Deploying applications to the
playstore
Harun Wangereka
Android Developer @ Apps:Lab
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With over 1 billion monthly active users,
Google Play is arguably one of the largest
platforms for distributing, promoting, and
selling Android apps.
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Release your app to playstore
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Wait, before release lets…..
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...prepare our app for release
...here is a checklist
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Add analytics to your app
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Enable minification/shrink of resources
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Reduce your apk/bundle size
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Use Android App Bundles
Benefits for using Android App Bundles
● Stop Managing Multiple APKs
● Benefit from a smaller app in terms of size
● Delivery features on demand, not on install
● Enable modules to run instantly, without install
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Add a crash reporting library
...we have Firebase Crashlytics to the rescue
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Turn off logging and debugging
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Make you app speak several languages
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Better error messages
“Unable to parse json response” This is deprecated
Ooops something went wrong!
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Test your app on different OS versions and
different devices sizes
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Test your app from the security perspective
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Provide proper feedback channels
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Perform in depth performance audit
“Remember a tiny leak can sink a large ship”
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Steps for publishing your application
● Create a play store developer account
● Select Create App where you add :
a. App Name
b. Default Language
c. App or Game
d. Free or Paid
e. Declarations
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● Content of the App
○ App Access
○ Ads
○ Content Rating
○ Target Audience
● How App is organized and Presented
○ App category and contact Details
○ Store Listing
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● Create a release
○ Production
○ Beta
○ Alpha
○ Internal Testing
○ Internal App Sharing
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● Publish your app
○ Select country and regions
○ Create new relese/Select a release
○ Review And Rollout
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“If you follow all the steps above correctly, you’re
all set to successfully publish your app. But you
can’t sit back and relax just yet. Your work has only
just begun.”
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my app is published….
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Do A/B Testing for your app
A/B testing helps you test improvements to your app on a subset of your
users so you can use data to choose the best solution for your entire user
base.
What can we A/B Test?
1. App Icon
2. Feature Graphic
3. Screenshots
4. Promo Video
5. Short description
6. Long Description
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Setup merchant account...
Now that we have merchant account support in Kenya, take
advantage of this opportunity and build apps that users have
to pay.
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Reviews
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Developer who had thought that their app was flawless
Received the dreaded 1-Star
review
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Dealing with 1-star reviews
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Case Study
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..the famous works for me case
Avoid this...
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Do this instead
..always thank them for their 1-star Review!
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..of apps suspensions and account banning
BANNED
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Follow all Google Play
Store Policies to the
letter!
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Policies to watch out for
● Calls/SMS Permissions
● Content Type
● Data Related Policies (GDPR Compliance)
● Target Audience - Apps meant for families/children
● Ads
● Background Location Permission NEW
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Policies to watch out for
● Impersonation and Intellectual Properties
● Privacy, Data Security and Deception
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Other things to do
● Setup Continuous Integration and Continuous
Deployment(CI/CD)
● Logs and Analytics
● Make your app Accessible
● Write tests for your apps
○ UI Tests
○ Unit Testing