Chapter 6: Publishing Your Android Application PDF

Kingdom of Saudi ‫المملكة العربية‬ Arabia ‫السعودية‬ Ministry of ‫وزارة التعليم‬ education ‫جامعة القصيم‬ Qassim University ‫الكلية التطبيقية‬...

Kingdom of Saudi ‫المملكة العربية‬ Arabia ‫السعودية‬ Ministry of ‫وزارة التعليم‬ education ‫جامعة القصيم‬ Qassim University ‫الكلية التطبيقية‬ Applied College Chapter 6: Publishing Your Android Application Dr. Brahim ISSAOUI 1  Prepare your app for release Preparing your app for release is a multistep process involving the following tasks: Configure your app for release. At a minimum, you need to make sure that logging is disabled and removed and that your release variant has debuggable false for Groovy or isDebuggable = false for Kotlin script set. You should also set your app's version information. Build and sign a release version of your app. You can use the Gradle build files with the release build type to build and sign a release version of your app. For more information, see Build and run your app. 2 ITCC 205  Prepare your app for release Test the release version of your app. Before you distribute your app, you should thoroughly test the release version on at least one target handset device and one target tablet device. Firebase Test Lab is useful for testing across a variety of devices and configurations. Because the user is involved in selecting the files or directories that your app can access, this mechanism doesn't require any system permissions, and user control and privacy is enhanced. Additionally, these files, which are stored outside of an app-specific directory and outside of the media store, remain on the device after your app is uninstalled. Update app resources for release. Make sure that all app resources, such as multimedia files and graphics, are updated and included with your app or staged on the proper production servers. Prepare remote servers and services that your app depends on. If your app depends on external servers or services, make sure they are secure 3 and production ready. ITCC 205  Prepare your app for release You might need to perform several other tasks as part of the preparation process. For example, you need to create an account on the app marketplace you want to use, if you don't already have one. You also need to create an icon for your app, and you might want to prepare an End User License Agreement (EULA) to protect yourself, your organization, and your intellectual property. To learn how to prepare your app for release, see Prepare for release for step- by-step instructions for configuring and building a release version of your app. When you are finished preparing your app for release, you have a signed APK file that you can distribute to users. 4 ITCC 205  Release your app to users You can release your Android apps several ways. Typically, you release apps through an app marketplace such as Google Play. You can also release apps on your own website or by sending an app directly to a user. 5 ITCC 205  Release through an app marketplace If you want to distribute your apps to the broadest possible audience, release them through an app marketplace. Google Play is the premier marketplace for Android apps and is particularly useful if you want to distribute your apps to a large global audience. However, you can distribute your apps through any app marketplace, and you can use multiple marketplaces. 6 ITCC 205  Release your apps on Google Play Google Play is a robust publishing platform that helps you publicize, sell, and distribute your Android apps to users around the world. When you release your apps through Google Play, you have access to a suite of developer tools that let you analyze your sales, identify market trends, and control who your apps are being distributed to. Google Play also gives you access to several revenue-enhancing features such as in-app billing and app licensing. The rich array of tools and features, coupled with numerous end-user community features, makes Google Play the premier marketplace for selling and buying Android apps. 7 ITCC 205  Release your apps on Google Play Releasing your app on Google Play is a simple process that involves three basic steps: Prepare promotional materials. To fully leverage the marketing and publicity capabilities of Google Play, you need to create promotional materials for your app such as screenshots, videos, graphics, and promotional text. 8 ITCC 205  Release your apps on Google Play Configure options and uploading assets. Google Play lets you target your app to a worldwide pool of users and devices. By configuring various Google Play settings, you can choose the countries you want to reach, the listing languages you want to use, and the price you want to charge in each country. You can also configure listing details such as the app type, category, and content rating. When you are done configuring options, you can upload your promotional materials and your app as a draft app. Publish the release version of your app. If you are satisfied that your publishing settings are correctly configured and your uploaded app is ready to be released to the public, click Publish. Once it has passed Google Play review, your app will be live and available for download around the world. 9 ITCC 205  Release through a website If you don't want to release your app on a marketplace like Google Play, you can make the app available for download on your own website or server, including on a private or enterprise server. To release through a website: Prepare your app for release. Host the release-ready APK file on your website. Provide a download link to users. When users browse to the download link from their Android-powered devices, the file is downloaded and the Android system automatically starts installing it on the device. 1 0 ITCC 205  User opt-in for unknown apps and sources Android protects users from inadvertent download and installation of apps from locations other than a trusted, first-party app store, such as Google Play. Android blocks such installs until the user opts into allowing the installation of apps from other sources. The opt-in process depends on the version of Android running on the user's device: On devices running Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher, users must navigate to the Install unknown apps system settings screen to enable app installations from a particular source. On devices running Android 7.1.1 (API level 25) and lower, users must either enable the Unknown sources system setting or allow a single installation of an unknown app. 1 1 ITCC 205  Install unknown apps On devices running Android 8.0 (API level 26) and higher, users must grant permission to install apps from a source that isn't a first-party app store. To do so, they must enable the Allow app installs setting for that source within the Install unknown apps system settings screen, shown in figure 1. Figure 1. The Install unknown apps system settings screen, where users grant permission for a particular source to install unknown apps. 1 2 ITCC 205  Unknown sources To permit the installation of apps from non-first-party sources on devices running Android 7.1.1 (API level 25) and lower, users enable the Unknown sources setting in Settings > Security, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. The Unknown sources setting determines whether users can install apps that aren't downloaded from Google Play. When users attempt to install an unknown app on a device running Android 7.1.1 (API level 25) or lower, the system sometimes shows a dialog that asks the user whether they want to allow only one particular unknown app to be installed. In most cases, it is recommended that users allow only one unknown app installation at a time, if the option is available. In either case, users need to make this configuration change before they can download and install unknown apps onto their devices. 1 3 ITCC 205