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Android to Play Store

Build and deploy your Android app to Google Play Store

Android to Play Store

This guide walks you through building and deploying your Android app to the Google Play Store.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

  • Java Development Kit (JDK) 11+ installed
  • Android SDK installed (ANDROID_HOME configured)
  • Mobile project that builds to Android (native Kotlin/Java, React Native, Flutter, Ionic/Capacitor, Expo, or MAUI)
  • Google Play Developer account with API access
  • MySigner account with Google Play credentials configured
  • Keystore uploaded to MySigner

New to MySigner? Complete the Getting Started guide first.

Step 1: Set Up Google Play Credentials

Create a Service Account

  1. Go to Google Cloud Console
  2. Create a new project or select an existing one
  3. Enable the Google Play Android Developer API
  4. Navigate to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts
  5. Create a new service account
  6. Grant the Service Account User role
  7. Create a JSON key and download it
  1. Go to Google Play Console
  2. Navigate to Users and permissions
  3. Click Invite new users
  4. Enter the service account email (from the JSON key)
  5. Grant Release manager access (the minimum required — Admin works too but grants more than needed)
  6. Click Invite user

Add to MySigner

  1. Go to MySigner dashboard → Google Play
  2. Click Add Credential
  3. Upload the JSON key file
  4. MySigner will verify the connection

Step 2: Upload Your Keystore

Android apps must be signed with a keystore. Upload yours to MySigner:

  1. Go to MySigner dashboard → Keystores
  2. Click Upload Keystore
  3. Fill in the details:
Field Description
Keystore File Your .jks or .keystore file
Keystore Password Password for the keystore
Key Alias Alias of the signing key
Key Password Password for the key (often same as keystore)
  1. Click Upload
  2. Click Activate to set as default

Important: Keep a backup of your keystore! If lost, you cannot update your app on Google Play.

Step 3: Verify Setup

Run the doctor command:

bash
mysigner doctor

Ensure you have:

  • ✓ Google Play credentials
  • ✓ Active keystore
  • ✓ JDK installed
  • ✓ Gradle configured

Step 4: Prepare Your App

First-Time Upload

For new apps, you must upload the first build manually:

  1. Build an AAB locally or use MySigner
  2. Go to Google Play Console
  3. Create a new app
  4. Upload the AAB to any track (Internal is recommended)
  5. Complete the app listing requirements

After the first upload, MySigner can handle all subsequent releases.

Version Management

MySigner auto-increments your version code. Ensure your build.gradle is set up:

groovy
android {
    defaultConfig {
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0.0"
    }
}

Step 5: Ship to Internal Testing

From your project's root directory:

bash
mysigner ship internal --platform android

This command:

  1. Detects your project and framework (React Native, Flutter, Ionic/Capacitor, Expo, native Kotlin/Java, MAUI)
  2. Pre-builds if needed (cap sync android, flutter pub get, expo prebuild, etc.)
  3. Fetches keystore from MySigner
  4. Increments version code
  5. Builds a signed AAB
  6. Uploads to Internal Testing track

Example Output

🤖 My Signer - Ship to Google Play (Internal Testing)
================================================================================

This will:
  1️⃣  Detect and build your Android project
  2️⃣  Sign with your keystore
  3️⃣  Upload to Google Play (internal track)

⏱️  Estimated time: 3-10 minutes

================================================================================
[1/3] Building Android App Bundle (AAB)
================================================================================

✓ Found: Android project (Native Android)

📦 Package: com.company.myapp
🔢 Version: 1.2.0 (41 → 42)
   ↳ Auto-incremented (41 already on Play Store)
⏱️  Estimated: 2-5 minutes

================================================================================
[2/3] Signing with Keystore
================================================================================

🔐 Fetching keystore from My Signer...
✓ Using keystore: Production Key
✓ Keystore ready at: ~/.mysigner/keystores/production.jks

✓ Build complete in 2m 18s
📦 AAB: app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

================================================================================
[3/3] Uploading to Google Play
================================================================================

🔐 Fetching Google Play credentials...
✓ Credentials loaded

Uploading to Internal Testing...
▸ Uploading... 28.4 MB / 28.4 MB (100%)
▸ Processing complete

================================================================================
🎉 SUCCESS! Your app is on Google Play (internal track)!
================================================================================

📊 Summary

  Package:      com.company.myapp
  Version:      1.2.0 (42)
  Track:        internal
  AAB Size:     28.4 MB

⏱️  Time Breakdown

  Build:       2m 18s
  Upload:      45s
  ──────────────────────────────
  Total:       3m 03s

