Publishing to Android (Google Play Store)

(here is a good overview)

Process

1. Create a Google Developer account at play.google.com/console

   Before you can release anything to the store, you need to become an approved Google Developer.

   1. Sign in with your Google account
   2. Accept Developer Agreement
   3. Pay a one-time $25 Developer Fee

2. Wait for Developer Approval (1 - 2 days)

3. Add a Merchant Account

   If you want to sell paid apps or in-app purchases, you have to create a Google Merchant Account here.

   • You can decide to publish individually or as a company (note that a company will better protect your personal fincances).

4. Make Your Game

   Although most of mobile development is similar to PC development, there are a few things to consider:

   • Use Mobile Input
     • Old Input System
     • New Input System (only really need to do it if you find a reason to)
   • Anchor Your UI
     • Make sure that all of your UI is anchored properly and you are using the Canvas Scaler, explained in this video. Do not listen that custom script stuff. It'll change your gameplay.
   • Get Creative With Your Testing/Development Process
     • Make a version of your game that can be tested within Unity (e.g., set up a boolean flag that will change your inputs from PC to mobile).
     • If your game can only be tested on mobile, consider using File Sharing or enable changing values on the device itself.
   • Use Unity Analytics
   • In-App Purchases
     • Use Unity Codeless IAP
       • Codeless IAP makes it easy to set up a store with little to no code. It works with iOS and Android stores. Here are the steps:
         • Add IAP Buttons to your game
         • Define your Products in the IAP Catalog
         • Export your IAP Catalog for the iOS store
         • Enable IAP when making a TestFlight or AppStore submission
   • Google Play Game Services

   This includes Achievements, Leaderboards, Events, Saved Games, and Nearby Connections.

   • More info here.
   • Here's the official plugin for Unity integration.

5. Build Your Game for Android

   • Here's a quick run through for how to build an apk for submitting to an Android app store.

6. Use the Google Play Console to Playtest Your Game on play.google.com/console

   Google Play Console has a service very similar to iOS's TestFlight for distributing and testing Android apps. It allows your testers to download and install your app. Note: technically, it's a lot easier to distribute apk's yourself that on iOS, however, Google Play Console helps organize and manage the process.

   • This video has a quick overview of the types of testing you can do.
   • Here is a video demonstrating the process of running internal testing and a closed alpha.

7. Submit to Google Play

   • Here is a good video outlining the entire process. Find shortcuts below:
     • Set Up App Content
     • Set Prepare Store Listing
     • Create App Release Note: as of August 2021, the Google Play store requires you to submit app bundles, not apks. This is just a checkbox in Android publish settings in Unity.

8. Wait for App Approval (2 - 4 days)

9. Release!