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Releases

When you're ready to publish a new version of your app to the stores, you can choose between two release methods: automated releases via GitHub Actions or manual releases from your local machine.

Update the version name

Before releasing, update the version name in your shared codebase. Open the ProjectConfiguration.kt file and update the version:

const val versionName = "1.0.1"

Change it to the version number you want to release (e.g., 1.1.0, 1.2.3, etc.). This version will be used on both Android and iOS stores.

This is the recommended approach for most teams as it provides a consistent CI/CD pipeline and audit trail.

Step 1. Commit and push your changes

Make sure your version update is committed and pushed to your repository:

git add .
git commit -m "Bump version to 1.0.1"
git push origin main

Step 2. Create a new GitHub release

Once the version name is updated and committed:

  1. Go to your GitHub repository.
  2. Click on Releases > Draft a new release.
  3. Tag the release using the same version number (e.g., v1.1.0).
  4. Fill in the release title and optional changelog.
  5. Click Publish release.

This will automatically trigger the GitHub Actions workflows:

  • publishAppStore.yml → for iOS deployment to App Store Connect.
  • publishGooglePlay.yml → for Android deployment to Google Play Console.

Once triggered, the CI/CD pipelines will take care of building, signing, and uploading your app to the respective stores.

Release Process Complete

Your app has been successfully released to both the App Store and Google Play Store. Users can now download the latest version from their respective stores.

Method 2: Release from local machine

For quick releases or when you need to bypass CI/CD, you can use the release.sh script to release directly from your local machine.

Prerequisites

Before running the release script, ensure you have the required credentials configured in your local.properties file or as environment variables.

Required properties for Android

# Google Play
GOOGLE_PLAY_UPLOADER_JSON_KEY_B64=<base64-encoded-json-key>

# Keystore configuration
ANDROID_KEYSTORE_RELEASE_B64=<base64-encoded-keystore>
ANDROID_KEYSTORE_RELEASE_FILE=my_app.keystore
ANDROID_KEY_ALIAS_RELEASE=<your-key-alias>
ANDROID_KEY_PASSWORD_RELEASE=<your-key-password>
ANDROID_STORE_PASSWORD_RELEASE=<your-store-password>

Required properties for iOS

# App Store Connect API
APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_B64=<base64-encoded-p8-key>
APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID=<your-key-id>
APP_STORE_CONNECT_API_ISSUER_ID=<your-issuer-id>

# iOS certificates and provisioning
IOS_PROVISIONING_PROFILE_B64=<base64-encoded-provisioning-profile>
IOS_PROVISIONING_PROFILE_NAME=<provisioning-profile-name>
IOS_APP_CERTIFICATE_P12_B64=<base64-encoded-p12-certificate>
IOS_APP_CERTIFICATE_P12_PASSWORD=<certificate-password>

Running the release script

From your project root, run the release script with the desired platform:

./scripts/release.sh all

This will release to both Google Play and App Store Connect sequentially.

./scripts/release.sh android

This will only release to Google Play Console.

./scripts/release.sh ios

This will only release to App Store Connect.

What the script does

The release script automates the following steps:

For Android:

  1. Decodes and sets up the release keystore
  2. Decodes the Google Play uploader JSON key
  3. Builds and publishes the release bundle to Google Play Console

For iOS:

  1. Verifies Ruby installation for Fastlane
  2. Decodes and sets up the App Store Connect API key
  3. Sets up iOS provisioning profiles and certificates
  4. Runs Fastlane to build and upload to App Store Connect

Ruby requirement for iOS

The iOS release requires Ruby 3.1 or later. Make sure Ruby is installed on your machine before running iOS releases.

Keystore and certificates

Keep your keystore files, certificates, and provisioning profiles secure. Never commit them directly to your repository. Always use base64-encoded values in local.properties or environment variables.