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LeOSium-WF/docs/google-play-publishing.md

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Google Play Publishing Setup

This guide explains how to configure the Triple-T gradle-play-publisher plugin for automated Google Play Store deployments.

Prerequisites

  1. A Google Play Developer account
  2. An app already created in the Google Play Console
  3. A service account with appropriate permissions

Creating a Service Account

  1. Go to the Google Play Console
  2. Navigate to Setup → API access
  3. Click Create new service account
  4. Follow the link to Google Cloud Console
  5. Create a new service account with an appropriate name (e.g., waterfox-android-publisher)
  6. Grant the service account the Service Account User role
  7. Create and download a JSON key for the service account
  8. Back in Play Console, grant the service account appropriate permissions:
    • Release management (to upload APKs/AABs)
    • Production release (to promote to production)
    • Any other tracks you want to deploy to

Configuration Methods

Method 1: Environment Variable (Recommended for CI/CD)

Set the ANDROID_PUBLISHER_CREDENTIALS environment variable with the entire JSON content:

export ANDROID_PUBLISHER_CREDENTIALS=$(cat /path/to/service-account.json)

For GitHub Actions:

env:
  ANDROID_PUBLISHER_CREDENTIALS: ${{ secrets.PLAY_PUBLISHER_CREDENTIALS }}

Method 2: File Path (Local Development)

You can also specify a file path in your local.properties or as a Gradle property:

playPublisher.serviceAccountJson=/path/to/service-account.json

Or via command line:

./gradlew publishReleaseBundle -PplayPublisher.serviceAccountJson=/path/to/service-account.json

Method 3: Play Console API Key (Legacy)

If using an API key instead of service account:

export ANDROID_PUBLISHER_CREDENTIALS='{"type":"api_key","key":"YOUR_API_KEY"}'

Usage

Publishing to Production

./gradlew publishReleaseBundle

Publishing to Beta Track

./gradlew publishReleaseBundle --track=beta

Publishing to Internal Testing

./gradlew publishReleaseBundle --track=internal

Uploading Without Publishing

./gradlew uploadReleaseBundle

Advanced Configuration

Add to app/build.gradle for more control:

play {
    serviceAccountCredentials.set(file("path/to/service-account.json"))
    defaultToAppBundles.set(true)
    track.set("internal") // Default track
    releaseStatus.set(ReleaseStatus.DRAFT)
    userFraction.set(0.1) // For staged rollouts
}

Security Best Practices

  1. Never commit credentials to version control

    • The .gitignore is already configured to exclude common credential files

  2. Use environment variables in CI/CD

    • Store credentials as encrypted secrets in your CI/CD platform

  3. Rotate service account keys regularly

    • Create new keys periodically and revoke old ones

  4. Use minimal permissions

    • Only grant the service account the permissions it needs

Troubleshooting

"401 Unauthorized" Error

  • Verify the service account has been granted permissions in Play Console
  • Ensure the JSON credentials are valid and not expired

"Package name not found" Error

  • Confirm the applicationId in build.gradle matches your Play Store app
  • Ensure the app has been created in Play Console first

"Version code already exists" Error

  • The version code must be higher than any previously uploaded version
  • Check your version code generation logic

Additional Resources