How to Publish Your Android App on Google Play Store: A Step-by-Step Guide?

Personal accounts are ideal for individuals or small teams who are just starting out with app development. They're relatively easy to set up and require less information than organization accounts. However, there are some limitations, such as:

• Closed testing requirement: Before you can publish your app on Google Play, you must run a closed test with at least 20 testers for 14 days.

• Limited payment options: You can only accept payments through in-app purchases and subscriptions.

• No access to certain features: Some features, such as Google Play Developer API access, are only available to organization accounts.

Organization accounts are designed for businesses and larger teams with established structures and professional requirements. They offer more features and flexibility than personal accounts, such as:

• No closed testing requirement: You can publish your app without running a closed test.

• More payment options: You can accept payments through in-app purchases, subscriptions, and carrier billing.

• Access to all features: You have access to all of the features offered by Google Play Developer Console.                                                                                                      
  Here's a table that summarizes the key differences between personal and organization accounts:
  
  
  
  
  
  1. The required information to create a Play Console developer account to go through Google identity verification are different depending if you go for a Personal or Organization developer account. Organization accounts require a D-U-N-S Number.
  
  
  
  2. App testing requirements for Personal developer accounts: 
  Developers with personal accounts created after November 13, 2023, must meet specific testing requirements before they can make their app available on Google Play. Personal accounts must run a closed test before they can apply to publish their app to production. At least 20 testers must be opted-in to your closed test when you apply for production access. They must have been opted-in for the last 14 days continuously. 
  
  
  Only when this close test is finished, personal developer accounts will be able to submit their Android apps to be published to the Play Store.

Apply for access to production

Once you've met the closed testing requirements, you can apply for production access. To begin:

1. Go to the Dashboard.

2. Click Apply for production.

You must then answer the following questions about your closed test, your app, and its production readiness. These questions are divided into three sections:

• About your closed test

• About your app

• Production readiness
  
  

After you apply for access to production

After you've completed your request for access to production, Google will review your submission When the review is complete, Google will email the account owner with an update. This usually takes 7 days or less, but may occasionally take longer.

If your application is successful, you can access Production (Release > Production) and can make your app available to billions of users on Google Play when you think it's ready. You can also use Open testing (Release > Testing > Open testing). We recommend testing your app extensively before publishing it to production and routinely testing any future updates you make.

Google takes in average a few days to review your Android app: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859751

You’ll receive a notification on your app's Google Play Dashboard about how long this should take.  

You can see your app's latest publishing status under the title and package name when you select your app in the Play Console.

To register for a Google Play Developer account, follow the Appypie instructions below:

 https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859751

All the steps below are mandatory; to proceed to the next step, the previous one must be completed successfully
Creating a Google Play Developer account and Verify the account:  Up to 2 business days longer in exceptional cases*

 App submission and review process:  Up to 7 days or longer in exceptional cases*

The review and approval process typically takes 3-7 days to complete, during which time your app is thoroughly reviewed against the Play Store guidelines. It’s important to monitor the status of your app’s review from the Google Developer Console during this time. You can learn more about the different statuses your app may encounter during the review process: Click here for the different situations.

How long does Google Play app testing take in 2023?   At least two weeks* 

After completing the closed testing phase with a minimum of 20 testers in the Google Play Console, you can proceed with the next steps in the app release process. Here's a general overview of what typically happens:

Submit for Production:

Once you have successfully completed the closed testing phase with at least 20 testers for a minimum of two weeks, you can submit your app for production.

Production Review:   Usually takes 7 days or less, but may occasionally take longer*

Your app will undergo a production review by the Google Play team. This review ensures that your app complies with Google Play policies and guidelines for apps available to the wider public.

Approval or Feedback:

Google Play will review your app, and you will receive an email notification indicating whether your app has been approved for release or if there are any issues that need to be addressed.

Addressing Feedback (if required):

If there are issues identified during the production review, you may need to address them before your app can be approved for public release.

Public Release:

Upon approval, your app will be published on the public listings of the Google Play Store, and users worldwide will be able to discover, download, and install it.

*Remember:

Always keep an eye on the "Publishing Overview" and "Policy status" sections within the Play Console for updates on your app's review process.

You can find detailed information about Google Play app testing and review processes in the Play Developer Guide: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/?hl=en

If you need any further assistance, you can visit appypie.com and use the chat window located at the bottom right corner of the page to communicate with our chat representative and share your app name. Our chat representative will assist you with the process.