Stay Informed

• Subscribe to the Newsletter and Android Blog

• Monitor Console inbox: Make sure you register using a corporate alias to receive communications

• Keep up on the latest Play Console Updates

• Review Android Developer Guidelines

• Learn more with Play Academy

• Ensure full compliance across all tracks (Internal, Beta, Production). 

• Address mandatory policies (Data security, account deletion, etc.).

• Additional resources:

  • Developer Policy Center

  • Troubleshoot Policy

  • Play Policy Bytes

  • Updates to Google Play Policies

• Contact us via Play Console

Development

• Use Android Studio & Tools and be Kotlin-first (Google’s preferred language for Android development)

• Create native UIs with Jetpack Compose UI

• Monitor stability (ANRs, crashes) via Android Vitals

• Optimize for accessibility

• Use Android App Bundles (.aab) to reduce size. Also see App Size Overview. 

  • Deliver features dynamically (on demand)
  • Deliver optimized and customized APKs to users with Dynamic Delivery 

• Optimize assets and dynamic-load non-essential modules

Release Planning

• Review launch planning overview

• Create high-quality promotional assets (e.g. app icons, badges, device artwork) using official guidelines, templates, and tools from our brand & marketing resources page

• Allow 14 days for review

• Publications and updates may take 7 days or more to go live 

• Use Managed Publishing to control release timing

• Avoid unnecessary changes during pending reviews

• Allow users to sign up for your app or game before it launches with pre-registration

• Run tests against your app consistently to verify your app's correctness, functional behavior, and usability

• Use pre-launch reports to spot issues before they affect your users, and test on a range of Android devices

• Use multi-tiered testing: Internal, Closed, and Open Beta tracks to gather feedback before production

• Gradually release major updates with staged rollouts

• Additional resources:

  • Test Track Management

  • Roll out a release

Store Listings

• Optimize store listing components (e.g. icons, screenshots, videos). See related Store Listing Best Practices.

• Use Custom Store Listings to tailor your listing by country, user or buyer state, search keyword, or campaign with unique URLs

• Run A/B tests on store listing assets (icon, video, text) to maximize install velocity

• Resource: Store Listing Experiments

• Use Promotional Content to highlight updates, or feature products and subscriptions directly on your store listing and across the Play Store

  • Create Promotional Content

• Enable users to click a URL and be taken directly to specific content within your app with Deep Linking

Note: Use of this feature is subject to eligibility

• Use In-App Review API for timely feedback

• Monitor reviews and respond to negative feedback

• Utilize push notifications, Material Design 3, and deep linking to maintain active users

• Encourage frequent interaction by using widgets to provide glanceable app content and direct access to features from a user’s home screen

• Use in-app updates to prompt active users to update to the latest version of your app

• Reduce friction in registration with Google Sign In

• Compare performance against peers

Revenue Streams

• Implement Google Play Billing 

• Offer subscriptions with grace periods and account holds to reduce churn

• Set country-specific prices for your app and in-app products

• Manage distribution to specific countries

• Learn more about pricing & distribution

• Offer users ongoing access to content or features for a recurring fee via subscriptions. Play Console provides tools to manage and grow your subscription business with:

• Offers and acquisition features

  • Introductory price and trials

  • Upgrade/downgrade

  • Offers and promotional codes

  • Offering payment via installments

• Retention/churn prevention features

  • Grace periods

  • Account holds

  • Real-time subscriber status notification (developers)

  • Temporary suspension of subscription

  • Restore a subscription

  • Pause a subscription

• Behavioral economics insights for user acquisition and retention