Skip to content

Publishing on Google Play (Android)

KMPShip comes preconfigured for automated deployment to the Google Play Console using GitHub Actions. However, it still requires a few one-time manual configuration steps to securely connect the app to the Play Console and prepare it for publishing.

Step 1: Keystore setup

To sign your Android app and publish it to the Play Store, you need a secure keystore. This guide walks you through generating the keystore, encoding it, and setting up GitHub Actions secrets.

1. Generate a keystore

  1. Open Android Studio.
  2. Navigate to Build > Generate Signed Bundle / APK.
  3. Choose either Android App Bundle, then click Next.
  4. Click Create new... to generate a new keystore.
  5. For the "Key store path", choose: 
    androidApp/config/keystore/my_app.keystore
  6. Fill in the required keystore and key credentials.
  7. Click OK to create the keystore. Your keystore is now generated.

Never commit your keystore to version control

The keystore is already added to the .gitignore file by default, but it's crucial to ensure that it remains secure and is not accidentally committed to your repository.

2. Encode the keystore for GitHub Actions

To safely upload the keystore to GitHub Actions:

  1. Run the following command to base64-encode your keystore: 
    base64 -i androidApp/config/keystore/my_app.keystore | pbcopy
  2. Go to your GitHub repository > Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions.
  3. Create a new repository secret:
    • ANDROID_KEYSTORE_RELEASE_B64: Paste the base64-encoded string

3. Add additional signing secrets

You'll also need to store these additional credentials as GitHub Actions secrets:

  • ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS_RELEASE: your key alias used when creating the keystore
  • ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD_RELEASE: your key password
  • ANDROID_STORE_PASSWORD_RELEASE: your store password

Once these secrets are configured, your GitHub Actions workflow will be able to sign and publish your app to Google Play securely.

Step 2: Create a Google Cloud Service Account

To enable automated publishing, you need to securely connect GitHub Actions with your Google Play Console using a Service Account. Here's how:

2. Create a Service Account in Google Cloud

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console.
  2. Select your existing project linked to the Play Console or create a new one.
  3. Navigate to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
  4. Click Create service account.
  5. Enter a name (e.g., play-console-uploader) and description, then click Create and continue.
  6. For the role, choose Service Account User, then click Continue.
  7. Skip granting user access and click Done.
  8. Locate your new service account and copy its email address — you'll need it in the next step.

3. Generate the JSON key

  1. In the same list, click the Actions (⋮) menu for your service account just created and select Manage keys.
  2. Click Add key > Create new key.
  3. Select JSON and click Create — this will download a JSON file to your computer. Keep it secure.

4. Grant access in Google Play Console

  1. Open your Google Play Console.
  2. Go to Users and permissions > Invite new users.
  3. Paste the service account’s email.
  4. Under App permissions, select your app.
  5. Under Account permissions, you can either:
    • Select Admin for full access
    • Grant only the minimum required permissions:
      • View app information and download bulk reports (read-only)
      • Manage testing tracks and edit tester lists
      • Manage production releases, app signing, and Play Games Services
      • Click Invite user to finish.

The service account is now ready to interact with the Play Console API.

Step 3: Store the JSON key

Once downloaded, place the .json file at the following location in your project:

androidApp/google-play-uploader.json

Step 4: Configure CI/CD

Configure Java SDK version

  1. Go to your GitHub repository settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → Variables tab.
  2. Create a new repository variable:
    • JAVA_JDK_VERSION: 21 (or the version you are using)

Configure GitHub Actions secrets

  1. Encode the .json key as base64:

    base64 -i androidApp/google-play-uploader.json | pbcopy

  2. Go to your GitHub repository settings → Secrets and variables → Actions → Secrets tab.

  3. Create a new repository secret:
    • GOOGLE_PLAY_UPLOADER_JSON_KEY_B64: Paste the base64 string you copied

This will be used by your CI/CD pipeline to deploy the app update automatically.

Publish from your machine (Optional)

To publish a release update manually from your local machine:

./gradlew :androidApp:publishReleaseBundle

Google Play Console setup complete

You have successfully set up the automated publishing process for your app to the Google Play Store. You can now push updates directly from your CI/CD pipeline or manually from your local machine.