Touch
The final step in this article on how to publish an android app to Play Store is to add the application to the platform once you’ve verified that everything is in order. Return to the “App Releases” page, then click “Manage Production” and then “Edit Release” to make the changes. Next, select “Review” and then “Start production rollout.” Select the ‘Confirm’ option to put this procedure to a close. This is the first time you have successfully published a free app to the Google Play Store.
The only thing left to do is wait for your application to be accepted once you have uploaded your app for free to Google Play. Your application was typically evaluated in two hours. As a result of Google Play’s new privacy policies, it will now take hours or even days for the same to happen, which will encourage mobile app development businesses to produce even more perfect programs that are picked quickly instead. So, keep your excitement in check and wait until the right moment.
Wrapping Up How To Publish An App On Google Play
Developing an app isn’t rocket science, but it does take a certain amount of finesse. Prepare your software from a legal and technological standpoint. If you’re targeting youngsters, don’t forget about agreements and privacy policies. Prepare your graphic assets and promotional texts after you’ve got these down pat. Remember to keep SEO in mind while picking the language for your website. We hope we cleared your doubt on how to publish an app on Google Play.
