How do I publish my Android app on Google Play?

Before you start

Your site has the Android app (see Add apps). You need a Google account that will own the app.

Steps

1. Have a Google Play developer account. Tap Sign up for Google Play Console. Pick Yourself (personal) or An organization (a business). Google charges a one-time fee, paid to Google, not to Keynate. Google then checks your identity, which can take a few days. A personal account created after November 2023 must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days before going public. An organisation account doesn't, but needs a D-U-N-S number. To see which you have, open Play Console Home and look under the account name (it says Organization account for a business). Then tell Keynate on the Android card under What kind of Google Play account do you have? An organization goes straight to Production; for a personal account Keynate publishes to Closed testing.
2. Create the app in Play Console. On the Home page press Create app. Paste the App name from your Apps page. Pick App and Free, tick the two declarations and press Create app. Keynate sets the package name with the first upload. If Play Console asks for it, paste the Package name from your Apps page. Never change it later.
3. Invite Keynate. In Play Console click Manage account in the left menu, then the Users and permissions tile, then Invite new users. Paste Keynate's email to invite from your Apps page. For the first setup, on the Account permissions tab tick Admin (all permissions). Press Invite user. Back on Keynate, press Check connection. Keynate also re-checks every few minutes.
4. Your app's name and icon. Set the name under the icon, the icon and two colours. See App name and icon.
5. Make my app. Tap Build your Android app (later Make my app). It takes about 15 to 30 minutes in all. A timeline shows Queued, Building your app, Sending to Google Play and Ready to test on your phone. You can close the page.
6. Test on your phone. Optional, but a good idea. In Play Console click Manage account, then the Tester groups tile. Press Create email list and add your testers' Google emails. Open your app, then Test and release → Testing → Internal testing → Testers. Tick your list and press Save changes. Under How testers join your test press Copy link and paste it under Your testers' join link on the Android card. Tap Save link. On the phone, open the link or scan the QR code, tap Become a tester, then install.
7. Store listing and content checklist. On the Play Console Dashboard, Set up your app has two parts. Let us know about the content of your app (Set privacy policy, Sign in details, Ads, Content rating, Target audience, Data safety, Government apps, Financial features, Health) is the Keynate checklist. Set up your store listing you do not type: Keynate fills it when you press Publish (texts in all store languages, icon, feature graphic, phone and 7-inch and 10-inch tablet screenshots). Fill in the Play Console checklist. You can do this while the app is being built. See Store checklists.
8. Publish. Under Build, preview and publish, press Publish to Google Play on your latest version, then Publish. Keynate releases it to 20% of Android users first. You can raise it to everyone, or stop it, at any time. When the version says Ready to preview, check it has screenshots (if not, tap Retake screenshots; Publish stays locked while new ones are made). Google may ask Confirm it's you. The dialog says the listing is updated and the release goes to 20% of users (the first release of a new app goes to 100%). The status shows In review, then Live. Google reviews in a few hours to a few days.
9. Last step for a brand-new app: send your first release to Google. Google lets only the account owner send a new app's first release, so Keynate shows a Last step: send your first release to Google box on the Android card. Keynate has already made the release on Production. In Play Console: (a) left menu Test and release, then Production. Don't use Closed testing or Internal testing for this. (b) Open the Countries / regions tab, tap Add countries / regions, select all, tap Add, then Save (skip if already set). (c) Open the Releases tab, open the draft with your version number, tap Preview and confirm, check it says Ready to release, then Save. (d) In the left menu tap Publishing overview, then Submit changes for review (Google shows the number, e.g. "Submit 98 changes for review"), and confirm. Back on Keynate, tap I've sent it, check again. Leave Managed publishing off, so the app goes live right after approval. Every later update, Keynate sends for you.
10. After you submit: wait. Play Console Home shows your app with Changes in review and Internal testing under the status icon. Internal testing only means where the app is available today (your preview). After approval it changes to Production by itself. Publishing submissions shows "1 in review". Review takes a few hours to a few days, and Google emails the account owner. You do nothing. To check, open Publishing overview, then Changes in review, and look for Production. Keynate's Android card shows Google is reviewing your app. Every later update: Build, then Publish on Keynate. No Play Console visit.

Good to know

• If Google needs one thing that only you can do, the Android card shows exactly that step, with Open Play Console and a check button. You can read it in Hindi too.
• If Google asks for the first upload by hand, the card shows Download the app file (.aab) and the steps.
• A personal account without production access: Publish sends the app to your closed test. Add your testers as a Google Group under Your testers' Google Group and tap Save testers. Then apply in Play Console under Dashboard → Apply for production. For the first release, use Test and release → Closed testing in step 9 instead of Production.
• You only build again when you change the app's name, icon, colours or notification settings, or when Keynate releases an app update. New stories appear in the app by themselves.
• Disconnect stops Keynate's uploads. Your published app stays in the store. To remove Keynate completely, also delete its account in Play Console → Users and permissions.

Common problems

Installing the test version does not work yet

For a brand-new app, Google needs time to get it ready for testers. This usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, sometimes a few hours, even when Play Console says Active. You don't need to do anything. Your Apps page shows how long ago it was ready. After 3 hours, open If installing fails and check:

1. The Play Store on the phone uses the same Google account as your tester list (Play Store → your profile picture → switch account).
2. Open the join link with that account and tap Become a tester before Install.
3. In Play Console open your app, then Test and release → App integrity → App signing. Accept Play App Signing if asked.
4. In Play Console open Test and release → Testing → Internal testing → Releases. If the release says Draft, press Edit release → Review release → Start rollout.
5. On the phone, open the phone's settings app, then Apps → Google Play Store → Storage → Clear cache. Try again.
6. Or, on a laptop signed in with that account, open the join link and press Download it on Google Play to install it on your phone.

Other problems

See My app does not build or publish, or tap Report a problem on the page.

Questions

Related

• Store checklists
• App name and icon
• Build and publish
• Publish iPhone