Deploying Your PWA App to the Google Play Store

This guide will walk you through the process of preparing and submitting your Trusted Web Activity (TWA) application to the Google Play Store for public release.

Before You Begin: Prerequisites

Before you can publish your app, you'll need the following:

A Google Play Developer Account: This is required to publish apps on Google Play. There is a one-time registration fee. If you don't have one, you can sign up on the Google Play Developer Console.
Your Signed App File: The bubblewrap build command generated a file named app-release-signed.apk. While this is a signed app, Google Play now strongly recommends and, in many cases, requires you to upload your app as an Android App Bundle (.aab file).
Completed Store Listing Information: You will need to prepare various assets and text for your app's store listing.

Step 1: Re-build Your App as an Android App Bundle (.aab)

While you have an .apk file, the modern and recommended format for publishing on Google Play is the Android App Bundle. It allows for smaller, more optimized downloads for your users.

To create an .aab file using Bubblewrap, run the build command with the --aab flag:

bubblewrap build --aab

This will generate a file named app-release.aab in your project directory. This is the file you will upload to the Play Console.

Step 2: Prepare Your Store Listing Assets

Gather all the necessary information and assets for your app's page on the Google Play Store. This is crucial for attracting users. You will need:

App Name and Descriptions:
App Name: (Up to 30 characters)
Short Description: (Up to 80 characters) A brief summary of your app.
Full Description: (Up to 4000 characters) A detailed description of your app's features and benefits.
Graphical Assets:
App Icon: (512px by 512px, 32-bit PNG with alpha) This is the icon that will appear on the user's device and in the Play Store.
Feature Graphic: (1024px by 500px, JPEG or 24-bit PNG without alpha) This is displayed at the top of your store listing.
Screenshots: You must provide at least two screenshots of your app. These can be taken from your phone or an emulator. They should showcase the user experience within your Eventfinity event.
Categorization:
Application Type: (App or Game)
Category: Choose the most appropriate category for your event app (e.g., Entertainment, Productivity, etc.).

Step 3: Create Your Application in the Play Console

Go to the Google Play Console.
Click on the "Create app" button.
Fill out the initial details for your app, such as the app name, default language, and whether it's an app or a game. Agree to the declarations.
Click "Create app". This will take you to your app's dashboard.

Step 4: Complete the App Setup and Store Listing

In your app's dashboard, you will see a series of guided steps under the "Main store listing" or a similar setup checklist. You must complete all of these sections.

Set up your app: This section includes tasks like:
App access: Specify if parts of your app are restricted (e.g., require a login). Provide login credentials if necessary so Google can review your app.
Content ratings: You will need to complete a questionnaire to determine the age rating for your app.
Target audience and content: Specify the target age group for your app.
Data safety: This is a mandatory section. You must declare what user data your app collects, how it's used, and whether it's shared. Be thorough and accurate here.
Privacy Policy: You must provide a link to a valid privacy policy.
Main Store Listing:
Go to the "Grow" menu on the left and select "Store presence" > "Main store listing".
Enter the app name, descriptions, and upload all the graphical assets you prepared in Step 2.

Step 5: Upload Your App Bundle and Create a Release

This is where you will upload your app-release.aab file.

In the left-hand menu, go to "Release" > "Production".
Click "Create new release".
App Signing by Google Play: You will likely be prompted to enroll in "Play App Signing". This is highly recommended. Google will manage your app signing key, which is more secure. When you used Bubblewrap, it generated an upload key for you. You will use this to sign your app bundle for upload, and Google will then use the app signing key to deliver the final APK to users.
Upload: Drag and drop your app-release.aab file into the "App bundles" section.
Release Name: The release name will be automatically generated, but you can change it if needed.
Release Notes: Add release notes describing what's new in this version of your app.
Click "Save" at the bottom of the page.

Step 6: Review and Roll Out

After saving your release, you will be taken back to the release summary page.

Click "Review release". The Play Console will show you any warnings or errors that you need to address before you can publish.
If there are no errors, you can proceed. Click on the "Start rollout to Production" button.

Your app status will now change to "In review." The Google Play team will review your app to ensure it complies with all their policies. This review process can take anywhere from a few hours to several days.

Once your app is approved, it will be published and will become available on the Google Play Store. You will receive a notification when your app is live.

Congratulations, you have successfully deployed your app!