Publishing first Android app to the Google Play Store is exciting and it can be confusing process at the same time. There is a quick guide to the steps in this article for Publishing Android App that you should take. This is hopefully going to help you to publish your first app. After you have tested your app you have to perform two main tasks Prepare your app for the release and Publish android app on the Google Play Store. Publishing is the last step in the android development process before that you have to test your app and fulfill all the release criteria.
- STEP 1: Prepare your App for Publication:
- STEP2: Publishing Application on the Google Play:
- STEP 3: Google Licensing Service:
- STEP 4: APK Expansion files:
STEP 1: Prepare your App for Publication
After the coding and testing your app in Xarmin.Android Application. To release your app you have to prepare package. Preparing for the release involves the following steps:
1. Compile For Release
The first step is to compile the Xarmin.Adroid Application .This involves setting the attributes of your application.
1.1 Disable Debugging:
Java Debug Wire Protocol is important during the development it impose some security issues in the releases applications. So disable the debug state. To do this Set android:debuggable to false inside the Android manifest or simply add the conditional compile statement to AssemblyInfo.cs:
#if RELEASE
[assembly: Application(Debuggable=false)]
#else
[assembly: Application(Debuggable=true)]
#endif
1.2 Specify The Application Icon: The aaplication should specify an icon otherwise it is not published.
Add in the file Properties\AssemblyInfo.cs, [assembly: Application(Icon = “@drawable/ic_launcher”)]
Or Use the icons property tab to specify the icons.
1.3 Versioning
You have to set attributes versions code and number of your application to maintain and distribute your application
Set under project options. Build-Android applications tab.
1.4 Configure the Linker:
The linker is going to remove all the unused assemblies, types, and members that are not referenced that result in an important reduction in the package size.
The linking option is set under project properties in build section.
There are three linker controls:
• No link: No linking
• Link SDK Assemblies: Linking SDK Assemblies required by Xarmin.Android
• Link All Assemblies: Linking all Assemblies required by the application.
1.5 Compile:
After configuring the linker compile the application. Ready and is found in bin/Release. One signed APK and one unsigned APK will be created by the Release builds.
2. Create Private Key:
The Key store is database of security certificates required for the publications. The key store is also required to sign the applications. It is necessary that keystore is protected if lost you can’t post updates.Use command line tool from the Java SDK
$ keytool -genkey -v -keystore .keystore -alias -keyalg RSA keysize 2048 -validity 10000
After that it is going to ask the password enter the password of keystore and the information asked. To list all the key in the keystore use this $ keytool -list -keystore xample.keystore
3. Signing the APK:
To sign APK in Xamarin Studio some series of steps are to be followed from build to release.
Select Project. Publish Android Application menu items.
Then use the key selections dialogue box to select an key and provide the password.
Now you have to give name to the APK also specify the directory in the select destination tab.
APK is compiled .Sign it and also run the Zipalgin tool.Now your APK is ready for the distribution.
4. Zipalgin APK
Zipalgin tool is use for the optimization of the APK .This tool is going to restructure the recourses in an APK along the 4 byte boundries.To run an APK is necessary to Zipalgin an App. Use this command to zipalgin an application.
$ zipalign -f -v 4 mono.samples.helloworld-Signed.apk helloworld.apk
STEP 2: Publishing Application on the Google Play:
1. Become Publisher:
To publish an app on the Play Store publisher account must be created. Sign up for the publisher account, it cost your onetime fee of $25 https://play.google.com/apps/publish.
2. Prepare Promotional Assets:
To effectively promote the application the Google allows the developers to submit promotional assets.
• Launcher Icons: 32 bit PNG with alpha channel.
• Screenshots: 24 bit PNG or JPG with no alpha channel.
• Promotional Graphics:180w x 120h 24 bit PNG or JPG with no alpha channel
• Feature Graphics: 1024w x 500h PNG or JPG with no alpha channel and no transparency.
• Video Links
3. Uploading the APK:
After signing in you are taken to Android Developers Console.There appears an Upload Application button. Clicking on this button is going to initiate the process of distributing. Now upload the APK you have to distribution.
Now the process of uploading application is initialized.
If there is any APK expansion file required to run upload by clicking Add file.Once you have uploaded the APK it is going to be saved as drafts it is not published until some details are not provided to Google Play. The page of the product details is divided in several sections to capture the information’s.
• Upload Assets:
Populate the boxes and the image fields with required information. In this portion upload assets you have to specify all promotional assets like icons, screenshots and graphics. After providing all the details publish it or Save it.
• Listing Details:
If you publish the dialogue box appears which asks you about publishing option details regarding the pricing, copy protection, rating, distribution. To see listing of your app go to Listing Details. In this portion you have to specify the language, category and the type, little description and the titles.
• Contact Information
Here provide the information such as publishers name, id.
• Consent:
The Consent is obligatory portion used to declare that the app meets the Android Content Guidelines and acknowledgements. You have to tick it.
STEP 3: Google Licensing Service:
The Google Licensing Service is network service that is going to determine that application is licensed to run on the device. The Google Play provides key to the developers, Package name and IMSI number. The internet access is necessary for the functionality. The application makes requests to service hosted by Google Play application. Than it send requests to the server that return the status.
STEP 4: APK Expansion files:
Some application requires the extra resources in 50 MB android app size limits to overcome such issues. Google Play hosts two types of expansion files primary and the main expansions file.
Download Process
The expansion files should be downloaded and saved along with the APK at the time the application is installed. So when the application starts you have to see that all the appropriates expansion files are on the device if the expansion files are not present you have to make the requests to the Google Play Applications Licensing. The process that is required is:
I hope this article is going to help you a lot. If you have any kind of issues during the submission process of your app to the Google Play refer to the link https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/
After publishing android app, you need to promote and advertise your app. We are also providing free and paid promotion services. Head over to app promotion page to submit your app review and select most suitable package.
