Publishing Apps at Google Play is easy but it takes a lot of time for an app to get publicly visible and available for download. Hence publishing or updating apps on Google Play in minutes is actually not possible.
Things you will be needing to publish your Android App on Google Play:
- An Android Application
- A Google Play Developer Account
- $25 USD Registration Fee Via Google Wallet
- A Google Wallet Merchant Account (If you are planning to sell priced apps, in-app products or subscriptions etc)
How To Start With Google Play App Publishing?
To start you will be needing a Google Account and Google Wallet, you can create one on the go (during the registration process).
- Visit the Google Play Developer Console.
- Type in your basic information. It asks you about your developer identity like your name, email address. (The information can easily be modified later.)
- You will be needing to accept the Developer Distribution Agreement for your region.
- Then it asks you to pay a $25 USD registration fee using your Google Wallet. Pay the amount.
After payment is made, it takes about 48 hours for your registration to get verified but it provides you access to Google Developer Console so that in the mean time you can upload and organize your apps, information & screenshots etc.
When your registration is verified, Google sends you a notification on the email address you entered during registration process. Now you can publish your apps online on Google Play.
How To Publish An App On Google Play?
From Google Play Developer Console page, navigate to ‘All Applications‘ screen and click ‘+ Add new application‘ button to upload your app’s .APK file.
Add the required information like:
- You app’s title (max 30 characters).
- Your app’s description in max. 4000 characters.
- High-res icon, 512 x 512 32-bit PNG (with alpha).
- At least 2 screenshots are required overall (you can add maximum 8 screenshots per device type i.e. you can upload images for “Phone”, “7-inch tablet” and “10-inch tablet”).
- It requires screenshots in JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha). Minimum length for any side is 320px & Maximum length for any side is 3840px.
After submitting all required information, save the app to publish your changes.
It takes a few hours for any application to appear in store listing and become available for download.
How To Update An App On Google Play?
For editing an app, simply upload a new version of your edited application (i.e. your app’s .APK file) and save the changes. Again it takes some time for edits to go online at Google Play.