How to use Play Console

Register for a Google Play Developer account

To publish Android apps on Google Play, you'll need to create a Google Play Developer account.

Step 1: Sign up for a Google Play Developer account

Step 2: Accept the Developer Distribution Agreement

Step 3: Pay registration fee

There is a US$25 one-time registration fee that you can pay with the following credit or debit cards:

  • MasterCard
  • Visa
  • American Express
  • Discover (the U.S. only)
  • Visa Electron (Outside of the U.S. only)

Note: Prepaid cards are not accepted. The types of cards accepted may vary by location.

Step 4: Complete your account details

  1. Select your developer account type.
  2. Complete all the fields for your chosen account type.
    • For a personal account, you must provide the following information:
      • Developer name, which is displayed to customers on Google Play
      • Contact name
      • Contact email address, which must be verified
      • Contact address
      • Contact phone number in international format, which must be verified
      • Website

        Phone numbers in international format begin with a plus (+) sign, followed by the country code, the area code, and the phone number:

        +(Country code)(Area code)(Phone number)

        Examples: +14155552671, +441234567890

    • For an organization account, you must provide the following information:
      • Developer name, which is displayed to customers on Google Play
      • Organization name
      • Organization address
      • Organization phone number, which must be verified
      • Organization website
      • Contact name
      • Contact email address, which must be verified
        • Tip: We will use this to contact you about your account. We recommend using an email address associated with your organization, not a personal email address. For more tips, we included contact information best practices in our Help Center.
      • Contact phone number in international format
  3. Accept the Terms.
  4. Create your account.
  5. Learn how to verify your contact details.

 You can add more account information after you've created your account.

Note: To process your request for a Play Developer account you may be asked for a valid government ID and a credit card, both under your legal name. If this information is determined to be invalid, your registration fee will not be refunded.

Develop Android apps

You can learn how to design, develop, and distribute your Android apps on Google through the helpful links below:

  • Android Developers
  • Google Play Developer Policy Center
  • Training for Android Developers
  • DevBytes on YouTube

Use the Play Console

Once you've selected an app, here are the navigation items, categories, and pages you'll find in each:

  • Dashboard: Your app's dashboard will guide you through all the most important steps to get your app available on Google Play, and show key metrics after you've launched.
  • Inbox: All your messages from Google Play Console are shown here.
  • Statistics: View customizable, detailed reports about the performance of your app.
  • Publishing Overview: See an overview of the changes made to your app, and control when updates are published.

Release

  • Releases overview: See an overview of all of your releases across different tracks.
  • Production: Create and manage production releases to make your app available to all users in your chosen countries.
  • Testing: View and manage your Open testing, Closed testing, Internal testing, Pre-registration
  • Pre-launch report: Identify issues with your app before you launch, on a wide range of devices.
  • Device catalog: View and manage the devices that are compatible with your app.
  • App bundle explorer: Inspect each app version, download artifacts, and see what Google Play generates for delivery.
  • Setup: Contains "App integrity," "Internal app sharing," and "Advanced settings."

Grow

  • Store presence: Main store listing, Custom store listings, Store listing experiments, LiveOps, Store settings, Translation service
  • Store performance: Store analysis, Conversion analysis

Quality

  • Ratings and reviews: Ratings, Reviews analysis, Reviews, Testing feedback
  • Android vitals: Overview, Performance (Insights, Experiments), Crashes and ANRs, App size

Monetize

  • Products: It contains "App pricing," "In-app products," and "Subscriptions."
  • Promo codes: Give users a paid app, in-app product, or subscription for free.
  • Financial reports: View how much revenue your app is generating from different product types. It is categorized in the following: Overview, Subscriptions (Overview, Retention, Cancellations), Revenue, Buyers and Conversions.
  • Monetization setup: Set up real-time event notifications and app licensing.

Policy

  • Policy status: Check your app's policy status and resolve policy issues.
  • App content: Let us know about the content of your app to make sure it complies with Google Play policies.
  • Teacher Approved: Help parents discover high-quality apps for kids on Google Play.

For more information on some of the most popular features, click the links below:

  • Create and set up your app
  • Set up prices
  • Set up an open, closed, or internal test
  • View reports, statistics, and reviews
  • Learn about Android App Bundles and the app bundle explorer

What's new

Here are some popular resources with the latest news and tips on developing Android apps and games for Google Play.

  • Check your Inbox. Anything you need to know about Google Play and your app is shown here. Messages are tailored to you and sorted by priority, so you never miss what's important.
  • Read the latest news and posts about Android and Google Play on the Android Developers blog.
  • Find tips, trends, and industry insights on the Google Play Apps & Games Medium blog.

Troubleshoot

Need help publishing apps on Google Play? Here are some pages that you can visit for additional support:

  • Android Developers forum
  • Android Security forum
  • Publishing
  • Google Payments Merchant Center
  • Contact Google Play Developer support

Note: Our support team can help you use Play Console but can't provide technical or development support.

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