Prepare and roll out a release

Step 1: Create a release

A release is a combination of one or more app versions that you'll prepare to launch an app or roll out an app update. You can create a release on three different testing tracks or to production:

• Open testing: Open testing releases are available to testers on Google Play. Users can join tests from your store listing.
• Closed testing: Closed testing releases are available to a limited number of testers that you choose, who can test a pre-release version of your app and submit feedback.
• Internal testing: Internal testing releases are available to up to 100 testers that you choose.
• Production: Production releases are available to all Google Play users in your chosen countries.

Important:

• You must have the Release apps to testing tracks permission to create a new release.
• Developers with personal accounts created after November 13, 2023, must meet specific testing requirements before they can make their app available on Google Play. Read this Help Center article to learn more.
• You cannot create a new release when you have outstanding releases. Roll out any staged releases to 100%, or remove changes on the Publishing overview page and discard any unpublished releases first.

To start your release:

1. Open Play Console and go to the track you want to start your release on: 
   • Open testing (Testing > Open testing)
   • Closed testing (Testing > Closed testing)
     • Note: To create a release on an existing closed testing track, select Manage track. To create a new track, click Create track.
   • Internal testing (Testing > Internal testing)
   • Production
2. Near the top right of the page, click Create new release.
   • Note: If Create new release is disabled, you may have outstanding setup tasks to complete. These may be listed on the Dashboard page.

If you want to edit an existing release, you can go to the appropriate release page as listed in step 1 above, and click Edit release.

Tip: For more information on testing, go to set up an open, closed, or internal test.

Step 2: Prepare your app's release

1. Follow the on-screen instructions to prepare your release: 
   • If this is your first release for this app, follow the instructions to configure Play App Signing.
   • Add your app bundles.
     • Note: Apps created before August 2021 can add app bundles or APKs for app updates.
   • Optional: If this is the first time you’re creating a release, you have the option to change your app signing key. In the "App integrity" section, click Change app signing key. Before changing your key, understand that:
     • Internal and closed track users who already installed your app will no longer receive updates. These users will need to uninstall and reinstall the app to receive updates.
     • You will not be able to use any previously uploaded app versions. You will need to re-upload app versions.
   • Name your release. 
   • Enter release notes.
   • For more information on any of these fields, select the matching section heading under “Prepare” below.
2. To save any changes you make to your release, select Save as draft.
3. When you've finished preparing your release, select Next.

Note: Once you publish an app to an open track, its key is fixed.

Prepare

Select a section heading below for more information.

Step 3: Review and roll out your release

Prerequisite: Before you can roll out your release, make sure you've set up your app's store listing, prepared your app for review on the App content page, and set up your app’s prices. 

Important: When preparing your release, you may have the option to Save or Publish depending on whether or not the changes you made to your app need to be reviewed. Publishing will push your changes live immediately. Saving your changes will add them to the "Changes ready to send for review" on the Publishing overview page, where you can decide when you want to send the changes for review. Learn more about managing when changes go live.

Once you're ready to roll out your app:

1. Open Play Console and go to the Releases Overview page.
2. Next to the release you want to roll out, select the right arrow to open the Release details page. 
   • Tip: Use the search bar if you can’t find your release. 
3. In the “Release overview” section, select View release dashboard.
4. Select the Releases tab, then Edit.
5. Review your draft release, make any necessary additional changes, and select Next. You'll be taken to the "Preview and confirm" screen, where you can make sure there aren't any issues with your release before rolling it out to users.
6. If you see the heading “Errors summary” at the top of the page, click Show more to review the details and resolve any problems. 
   • Note: When available, you can also view the recommended or required resolution. You can’t publish your app until errors have been resolved. If you only have warnings, minor issues, or a combination of the two, then you can still publish your app, but we recommend addressing them before publishing.
7. If you're updating an existing app, select a rollout percentage.
   • If you're rolling out your first release, you won't see the option to select a rollout percentage.  
   • For details on how to target a staged rollout to specific countries, go to release app updates with staged rollouts.
8. Select Start rollout.
   • If you're rolling out your app's first release on production, clicking Start rollout to production will also publish your app to all Google Play users in the countries you selected.

Step 4: Review release details

Once you've created a release, you'll see the following information for the latest app release you rolled out to each track in a table under “Latest releases” on your Releases overview page.

• Release: Name to identify release in Play Console only, such as an internal code name or build version.
• Track: The track that the release has been rolled out to.
• Release status: The current status of your release.
• Last updated: A date and timestamp indicating the last rollout event for your release.
• Countries/regions: The number of countries/regions the last rollout of your release is available to. After you roll your app release to Production, Open testing, or a Closed testing track, you can target your release in each track to users in specific countries. Read this article to understand how to manage your app's availability in different countries/regions.

You can view more in-depth information by selecting the right arrow to open the release’s Release details page, which includes:

• Release overview: A set of metrics relating to your app's number of installs and updates, performance issues, and rating measured against previous releases.
• App bundles and APKs: A list of new, retained, and deactivated app bundles and APKs associated with your release.
• Release notes: A list of previous release notes.

• Rollout history: A timeline that shows timestamps for when your app's release was halted, resumed, or served to a new percentage of users.

Optional: Discard a release

If, during your release setup, you decide you no longer want to continue with your release, you can discard it. The process for discarding a release varies depending on the state of the release:

• Draft: Click Discard draft release near the top-right of the page. When you do this, you will lose the changes you made in this release.
• Ready to send for review: Click Discard release on the release summary. Your release will be removed from the Publishing overview page, and will not be included in changes to send for review.
• In review or Ready to publish: First, you must remove changes that are in review or ready to publish on Publishing overview. Once the changes are removed, you can click Discard release on the release summary.
• Rejected: Find your rejected release and click Discard release.
• Note: You can only discard the latest release on a track, including draft releases and releases that have recently been rejected.

Track and manage releases on your Releases overview page

If you’ve rolled out multiple releases, the Releases overview page (under “Release” in the left menu) helps you stay on top of all releases in one place. It’s a single location where you can monitor the availability of your apps across different tracks, view the countries/regions it’s available in, and select individual releases to view their specific details.

Track and manage app changes on the Publishing overview page

You can also use the Publishing overview page to control when certain changes to your app are sent for review and published. Learn more about the Publishing overview page.

Related content

• Discover more information on managing country availability across your app's production, open, and closed releases in Distribute app releases to specific countries.
• Get more information about testing in Set up an open, closed, or internal test.
• Learn more about releasing updates progressively with staged rollouts in the Academy for App Success.