We’re here to help make your app publishing experience on Google Play as smooth as possible. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, these tips should help you avoid the most common pitfalls that developers often encounter when publishing an app for the first time.
Be clear and comprehensive with your store listing information
Include a clear and comprehensive description in your store listing. This will make your app easier for users to find, while also helping us to quickly understand your app during the review process. Even if your app functionality seems obvious, we recommend that you write more than a single word or sentence. Be descriptive and clearly explain what your app does, why it's valuable, and what users can expect when they install it. If your store listing contains misleading, non-descriptive, irrelevant, excessive, or inappropriate information, it may be rejected per our Metadata policy. Learn more about how to write high-quality app descriptions.
Make sure your app delivers what it promises
Your store listing information, including any screenshots and images, should accurately reflect the functionality of your app. During the app review process, if we notice a discrepancy between what is promised in your store listing and what your app actually delivers (for example, if a feature described in your store listing is not present in your app), it may be rejected. Do not include any information or images from your store listing that may be misleading to users.
Provide login information to help us review your app
If your app or parts of your app are restricted based on login credentials and other sign-in details, make sure to provide an active demo account, valid login information, and any other resources needed for Google Play to review your app, as described in our Play Console Requirements. Otherwise, we won’t be able to review your app, and your app may be rejected. For more information, review our free e-learning course on Login Credentials before submitting your app.
Ensure that your app works properly and try test tracks
To provide users with the best experience on Google Play, it’s important that apps install and load properly. Our policy requires apps to deliver a stable, engaging, and responsive user experience — meaning they load correctly, respond quickly, and do not crash. To help new developers achieve this, we require them to thoroughly test their apps with a variety of users before submission. Per our Broken Functionality policy, we will reject apps that do not function as expected, so we recommend testing your app thoroughly before submitting to make sure that everything works as intended. You can view crashes and application not responding (ANR) errors in Play Console to check for app stability. We also recommend using test tracks, which are pre-release channels that allow you to distribute your app to selected or wider groups of testers before launching it publicly. Test tracks can help you get valuable feedback, discover bugs, and refine your app before a full-scale release. By catching issues early, you can help prevent your app from getting rejected multiple times, since multiple rejections may lead to your app getting suspended.
If your app gets rejected, fix the issue and resubmit
If your app gets rejected, you can fix the issue and try again by submitting an updated version of your app. We recommend that you complete comprehensive testing to make sure that the issue is resolved before re-submitting your app. You can always review the complete list of our Developer Program Policies in the Developer Policy Center, take free e-learning policy courses with Google Play Academy, or visit the Google Play Developer Help Community, our online forum where you can ask questions and get help from other developers and certified Google Product Experts.
To summarize, here's your quick checklist for a smooth app publishing experience:
- Describe your app clearly: Detail its functionality and benefits in your store listing.
- Deliver what you promise: Your app must deliver what the description says it will.
- Provide login details: If your app requires them, provide details to our review team.
- Test thoroughly: Submit a polished, bug-free app. Use test tracks to catch issues.
- Resubmit or reach out: If your app gets rejected, revise and resubmit.