Play Console

Creating a Developer Account

To publish on the Google Play Store, you need a Google Play Developer account ($25 one-time fee). Register at play.google.com/console.

Google requires identity verification for new accounts. This includes:

• Government-issued ID verification
• A valid address for correspondence
• Phone number verification

Account approval can take 48 hours to several days.

Creating Your First App

In Play Console, click Create app and provide:

• App name — Display name on the store (max 30 characters)
• Default language — Primary language for your store listing
• App or game — Category determines which store section you appear in
• Free or paid — Once set to free, it cannot change to paid

Store Listing Requirements

A complete store listing needs:

Content Rating

You must complete the IARC content rating questionnaire. Your answers determine age ratings in each region. Questions cover violence, language, controlled substances, and other content categories.

Data Safety

Play Console requires a Data Safety section where you declare:

• What data your app collects
• How data is shared with third parties
• Your data security practices (encryption, deletion)

Google verifies this against your app's actual permissions and code. Misrepresenting data practices can lead to app removal.

Setting Your Price

For paid apps:

• Set a base price in your default currency
• Google automatically calculates prices for other regions
• You can override regional prices manually
• Google takes a 15% commission on the first $1M in annual revenue, then 30%

For in-app purchases:

• Products are configured in Play Console under Monetize > Products
• Product IDs are permanent — choose carefully
• Subscription pricing supports annual and monthly billing

Distribution Countries

You choose which countries to distribute to. Key considerations:

• Content licensing — Some content has regional restrictions
• Regulatory compliance — GDPR, COPPA, and local laws
• Payment methods — Some regions have limited payment options

Pre-registration

For unreleased apps, you can set up pre-registration:

• Users sign up to be notified at launch
• Useful for building an audience before release
• You can publish to pre-registration tracks before going to production

Country Restrictions

You can restrict distribution by:

• Device type — Phones, tablets, Wear OS, Android TV
• Android version — Set minimum and target SDK
• Hardware features — Require or exclude specific hardware
• Carrier — Restrict to specific mobile carriers (rare)

Release Track Hierarchy

Play Console provides four release tracks, each serving a different purpose:

1. Internal testing — Up to 100 testers, instant approval, quick iteration
2. Closed testing — Larger test groups, requires opt-in link or email list
3. Open testing — Public beta, anyone can join, useful for broad testing
4. Production — Live to all users in your distribution countries

Creating a Release

To publish a new version:

1. Go to Release > Production (or your target track)
2. Click Create new release
3. Upload your AAB file (recommended over APK)
4. Add release notes
5. Set rollout percentage

AAB vs APK

Google strongly recommends Android App Bundles (AAB) over APK:

• AAB lets Google generate optimized APKs per device configuration
• Reduces download size by an average of 15%
• Supports dynamic delivery and on-demand modules
• Required for new apps on Play Store since August 2021

Rollout Percentage Control

When publishing to production, you can control the percentage of users who receive the update:

• Start with 5%, 10%, or 20% rollout
• Monitor crash rates and user feedback
• Gradually increase or roll back
• Play Console shows crash rate per rollout percentage

Release Notes

Effective release notes tell users what changed:

- Fixed crash when opening settings on Android 14
- Improved search results accuracy
- Added support for dark mode in the editor