Google Play Submission Checks

Use this skill to validate everything before submitting a release to Google Play, reducing rejections and failed edits.

Preconditions

• Auth configured (gplay auth login or GPLAY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT env var).
• Package name known (--package or GPLAY_PACKAGE).
• AAB/APK built and signed.
• Service account has at least "Release Manager" permission.

Pre-submission Checklist

1. Validate Bundle Integrity

gplay validate bundle --file app-release.aab

Checks:

• File exists and is readable
• File has .aab extension
• Valid ZIP archive structure
• Contains required bundle components (manifest, resources, dex)

If using APK instead:

gplay validate bundle --file app-release.apk

2. Validate Store Listing Metadata

gplay validate listing --dir ./metadata

Checks:

• Title: max 30 characters
• Short description: max 80 characters
• Full description: max 4000 characters
• Required fields present
• Valid UTF-8 encoding

Validate a specific locale:

gplay validate listing --dir ./metadata --locale en-US

For JSON format metadata:

gplay validate listing --dir ./metadata --format json

3. Validate Screenshots

gplay validate screenshots --dir ./metadata

Checks:

• Minimum 2 screenshots per device type
• Maximum 8 screenshots per device type
• Valid image formats (PNG, JPEG)
• Files are readable

Validate for a specific locale:

gplay validate screenshots --dir ./metadata --locale en-US

4. Verify Existing Listings on Play Store

Compare local metadata against what is live:

gplay sync diff-listings \
  --package com.example.app \
  --dir ./metadata

Check all configured locales:

EDIT_ID=$(gplay edits create --package com.example.app | jq -r '.id')
gplay listings list --package com.example.app --edit $EDIT_ID --output table

5. Data Safety Declaration

Ensure the data safety form is complete. Missing or inaccurate data safety declarations are a common rejection reason.

gplay data-safety update \
  --package com.example.app \
  --json @data-safety.json

6. Version Code Check

The version code must be strictly higher than all previous releases on every track. Check current track status:

gplay tracks list --package com.example.app --output table

Get details for a specific track:

EDIT_ID=$(gplay edits create --package com.example.app | jq -r '.id')
gplay tracks get --package com.example.app --edit $EDIT_ID --track production --output table

7. Deobfuscation / Mapping File

Upload ProGuard/R8 mapping files so crash reports in Play Console are readable:

gplay deobfuscation upload \
  --package com.example.app \
  --version-code 42 \
  --file mapping.txt

Without mapping files, crash stack traces in Android Vitals will be obfuscated and unusable.

8. Dry Run the Release

The safest pre-submission check. Performs the full release pipeline without committing:

gplay release \
  --package com.example.app \
  --track production \
  --bundle app-release.aab \
  --release-notes @release-notes.json \
  --dry-run

This will:

• Create an edit
• Upload the bundle
• Configure the track
• Validate the edit (catches API-level errors)
• Discard the edit without committing

If the dry run succeeds, the real release will succeed.

9. Edit Validation (Manual Sequence)

When using the manual edit workflow, always validate before committing:

EDIT_ID=$(gplay edits create --package com.example.app | jq -r '.id')

# ... upload bundle, update tracks, etc. ...

# Validate the edit (catches all server-side issues)
gplay edits validate --package com.example.app --edit $EDIT_ID

# Only commit if validation passes
gplay edits commit --package com.example.app --edit $EDIT_ID

Content Policy Compliance

Target API Level

Google Play requires apps to target a recent Android API level. As of 2025:

• New apps: must target API level 34 (Android 14) or higher
• App updates: must target API level 34 or higher

Check your build.gradle or build.gradle.kts:

android {
    defaultConfig {
        targetSdkVersion 34  // or targetSdk = 34
    }
}

Builds targeting older API levels will be rejected by the Play Console.

Permissions Declarations

Sensitive permissions require justification in the Play Console:

• ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION / ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION
• READ_CONTACTS, READ_CALL_LOG, READ_SMS
• CAMERA, RECORD_AUDIO
• REQUEST_INSTALL_PACKAGES
• QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES

Remove any permissions your app does not actually need. Unused sensitive permissions are a top rejection reason.

Data Safety Form

All apps must have a complete data safety section. Common data types to declare:

• Personal info (name, email, phone)
• Location (approximate, precise)
• Financial info (purchase history)
• App activity (in-app search, other user-generated content)
• Device identifiers (advertising ID)

App Content Ratings

Ensure your content rating questionnaire is completed in Play Console. Missing ratings block distribution.

