To support multiple device types, screen sizes, and locales this would require either the creation and upload of multiple APK files customized for each target device and locale or the generation of a large universal APK containing all of the different configuration resources and platform binaries within a single package.Ĭreating multiple APK files involved a significant amount of work that had to be repeated each time the app needed to be updated imposing a considerable time overhead on the app release process. Before the introduction of Android Studio 3.2, the developer would generate one or more APK files using Android Studio and upload them to Google Play. This file contains everything needed to install and run the app on the user’s device.

When a user installs an app from Google Play, the app is downloaded in the form of an APK file. First, however, it is important to understand a little more about Android App Bundles. While each of these tasks can be performed outside of the Android Studio environment, the procedures can more easily be performed using the Android Studio build mechanism as outlined in this chapter. Finally, the application must be packaged into an Android App Bundle. Secondly, the application must be signed with a private key that uniquely identifies you as the application’s developer. The first requirement is that the application is compiled in release mode instead of debug mode. Building an application package for release to customers via Google Play, on the other hand, requires that some additional steps be taken.

Up until this point in the book, we have been building application projects in a mode suitable for testing and debugging. This chapter will explain how to obtain a private key, prepare the Android App Bundle for the project, and upload it to Google Play. Before submission can take place, however, the application must be packaged for release and signed with a private key.

Once the development work on an Android application is complete and it has been tested on a wide range of Android devices, the next step is to prepare the application for submission to Google Play.

Test android studio app on phone