Jetpack Compose Tutorial #25: Publishing Your App to Google Play

This is it — the final tutorial.

You built a complete task manager app with Jetpack Compose, Room, Hilt, Navigation, MVI, animations, and adaptive layouts. Now let’s put it in the hands of real users.

Before You Publish — Checklist

Make sure your app is ready:

• App works — test every feature on a real device
• No crashes — check Logcat for errors
• Dark mode works — test both themes
• Different screen sizes — test on phone and tablet
• Keyboard handling — forms work with keyboard visible
• Proguard/R8 — release build compiles and runs
• App icon — custom icon (not the default green Android)
• App name — set in strings.xml

Step 1: Generate a Signing Key

Every app on Google Play must be signed. This proves the app comes from you.

Using Android Studio

1. Build → Generate Signed Bundle/APK
2. Click Create new… under Key store path
3. Fill in:
   • Key store path: /path/to/your-keystore.jks
   • Password: (choose a strong password)
   • Alias: release
   • Key password: (can be same as store password)
   • Validity: 25 years
   • First and Last name: your name
4. Click OK

Using Command Line

keytool -genkey -v \
  -keystore release-keystore.jks \
  -keyalg RSA \
  -keysize 2048 \
  -validity 9125 \
  -alias release

CRITICAL: Back up your keystore file and passwords. If you lose them, you can never update your app. Store them in a password manager.

Step 2: Configure Signing in Gradle

Create a keystore.properties file in your project root (add to .gitignore!):

# keystore.properties — NEVER commit this file
storeFile=../release-keystore.jks
storePassword=your_store_password
keyAlias=release
keyPassword=your_key_password

Update app/build.gradle.kts:

// Load keystore properties
val keystoreProperties = Properties()
val keystoreFile = rootProject.file("keystore.properties")
if (keystoreFile.exists()) {
    keystoreProperties.load(keystoreFile.inputStream())
}

android {
    signingConfigs {
        create("release") {
            storeFile = file(keystoreProperties["storeFile"] as String)
            storePassword = keystoreProperties["storePassword"] as String
            keyAlias = keystoreProperties["keyAlias"] as String
            keyPassword = keystoreProperties["keyPassword"] as String
        }
    }

    buildTypes {
        release {
            isMinifyEnabled = true  // Shrink and optimize
            isShrinkResources = true  // Remove unused resources
            proguardFiles(
                getDefaultProguardFile("proguard-android-optimize.txt"),
                "proguard-rules.pro"
            )
            signingConfig = signingConfigs.getByName("release")
        }
    }
}

Add to .gitignore:

keystore.properties
*.jks

Step 3: Build the Release AAB

Google Play requires AAB (Android App Bundle), not APK:

./gradlew bundleRelease

The AAB file is at: app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

Test the Release Build

# Build and install the release version
./gradlew installRelease

# Or build an APK for testing
./gradlew assembleRelease

Test the release build on a real device. Make sure:

• Proguard didn’t break anything
• All features work
• Performance is good

Step 4: Create Your Google Play Developer Account

1. Go to play.google.com/console
2. Pay the one-time $25 registration fee
3. Verify your identity (takes 1-3 business days)
4. Accept the Developer Distribution Agreement

Step 5: Create the App Listing

In the Play Console:

App Details

Graphics

Taking Good Screenshots

# Take a screenshot from the emulator
adb exec-out screencap -p > screenshot_1.png

# Take on a specific resolution for Play Store
# Use a Pixel 6 emulator (1080x2400) for phone shots
# Use a Pixel Tablet emulator for tablet shots

Tips for screenshots:

• Show the app in action (not empty states)
• Show different features in different screenshots
• Include both light and dark mode shots
• Add text overlays describing features (use Figma or Canva)

Content Rating

Fill out the content rating questionnaire. For a task manager:

• No violence, no gambling, no adult content
• Result: typically Everyone rating

Privacy Policy

Required for all apps. Create a simple privacy policy:

Your app name does not collect any personal data.
All tasks are stored locally on your device.
No data is sent to external servers.

Host it as a page on your website or use a free privacy policy generator.

Step 6: Upload the AAB

1. In Play Console → Production → Create new release
2. Upload your app-release.aab file
3. Add release notes: “Initial release — task manager with categories, priorities, search, and dark mode”
4. Click Review release
5. Click Start rollout to Production

Review Process

Google reviews your app. This takes 1-7 days for new apps. They check for:

• Policy violations (content, permissions, data collection)
• Technical issues (crashes, ANR)
• Metadata accuracy (screenshots match the app)

Step 7: After Publishing

Monitor Your App

In Play Console:

• Crashes & ANRs — check daily for the first week
• Reviews — respond to user feedback
• Statistics — track installs, uninstalls, ratings

Update Your App

To publish an update:

1. Increment versionCode and versionName in build.gradle.kts:

defaultConfig {
    versionCode = 2        // Must be higher than previous
    versionName = "1.1"    // What users see
}

2. Build a new AAB: ./gradlew bundleRelease
3. Upload to Play Console → Production → Create new release

What to Expect

Don’t expect thousands of downloads on day one. Organic growth takes months. To accelerate:

• Share on social media
• Write about it on your blog
• Ask friends to install and review
• Optimize your listing (ASO — App Store Optimization)

Version Management

// build.gradle.kts
defaultConfig {
    // versionCode — integer, must increase with every update
    // Google Play rejects uploads with same or lower versionCode
    versionCode = 1

    // versionName — string, shown to users
    // Follow semver: major.minor.patch
    versionName = "1.0.0"
}

CI/CD with GitHub Actions

Automate your release builds:

# .github/workflows/release.yml
name: Build Release

on:
  push:
    tags: ['v*']

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Build Release AAB
        run: ./gradlew bundleRelease
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}
          SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD }}

      - name: Upload AAB
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: release-aab
          path: app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

Tag a release → GitHub Actions builds → download AAB → upload to Play Console.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Losing the Keystore

❌ "I lost my keystore file" → You can NEVER update your app
✅ Back up keystore + passwords in a password manager

Mistake 2: Not Testing Release Build

❌ "Debug works fine, release crashes"
   → Proguard removes classes it thinks are unused
✅ Always install and test the release build before uploading

Mistake 3: Wrong Screenshot Sizes

❌ Screenshots rejected by Play Console
✅ Phone: 1080x1920 minimum. Use a Pixel emulator.

Mistake 4: Missing Privacy Policy

❌ App rejected: "Missing privacy policy"
✅ Create one, host it online, link in Play Console

Congratulations!

You did it. From “Hello World” to publishing a real app on Google Play.

In 25 tutorials, you learned:

You are now a Jetpack Compose developer. Go build something.

The Complete Series

View all 25 tutorials →

Source Code

View the complete project on GitHub →

What’s Next?

The Jetpack Compose series is complete. But your learning continues:

• KMP Tutorial Series — share your code with iOS
• AI Coding Tools — build faster with AI
• Why Learn Rust — expand to systems programming
• Jetpack Compose Cheat Sheet — quick reference for every component and modifier.

Happy coding.