📁 Files Created

  AAB:         app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

🔮 Next Steps

  1. Add internal testers in Google Play Console
  2. Testers will receive the build automatically

  Google Play Console: https://play.google.com/console

Step 6: Distribute to Testers

Internal Testing

  • Limited to 100 testers
  • Testers must be added by email in Google Play Console
  • No review required, available immediately

Add Internal Testers

  1. Go to Google Play Console → Testing → Internal testing
  2. Click Testers tab
  3. Create or select a list
  4. Add email addresses
  5. Share the opt-in link with testers

Promotion Tracks

Google Play uses tracks for progressive releases:

Internal → Closed (Alpha) → Open (Beta) → Production

Ship to Different Tracks

bash
# Internal Testing (100 testers max)
mysigner ship internal --platform android

# Closed Testing (Alpha)
mysigner ship alpha --platform android

# Open Testing (Beta)
mysigner ship beta --platform android

# Production
mysigner ship production --platform android

With Release Notes

bash
mysigner ship beta --platform android --release-notes "Bug fixes and performance improvements"

Staged Rollouts

For production releases, Google Play supports staged rollouts to minimize risk. You can manage staged rollouts directly in the Google Play Console:

  1. Go to Google Play Console → Your app → Production
  2. Select a release and choose Staged rollout
  3. Set the initial percentage (e.g., 10%)
  4. Gradually increase as you gain confidence

Staged Rollout Strategy

Stage Percentage Duration Action
1 5-10% 1-2 days Monitor crash rates
2 25% 1-2 days Check user feedback
3 50% 1 day Validate at scale
4 100% - Full release
Monitor your crash-free rate in Google Play Console. If it drops below 99%, consider halting the rollout.

Time Estimates

Track Review Time Availability
Internal None Immediate
Closed (Alpha) None Immediate
Open (Beta) None Immediate
Production 0-7 days After review
New apps and apps flagged for review may take longer. Most updates to production go live within hours.

Workflow Diagram

┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│   Build     │────▶│    Sign     │────▶│   Upload    │
│    AAB      │     │   Keystore  │     │  to Track   │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘
                                               │
        ┌──────────────────────────────────────┤
        │                                      │
        ▼                                      ▼
┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐     ┌─────────────┐
│  Internal   │────▶│   Beta      │────▶│ Production  │
│  Testing    │     │   Testing   │     │   Release   │
└─────────────┘     └─────────────┘     └─────────────┘

Common Issues

"Package name not found"

The package name doesn't match any app in your Google Play Console.

Fix: 1. Ensure the app exists in Google Play Console 2. Check the package name in build.gradle matches 3. Verify your service account has access to the app

"Version code already exists"

The version code must be higher than any previously uploaded version.

Fix: ```bash

MySigner auto-increments, but you can also set manually

In build.gradle, increase versionCode


### "APK signature is invalid"

Keystore or signing configuration issue.

**Fix:**
1. Verify keystore credentials in MySigner
2. Check key alias and passwords are correct
3. Re-upload keystore if needed

### "Upload failed - API error"

Google Play API permission issue.

**Fix:**
1. Verify service account email has Release Manager access
2. Check Google Play API is enabled in Cloud Console
3. Re-upload Google Play credentials

### Build fails with Gradle error

**Fix:**
```bash
# Clean and rebuild
cd android && ./gradlew clean

# Run with verbose output
mysigner ship internal --platform android --verbose

Best Practices

Version Naming

Use semantic versioning:

1.0.0 - Major.Minor.Patch
  • Major: Breaking changes, major features
  • Minor: New features, improvements
  • Patch: Bug fixes

Release Notes

Write clear, user-friendly release notes:

markdown
What's New in 1.2.0:

• Faster app loading
• Fixed login issues on some devices  
• New dark mode option
• Bug fixes and stability improvements

Testing Strategy

  1. Internal: Core team testing
  2. Closed Alpha: Extended team, power users
  3. Open Beta: Wider audience, opt-in
  4. Production: Staged rollout

Next Steps

  • ship - Full ship command reference
  • keystore - Keystore management
  • android - Android-specific commands
  • doctor - Diagnose issues
  • Releases - Configure release notes per track, run the AI translate / rewrite workflow, manage the release checklist before submission
  • Screenshot Studio - Generate Play Store screenshots and push them directly to Google Play
  • Reviews & Ratings - Reply to Play Store reviews and use response templates
  • Analytics - Track installs / ANR rate / crash rate / retention during staged rollouts

Related Documentation

Quickstart Getting Started Commands ship Commands Authentication Commands

Apple Payload

ASC Add App Store Connect Credential

From App Store Connect · How to create a key

You are not allowed to manage credentials for this organization.

Google Play Add Google Play Credential

Paste your service account JSON from Google Cloud Console. Requires Service Account User + Release Manager roles.

You are not allowed to manage credentials for this organization.