Release | Google Play Console (original) (raw)
Release with confidence
Make your app launch a success with tools and strategies to help publish, manage, and distribute your app worldwide
Troubleshoot before launch
Robust testing tools and pre-launch reports help you identify technical issues so you can address them before your app is released
- Quickly share app bundles and APKs with up to 100 testers for initial quality assurance checks using internal testing
- Get early feedback on new or updated builds of your app from a wider set of trusted testers using closed testing
- Gather private feedback from a large group by surfacing your app's test version on Google Play with open testing
- Learn about your app's stability, performance, and more with pre-launch reports or use Firebase test lab for additional options
- Plan and prepare for app review times, as certain categories of apps may be subjected to longer review times
- Stay up to date on Google Play policies to avoid violations in policy status
Minimize rollout risk
Use our built-in testing tools and staged rollouts to catch potential issues before they affect more users
- Choose exactly when your app updates are published so you can align with ad campaigns or other launch events using managed publishing
- Minimize risk with a staged rollout to a percentage of users so you can monitor performance and feedback
- Review your app’s performance across a range of technical quality metrics including crash rate, ANR rate, excessive wakeups, and more with Android vitals
- Once your app is live, identify issues quickly with customized stability and performance metrics with Firebase Crashlytics and Performance monitoring
Launch your store listing
Your app's store listing is your first opportunity to make a good impression with users and is crucial for app discovery
- Increase discoverability by optimizing your graphic assets, screenshots, and video to provide a clear and accurate representation of your app experience
- Help Google Play promote your app properly by providing accurate categorization and content rating
- Capture early consumer interest and accelerate launch performance with a pre-registration campaign and app campaign to drive installs and in-app conversions
- Maximize your reach with global audiences by localizing your app strings and store listings with our translation services
- Appeal to specific user segments by tailoring your app’s store listing to countries that you select, or even your pre-registration campaign, with custom store listings.
- A/B test different versions of your listing page amongst actual Google Play users by running store listing experiments
Review guidance for your first app launch
Get familiarized with our quality guidelines and developer policies to ensure a smooth launch
- Understand the Developer Program Policies— if your app violates these policies, it could be removed from Google Play
- When you upload an app bundle or APK, it needs to meet Google Play’s target API level requirements. New apps and app updates must target Android 10 (API level 29) or higher; except for Wear OS apps, which must target API level 28.
- Starting in August 2021, new apps will need to publish with the Android App Bundle format or use Play Asset Delivery or Play Feature Delivery to deliver assets or features that exceed a download size of 150MB. Expansion files (OBBs) will no longer be supported for new apps.
- Specify which Android versions and device screen sizes your app is designed to work on
- Check your app against our quality guidelines. Use these tests to confirm that your apps offer the basic UI design, features, and functions expected by Android users.
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More resources
- Best practices for reviewing your app’s stats Learn how to monitor your app’s stats and review alerts for unexpected changes Learn more
- Policies and publishing on Google Play Find out how to apply our policy guidelines to your app to stay in good standing Watch video
- What’s new with release management Learn about the most important changes to release management in the new Play Console Watch video
Get started
Find out how Play Console features can help you release with confidence
- Store listings Make a great first impression on potential users with a strong Play store listing
- Releases overview Monitor your builds to manage your releases at every stage of the process
- Production Make your app or game available to all users on Google Play
- Publishing overview See the changes you’ve made that are under review, and control when updates are published
Additional features & Resources
Trainings
Additional resources for games
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Find success with Google Play
Publish your apps and games to users around the world and grow your business on Google Play