Google Play Console Submission Guide

Account Prerequisites

• Google Play Developer account ($25 one-time fee)
• Google Play Console access at play.google.com/console
• Signing key managed by Google Play App Signing (recommended) or self-managed

App Creation in Play Console

Create the App

1. Open Google Play Console → All apps → Create app
2. Fill in:
   • App name (30 characters max)
   • Default language
   • App or Game designation
   • Free or Paid (cannot change after publishing)
3. Complete the declarations checklist before first submission

Dashboard Setup Checklist

Google Play Console provides a setup dashboard with required steps. Complete all items marked as mandatory before submitting:

• App access (does your app restrict access with login?)
• Ads declaration (does your app contain ads?)
• Content ratings (IARC questionnaire)
• Target audience
• News app declaration (if applicable)
• COVID-19 contact tracing / status app declaration (if applicable)
• Data safety form
• Government apps declaration (if applicable)

Store Listing Assets

App Icon

Feature Graphic — REQUIRED

The feature graphic is prominently displayed on the store listing and in promotional placements. Treat it as a billboard for the app.

Best practices:

• Do not place critical text in the outer 15% margins (may be cropped)
• Use bold, simple imagery that reads well at small sizes
• Include the app name and a short tagline
• Test visibility at both full size and thumbnail

Screenshots

Device types requiring screenshots:

• Phone (required)
• 7-inch tablet (recommended)
• 10-inch tablet (recommended)
• Chromebook (recommended if targeting Chrome OS)

Promotional Video

• Host on YouTube (unlisted is fine)
• Paste the YouTube URL in the store listing
• No age restriction on the video
• Keep under 2 minutes; first 30 seconds are most important
• Do not include ads in the video

Store Listing Text

Short Description

• Maximum 80 characters
• Appears prominently in search results and store listing
• Include primary keyword and value proposition
• Equivalent to iOS "subtitle" in prominence

Full Description

• Maximum 4000 characters
• First 1-3 lines visible before "Read more" — make them count
• Google Play has no keyword field — optimize the full description for target search terms naturally
• Use formatting: bullet points, line breaks, emoji (sparingly)
• Include a call to action near the end

What's New (Release Notes)

• Maximum 500 characters
• Shown to existing users considering the update
• Be specific about changes, not generic ("bug fixes and improvements")

Content Rating (IARC)

1. Navigate to Policy → App content → Content ratings
2. Start the IARC questionnaire
3. Answer questions about: violence, sexuality, language, substances, user interaction, data sharing, location sharing, purchasing
4. Receive automatic rating for multiple regions:
   • ESRB (Americas)
   • PEGI (Europe)
   • USK (Germany)
   • ClassInd (Brazil)
   • GRAC (South Korea)
   • IARC Generic
5. Review and apply the ratings

Warning: Inaccurate responses can lead to app removal. Be thorough and honest.

Data Safety Form

Required for all apps. Declare:

1. Data collection: What types of data the app collects

   • Personal info (name, email, phone, address)
   • Financial info (purchase history, credit info)
   • Location (approximate, precise)
   • App activity (app interactions, search history)
   • Device/IDs (device ID, advertising ID)

2. Data sharing: What data is shared with third parties

   • Include analytics SDKs, ad networks, crash reporters

3. Data handling practices:

   • Is data encrypted in transit?
   • Can users request data deletion?
   • Is the app compliant with the Families policy (if targeting children)?

4. Security practices:

   • Data encrypted in transit (HTTPS)
   • Follows Google Play Families Policy (if applicable)

Build Upload

App Bundle Requirements

• Format: Android App Bundle (.aab) — APKs no longer accepted for new apps
• Signing: Enroll in Google Play App Signing (required for new apps)
• Upload key: Used to sign the upload; Google re-signs with the app signing key
• Target API level: Must target latest required API level (currently API 34 / Android 14 for new apps)

Testing Tracks

Upload Process

1. Select the testing track → Create new release
2. Upload the signed .aab file
3. Add release notes
4. Review and roll out

Pre-Launch Report

Google automatically tests the uploaded build on real devices:

• Accessibility issues
• Crashes and ANRs
• Security vulnerabilities
• Performance metrics

Review the pre-launch report before promoting to production.

Staged Rollout

How It Works

• Set a percentage of users to receive the update
• Recommended progression: 10% → 25% → 50% → 100%
• Monitor crash rate and ANR rate at each stage
• Pause or halt rollout if issues arise

Rollout Controls

• Increase percentage: Click "Edit release" → adjust percentage
• Halt rollout: Stops the update from reaching new users
• Resume rollout: Continue from where it was halted
• Full rollout: Release to 100% of users

When to Halt

• Crash-free rate drops below 99%
• ANR rate exceeds 0.5%
• Critical bug reports from users in rollout
• Unexpected battery or data usage spikes

Common Rejection Reasons and Fixes

Policy: Deceptive Behavior

Rejection: App description or screenshots don't match functionality.

Fix: Update store listing to accurately reflect current features. Remove claims about features not yet implemented.

Policy: Privacy and Data Safety

Rejection: Data safety form doesn't match actual data collection.

Fix: Audit all SDKs and libraries for data collection. Update data safety form to match reality. Add privacy policy link.

Policy: Families

Rejection: App targets children but violates Families Policy.

Fix: If not targeting children, update target audience settings. If targeting children, comply with COPPA and Families Policy requirements.

Policy: Permissions

Rejection: App requests permissions not justified by core functionality.

Fix: Remove unnecessary permission requests. Provide in-context explanation before requesting each permission. Use the least-privileged permission available.

Policy: Ads

Rejection: Ads are deceptive, interruptive, or inappropriate.

Fix: Use non-intrusive ad formats. Do not show ads that mimic system notifications. Label ads clearly. Do not show inappropriate ads in apps targeting children.

Technical: Target API Level

Rejection: App doesn't target the required minimum API level.

Fix: Update targetSdkVersion in build.gradle to the current requirement. Test on the latest Android version.

Technical: 64-bit Requirement

Rejection: App doesn't include 64-bit native libraries.

Fix: Ensure all native libraries (NDK) include arm64-v8a and x86_64 architectures. Using App Bundles handles this automatically for most cases.

Post-Publish Actions

1. Verify the listing appears in Google Play search
2. Install from the store on a test device
3. Confirm in-app billing works in production
4. Check Firebase / analytics for incoming data
5. Review the Android vitals dashboard for crash and ANR rates
6. Apply for editorial feature consideration via Play Console