How to Publish Your App on Google Play
Getting an Android app onto Google Play, end to end — including the closed-testing requirement that catches most first-time publishers.
Step by step
Describe the app you want
Describe your app to the Brainbaby App Builder and iterate until the preview matches what you had in mind. The same project targets both Android and iOS, so nothing here is Android-only work.
Test it on a real Android device
Run it on your own phone before packaging. Android's back gesture, keyboard behaviour and screen sizes vary far more than iOS, and that variance is where most first releases fall over.
Create a Google Play Console account
A one-off $25 registration, considerably cheaper than Apple's yearly fee. Personal accounts now require identity verification, so allow time for it.
Export your store-ready project
Brainbaby exports the Expo project with the Android package name and eas.json build profiles already set. The package name is permanent once published — changing it later means shipping a different app.
Build a signed App Bundle
Run `eas build --platform android`. Google requires an AAB rather than an APK for new apps, and EAS produces and signs one for you, managing the upload key so you do not have to store a keystore yourself.
Run closed testing first
New personal developer accounts must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 continuous days before production access is granted. Plan for it — this is the requirement that surprises people, and no amount of finished code shortens it.
Complete the store listing
Title, short and full description, feature graphic, screenshots, content rating questionnaire, and the Data safety form. Data safety must match what your app genuinely collects; mismatches are found and they hold up the release.
Roll out to production
Publish to a staged rollout rather than everyone at once, so a crash reaches a small percentage first. Google's review is usually faster than Apple's, though a first submission can take several days.