Screenshot Requirements by Device Type

Additional image assets:

Common Rejection Reasons and Fixes

1. "Version code already exists"

Cause: The version code in your bundle matches an existing release. Fix: Increment versionCode in build.gradle and rebuild.

2. "APK/Bundle targets an SDK below the required level"

Cause: targetSdkVersion is too low. Fix: Update targetSdkVersion to 34 or higher and rebuild.

3. "Data safety form incomplete"

Cause: The data safety declaration is missing or incomplete. Fix: Complete the data safety form in Play Console or update via CLI:

gplay data-safety update --package com.example.app --json @data-safety.json

4. "Screenshots missing for required device type"

Cause: Phone screenshots are required for all apps. Fix: Add at least 2 phone screenshots:

EDIT_ID=$(gplay edits create --package com.example.app | jq -r '.id')
gplay images upload \
  --package com.example.app \
  --edit $EDIT_ID \
  --locale en-US \
  --type phoneScreenshots \
  --file screenshot1.png

5. "Release notes missing for default locale"

Cause: No "What's New" text for the default language. Fix: Include release notes in the release command:

gplay release \
  --package com.example.app \
  --track production \
  --bundle app.aab \
  --release-notes '{"en-US": "Bug fixes and improvements"}'

6. "Signing key mismatch"

Cause: The bundle is signed with a different key than what Play Console expects. Fix: Use the same upload key configured in Play App Signing. Check your keystore configuration.

7. "Deobfuscation file too large"

Cause: Mapping file exceeds 300 MB limit. Fix: Strip unused mappings or compress the file.

Pre-launch Report

Google Play runs automated tests on your app before review (pre-launch report). Common issues surfaced:

• Crashes on launch: App crashes on one or more test devices
• Security vulnerabilities: Known CVEs in dependencies
• Accessibility issues: Missing content descriptions, small touch targets
• Performance warnings: Slow startup, excessive wake locks

Check pre-launch reports in Play Console after uploading to any track. Address critical issues before promoting to production.

Full Pre-submission Pipeline

#!/bin/bash
# pre-submission-checks.sh

PACKAGE="com.example.app"
BUNDLE="app-release.aab"
METADATA_DIR="./metadata"
RELEASE_NOTES="release-notes.json"
MAPPING="app/build/outputs/mapping/release/mapping.txt"

echo "=== Step 1: Validate bundle ==="
gplay validate bundle --file "$BUNDLE" --output table

echo "=== Step 2: Validate listings ==="
gplay validate listing --dir "$METADATA_DIR" --output table

echo "=== Step 3: Validate screenshots ==="
gplay validate screenshots --dir "$METADATA_DIR" --output table

echo "=== Step 4: Diff listings against Play Store ==="
gplay sync diff-listings --package "$PACKAGE" --dir "$METADATA_DIR" --output table

echo "=== Step 5: Dry run release ==="
gplay release \
  --package "$PACKAGE" \
  --track production \
  --bundle "$BUNDLE" \
  --release-notes "@$RELEASE_NOTES" \
  --listings-dir "$METADATA_DIR" \
  --screenshots-dir "$METADATA_DIR" \
  --dry-run \
  --output table

echo "=== Step 6: Upload mapping file ==="
gplay deobfuscation upload \
  --package "$PACKAGE" \
  --version-code 42 \
  --file "$MAPPING"

echo "=== All checks passed. Ready to release. ==="

CI/CD Integration

Add these checks to your CI pipeline to catch issues before they reach Play Console:

# GitHub Actions example
- name: Validate bundle
  run: gplay validate bundle --file app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

- name: Validate metadata
  run: gplay validate listing --dir metadata/

- name: Validate screenshots
  run: gplay validate screenshots --dir metadata/

- name: Dry run release
  run: |
    gplay release \
      --package ${{ secrets.PACKAGE_NAME }} \
      --track internal \
      --bundle app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab \
      --dry-run
  env:
    GPLAY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: ${{ secrets.GPLAY_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_PATH }}

Agent Behavior

• Always run gplay validate commands before attempting a release.
• Use --dry-run as the final gate before real releases.
• Always confirm exact flags with --help before running commands.
• Use --output table for human-readable validation output.
• When multiple validation steps fail, report all failures together rather than stopping at the first one.
• Check version code conflicts by listing tracks before releasing.
• Remind the user about data safety declarations if they have not mentioned them.

Notes

• gplay validate commands run locally and do not require API calls.
• gplay release --dry-run creates a real edit session but discards it after validation.
• gplay edits validate is the server-side equivalent, catching issues that local validation cannot.
• Always use --help to verify flags for the exact command.
• Use --output table for human-readable output; default is JSON.