Uploading Your Android Apps

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Overview

The Android upload process is far quicker and simpler than the Apple upload process. From start to finish, it takes no more than about 20 minutes, and your Android app will begin appearing in Google Play within 24-48 hours at most.

This article provides instructions on setting up and uploading your Android apps. 

 

 

Information

  • There is no cost to republish, so errors within the Publish Step can easily be corrected with an update.
  • If you are publishing an app for a public figure, a well-known company or using a company trademark, please review our Google Play Impersonation Policy article.
  • To avoid possible rejection, we recommend submitting a statement to Google prior to uploading your Android app. 

 

 

Process

Part One: Generating an APK File

  1. Log in and make sure all the Publish Step content is complete and up-to-date, as the majority of this info is built into the APK file (the file needed to upload Android apps).
  2. From your dashboard, click the Send to Store in the top-right corner. 
  3. Fill out the Email Address field where your APK file will be directed, and make sure only the box for Android is checked in the Products section. 
    • Note: Unmasked emails (@gmail.com, rather than @yourappcompany.com) work best for APK reception.
  4. Click the Next button; enter any special notes you may have.
  5. Click Submit.
  6. You will receive the APK file via email shortly.
    • There is no need to open it—just download it straight from the email. 
    • Note: If you fail to receive it within half an hour, just email support so we can email the file to you directly. Make sure to check your spam folder first!

 

Part Two: Uploading Your App

Check out Google's help article for instructions straight from the source. 

Note: Google Play Console has changed their uploading process, so there is no longer a dedicated APK page.  

  1. Log in to the Google Developer Console using your Google Developer login credentials.
  2. Click All applications on the left-side menu, then click Create Application. 
  3. A screen will pop up, prompting you to enter a Title (your app's name) and Default language.  
  4. Click Create. Now you can create your app's Store Listing, Content Rating, Pricing & Distribution and upload the APK file.
  5. Click the Store Listing section from the left-side menu. Here you will enter all the metadata for your app—in other words, the content that actually appears in Google Play when a user views your app listing:  

    Field  Description 
    Title The name of your app 
    Short Description  A brief introduction to your app (limited to 80 characters) 
    Full Description  A more extensive overview, like the one you filled out in Step 5, which includes info about the business and what tools the app provides to users 
    Graphic Assets 
    • Screenshots: Images of your app taken on an Android device (Note: It is not necessary to upload screenshots for different device sizes. Keep in mind, all screenshots will display on all devices, so you will get duplicates if you upload the same screenshot in different sizes.)
    • Hi-res Icon: the app icon that appears in Google Play alongside your app listing
    • Feature Graphic: much like a header photo, this displays at the top of your app listing.
    • Optional Graphic Assets: Promo Graphic, TV Banner, 360 Image, Promo Video
    Categorization  Includes Application type (select Applications), Category (industry the app falls under), and Content rating (maturity level)  
    Contact Details  Includes Website, Email, and Phone (not mandatory); you are welcome to include your own info or your client's.
    Privacy Policy 
    • If you have a Privacy Policy specific to this app, you can enter the URL here.
    • If not, you can find a default Privacy Policy for your app in the CMS, under Settings > App Screens > Privacy Policy.

  6. Once you have filled out the Store Listing info, you will continue to the App Releases tab in the left-side menu.

    • This is where you will be uploading your APK file; Google calls this getting your app ready for production.
    • Find Google's specific instructions for this step in the Prepare & rollout releases article.
      1. Select Manage Production, and on the next screen Create Release.
      2. Select Upload APK and follow the on-screen instructions to describe what is new in this release, and name your release. 
      3. To save any changes you make to your release, select Save.
  7. Go to Content Rating in the left-side menu.
    • You will have to take a content rating questionnaire in order to determine the rating of your app.
    • See the article Content ratings for apps & games for Google's Rating regulations. 
  8. Now go to Pricing & Distribution.
    1. Click Paid or Free, depending on your preference.
      • Note: You cannot change an app from Free to Paid, so it is important to set a price initially if you would like to charge for it.
    2. Under Manage Countries, check the boxes for countries you would like the app available for download in.
    3. Check the right boxes for Google's content guidelines and export laws.

    You should now have three green checkmarks next to App Releases, Store Listing, Content Rating, and Pricing & Distribution.
  9. After this information is completely filled out, you will see your Android app is ready to publish. Select App Releases on the left-side menu.
  10. Next to the release you want to rollout, select Resume.
  11. Select Review. You will be taken to the Review and rollout release screen.
    • Make sure there are no issues with your release before rolling out to users. 
  12. Finally, click Confirm rollout to publish your app to all Google Play users in the countries you selected. 

If no errors appear, your app will be available in the Android market within the next 24 hours. Congrats!

 

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