Google Play publishing

Hub › Android › Advanced › Google Play publishing

Goal

Generate a signed app bundle, upload to Google Play Console, manage internal/closed/open testing tracks, and publish to production.

Prerequisites

• Firebase Crashlytics
• A Google Play Console account ($25 one-time fee)

Build types

Ensure your build.gradle.kts has a release build type:

android {
    buildTypes {
        release {
            isMinifyEnabled = true
            isShrinkResources = true
            proguardFiles(
                getDefaultProguardFile("proguard-android-optimize.txt"),
                "proguard-rules.pro"
            )
        }
    }
}

"Minify enabled" shrinks, obfuscates, and optimizes the code. "Shrink resources" removes unused resources.

App signing

Two approaches:

Play App Signing (recommended): Google manages the signing key. You upload an upload key, Google signs the final APK/AAB with your app signing key.

1. Generate an upload key:

keytool -genkey -v -keystore upload-keystore.jks \
  -alias upload-key -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 \
  -validity 10000

2. Configure in build.gradle.kts:

android {
    signingConfigs {
        create("release") {
            storeFile = file("upload-keystore.jks")
            storePassword = System.getenv("STORE_PASSWORD")
            keyAlias = "upload-key"
            keyPassword = System.getenv("KEY_PASSWORD")
        }
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            signingConfig = signingConfigs["release"]
        }
    }
}

Generate the bundle

./gradlew bundleRelease
# Output: app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

Upload to Google Play Console

1. Go to Google Play Console
2. Create a new app (or select existing)
3. Go to Testing → Internal testing
4. Click Create new release
5. Upload the .aab file
6. Fill in the release notes
7. Save → Review → Start rollout to Internal testing

Testing tracks

Track	Description
Internal	Up to 100 testers, no review required. Fastest feedback loop
Closed (alpha)	Invite-only, configurable tester list. Useful for friends and QA
Open (beta)	Public link, anyone can join. Good for wider testing
Production	Available to all users on Google Play

CI/CD publishing

For automated uploads, use Gradle Play Publisher or bundletool:

# Using bundletool to generate APKs from AAB:
java -jar bundletool.jar build-apks \
  --bundle=app-release.aab \
  --output=app.apks \
  --ks=upload-keystore.jks \
  --ks-key-alias=upload-key

# Install directly on device:
java -jar bundletool.jar install-apks --apks=app.apks

Production checklist

• [ ] Crashlytics verified with a test crash
• [ ] Performance traces showing startup time < 2s
• [ ] ProGuard/R8 rules correct (no missing class crashes)
• [ ] Store listing completed (description, screenshots, category)
• [ ] Content rating questionnaire filled
• [ ] Privacy policy URL added (required if collecting any user data)

Checkpoint

./gradlew bundleRelease
# BUILD SUCCESSFUL in 45s
# app-release.aab ready at app/build/outputs/bundle/release/
# Upload to Play Console → Internal testing → install on test device

You've completed the Android Advanced tier. The intermediate ViewModel/StateFlow app is now a production-quality Android app with Room persistence, Hilt DI, Firebase Auth, DataStore, WorkManager, unit/UI tests, Crashlytics performance monitoring, and Google Play publishing.