To publish an app on the Google Play Store, you create a Play Console developer account for a $25 one-time fee, create the app and upload its first Android App Bundle by hand, complete the store listing, content rating and Data safety form, then release it through internal testing to production. Google's first review can take up to a week.
What do you need before you publish on Google Play?
| What | Why | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| A Google Play Console developer account | Every app is published under one, as a person or an organization | $25, one time |
An Android App Bundle (.aab) | The format Google Play takes for new apps | Free to build; EAS's free tier is enough |
| A package name | The app's permanent ID on Google Play, such as com.yourcompany.habits; it cannot change once the app is published | None |
| Store listing assets | Title, short and full description, icon, screenshots and a feature graphic | None |
| A privacy policy URL | Google Play asks every app for one | None |
How do you publish an app on Google Play, step by step?
- Create a developer account in Play Console. Choose a personal or an organization account, pay the $25 one-time fee and verify your identity.
- Create the app: its name, default language, whether it is an app or a game, and whether it is free or paid. A free app cannot become paid later.
- Upload the first App Bundle by hand. Google requires this once for every new app. After it, tools can publish builds for you through the Play Developer API.
- Set up the store listing: title, short and full description, icon, screenshots and feature graphic.
- Complete the app content section: the content rating questionnaire, the Data safety form, the target audience and the privacy policy link.
- Release to internal testing and install the app on real phones.
- Run a closed test if your account needs one (next section), then apply for production access.
- Promote the release to production. It goes live for everyone once Google's review passes.
What is Google Play's 12-tester rule?
A personal developer account created after November 13, 2023 cannot publish to production straight away. It first runs a closed test with at least 12 testers who stay opted in for 14 days in a row, then applies for production access, which Google reviews. Organization accounts are not subject to it. The current rule is on Google's Play Console Help page.
Plan for it from the start: line up the 12 testers before the first build is ready, and add them by Google account to the closed track. If you publish for a business, an organization account, which Google verifies with a D-U-N-S number, avoids the 14-day wait.
What are Google Play's testing tracks?
| Track | Who gets the build | Google review |
|---|---|---|
| Internal testing | Up to 100 testers you add by Google account | None |
| Closed testing | Testers you invite by email list or Google Group | Yes |
| Open testing | Anyone who joins from the Play listing | Yes |
| Production | Every Google Play user | Yes |
A release moves forward only, from internal to closed to open to production, and promoting to production publishes it to every user.
How long does Google Play review take?
The first review of a new app can take up to a week, and updates are usually reviewed in under a day. Internal testing builds skip review, so you can keep testing while the first production review runs.
How do you publish to Google Play from Vibely?
A Vibely mobile app is an Expo project, so EAS builds the App Bundle and eas submit uploads it. You connect Google Play once:
- In Google Cloud Console, create a service account and download its key as JSON: IAM, then Service Accounts, Keys, Add Key, JSON.
- In Play Console, give that service account access to your app so it can release builds.
- In your Vibely project, open Publish, choose Google Play and upload the JSON.
From then on the Publish panel builds the app, submits it to the track you pick, and follows the release until it actually appears there. A build that sits in draft or was halted is reported as that, not as a success, and promoting to production is always its own explicit click. The store listing, content rating and Data safety form stay in Play Console, because the Play Developer API cannot create them.
Publishing to Google Play is on the Lite, Pro and Business plans, and builds and submissions use no credits. For the iPhone side, the App Store publishing guide covers the same path.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to publish an app on Google Play?
$25 one-time, for the Google Play Console developer account. There is no yearly fee, and Google takes a share only of what the app sells.
Do I need 12 testers to publish on Google Play?
Only with a personal developer account created after November 13, 2023. Older personal accounts and organization accounts can release to production without the 14-day closed test.
Can I change my app's package name after publishing?
No. The package name is the app's permanent ID on Google Play. Changing it means publishing a new app with a new listing, so choose it before the first upload.
Why does the first upload have to be by hand?
The Play Developer API can only add builds to an app that already has one. Google requires the first App Bundle to go up through Play Console, once per app.
To get an app ready for Google Play, start a mobile app on Vibely, test it on your phone with Expo Go, then connect Google Play from the Publish panel.