APPS: How to Publish an App on Google Play

Updates: If you have already published your app on Google Play and need to release an update, follow the steps for Updating an App on Google Play.

Create a Developer account on Google Play

Firstly, you need to create a Google Play Developer Account to publish apps on Google Play. With one account, you can publish multiple apps.

Log in to the Google Play Console

Using your registered Android Developer account, sign in to the Google Play Console and click on the "Create App" button in the "All Apps" section.

Creating app

In this section, you will enter the essential details for your app:

 

• App Name: The name that will appear in the Google Play Store.
• Default Language: The primary language in which your app will be distributed.
• Application or Game: Always select "Application."
• Free or Paid: Choose whether your app will be free or paid.

To finish, check the three checkboxes under Declarations and click the "Create Application" button.

Dashboard

The dashboard is where you can access different essential sections to publish your app on Google Play.

Start with "Set up your app":

Attention: DO NOT start with "Start testing now" or any other section not indicated in this guide, as you could accidentally publish your app as a beta or in testing.

In the "Set up your app" section, click on "View tasks" to complete the 11 steps.

1. Set Privacy Policy

Here, you need to enter the URL of the Privacy Policy, which you can find in the left sidebar menu of the builder under "Terms and Conditions".

Then click the blue "Save" button and go back to the dashboard to continue completing the remaining tasks.

2. App Access

In this section, you need to select whether your app has restricted access to some or all functions or if it's freely accessible. Choose one of the following options:

• If you select the option "Some or all functions are restricted," you will need to click on "+ Add new instructions" and provide Google with a username/password that grants access to all the functions of your app.

Once you have made your selection, click "Save," and then return to the dashboard.

3. Ads

If your app contains AdMob ads, select the option "Yes, my app contains ads.”. If your app doesn't use AdMob, select the option "No, my app doesn't contain ads."

After selecting the appropriate option, click "Save," and then return to the dashboard.

4. Content Rating

In this section, you need to complete a questionnaire about your app to comply with the content rating policies of each country and regulatory entities.

To begin, click the "Start questionnaire" button:

• Email: Enter the email address where you will receive official content rating certificates.
• Category: Select the option "All other types of applications."
  

Click "Next" to proceed to the next step:

In the questionnaire that follows, answer the questions appropriately. Once you're done, click "Save" and then click "Next."

A summary of the obtained rating will appear. Click "Submit" to send it to the email address you provided in the first step.

It's time to come back to the dashboard:

5. Target Audience

 In this section, you determine the age group that your app is targeting. Select the appropriate option and click "Next":

Note: If you need to select options for children under 13, you will revisit this step later.

When selecting options for users over 13, indicate whether your app may attract minors even though they are not the target audience.

Choose an option and click "Next."

In the last step, you can review a summary. Click "Save" when you're finished.

Once again, return to the dashboard.

6. News Apps

In this section, you need to specify whether your app is a news source.

Unless your app directly provides news written within its own functions and not from an external source, you should mark "No." If you use the "News" feature, your app is not considered the news source.

7. Contact Tracing or COVID-19 Status Apps

Our CMS is not designed for contact tracing, so you should never select the option "My app tracks COVID-19 contacts and is publicly available."

However, if your app contains COVID-19 status information for a locality, region, or country, and/or provides government instructions for accessing a locality, region, or country, you should select "My app is for COVID-19 status and public access."

If your app does not meet any of these requirements, select "My app is not a contact tracing or COVID-19 status app for public access."

8. Data Security.

The Data Security form consists of 5 pages, and depending on the functionalities you are using, you will need to select different options.

For instructions on how to fill out this form, refer to the article on "How to complete the Google Play Data Security Form."

Once you have completed the Data Security form, return to the dashboard to continue with the remaining tasks.

9. Government Apps

Click on NO and save

10. Select an App Category and Provide Contact details

In this section, you specify the category of the Google Play Store to which your app belongs and the contact information that will appear on the download page:

App category

• App or Game: Select "App."
  
• Category: Select the appropriate category.
• Tags: Here, you can add keywords to improve the searchability of your app in the Google Play Store.

Contact Information for the Play Store Listing

• Email address: Specify the email where users can contact you from the app's download page.
  

When you complete all the mandatory fields click Save:

There's no need to check the box for external marketing.

Now return to the dashboard.

10. Set up the Play Store Listing

Here, you need to fill in all the information related to the description and content of your app.

App details

• App Name: The name by which your app will appear in the list of apps on Google Play.
• Short Description: A brief description that will be displayed on the app's listing page.
• Full Description: A more detailed description that can be viewed by clicking on the short description.
  

Graphics

• App icon: It should be 512x512 pixels in size.

• Feature Graphic: It must be exactly 1024x500 pixels. It may appear at the top of Google Play on some devices and can be used for promotional purposes on other Google Play sites.

• Phone Screenshots: Upload 2 to 8 screenshots taken from an Android mobile device. Do not upload screenshots taken with an iPhone or an Android tablet in this field.

NOTE: You can use the same screenshots for 7-inch tablet as you used for mobile.

Once you have completed all the sections and uploaded the graphics, click "Save."

Publish your app on Google Play

Now, return to the dashboard and scroll down to the section called "Create and publish a release."

Click on "View tasks."

To start, click on "Select countries and regions."

Countries and Regions

Click on "Add countries/regions" and select where you want your app to be available. Use the checkboxes to choose countries from the list, click "Add countries/regions" to add them, and confirm by clicking "Add":

Create production release

Now that you have chosen the countries where your app will be available, it's time to launch your app into production.

Click the "Create release" button in the Production Release section:

Now upload the .aab file of your app,

Wait a few seconds until  the .AAB file is uploaded to the Google Play servers.

Then go to the "Release details" section and provide a name and then copy and paste the name between the language tags inside the release notes box.

Once you're done, click "Save"

If you then see any YELLOW warnings, don´t worry. The publishing process will only require mandatory changes if your see warnings in RED.

Press Save and then click on "Go to Publishing overview"

And then you will land on the publishing overview page where you can see all the the changes that are ready to be sent for review.

Just click on the "Send X changes for review" button

Congratulations! Your app is now in the review process, and once approved by Google, it will be available for download on Google Play.

Approval Time: The process typically takes up to a week, depending on Google's workload queues. While we would like to assist you, Scoreapps cannot determine the exact duration.

You can check the updated status of the publishing process from the "Publishing overview" section.

App approved by Google

If your app has been approved but is not appearing in search results, you may need to wait a few days for it to be indexed by Google. If it is difficult to find, you should consider making changes to improve your app's visibility and positioning (ASO).

App rejected by Google

App rejected due to intellectual property policy violation.

If Google rejects your app for violating intellectual property policies, you will need to submit a written statement with documents authorizing its distribution.

Submit a claim to Google

If your app is rejected despite complying with Google Play policies, you can submit a claim to Google by following these steps:

Fix Apps Rejections on Google Play

App Removed by Google after Approval

If your app has been removed weeks or months after approval, it may have violated one of Google Play Developer policies. In any case, Google always notifies the owner of the Developer account, not Scoreapps, so we cannot determine the specific reason in any case.

Contact Google if you want to know the exact reason for the removal.

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