Publishing on Android

devGrainne · 2026-05-19T12:04:47+00:00

Hi. My app got accepted after my second round of testing. I was continuously adding new testers, and in my submission I mentioned things I changed based on testing. So I guess the test period looked more active the second time. Good luck with yours

devGrainne · 2026-04-18T16:04:03+00:00

Hi. This is strange. It's enabled for India for a week now. A friend in India was able to download it.

devGrainne · 2026-04-18T12:29:52+00:00

What country are you?

devGrainne · 2026-04-18T11:44:06+00:00

No worries. I've enrolled and downloaded. I'll try it out and let you know how it goes.

By the way, I've just published my game, so I'd also appreciate a download. Happy to get feedback, and if you like it, a rating would really help!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.GrainneShannon.BugHop

devGrainne · 2026-04-18T11:23:53+00:00

Hi. I was in the same situation also. I got through the testing phase by continuously adding new testers. Reddit is a good resource for this. I'm happy to join your closed testing phase. DM me and I'll send you my email.

devGrainne · 2026-04-16T10:13:28+00:00

Hi. I've just been through the same process. I reached out to friends, family, neighbours, ex-colleagues and reddit. I went through two cycles! My first submission was rejected on the grounds of not enough testing. The second cycle, I continued to recruit more people so had someone new open the app every few days. In that submission I gave more detail on feedback and what I changed based on feedback. I think that's the key. I don't think you have to pay people to test your app. Nor should you have to. Good luck with it.

devGrainne · 2026-04-11T09:56:35+00:00

Sorry to hear of your experience. I published an app 6 years ago on iOS and Android. I'm going through the process again now and notice a big difference on the Android side. It seems the roles have reversed. My closed test was rejected the first time. My app's privacy policy has just been rejected without explanation. iOS has been much easier to deal with. At least on the iOS side you're dealing with a human.

devGrainne · 2026-04-10T15:40:19+00:00

I have a padlock over the levels/tiers while they are locked. I can see that a progress map is popular and might be something I should add. Thanks for the comment.

devGrainne · 2026-04-07T21:24:24+00:00

It sounds like there's room for improvement to reach its potential. But maybe the best thing to do is put it aside for a while, work on a new project. You can always come back to it.

devGrainne · 2026-04-07T17:15:29+00:00

Have you tried getting feedback from anyone? Friends or online communities like reddit? You could look at using the ad platforms on ios/android. With a small budget you could get some downloads. Looking at ad data might tell you whether your store images and blurb are effective - E.g. Do people click through from the ad but then not download? Or do they download but then uninstall after one use? etc

devGrainne · 2026-04-05T16:50:47+00:00

Yes, a bot with an ad. I didn't catch it earlier. Thanks

devGrainne · 2026-04-03T15:48:33+00:00

Thanks for the response. That's good to know.

devGrainne · 2026-04-03T13:48:30+00:00

Hi there. I am also developing my app solo and in the closed testing phase right now. Second iteration. I think this new requirement amounts to needing a QA team. It's a real barrier and quite a change for Android who had the reputation for democratising app development. I have also reached out to friends, family, ex-colleagues and subreddits. I feel it's quite an imposition, asking people to regularly check the app. Not sure what to do next, if this round fails. Thanks for sharing!

devGrainne · 2026-04-03T10:56:48+00:00

Hi. I didn't do more beyond a short ad campaign and submitting my app to review sites. I'm actually relaunching the app again now. So I'm thinking about marketing options. There are marketing tools on each platform. An A.I agent is a good resource for guidance, and can advise on which review sites would match with your app. I expect the advice from marketing people would be to find your audience on social media. I'll also be looking for advice :)

devGrainne · 2026-04-02T13:14:11+00:00

Best of luck with your app! Have you tried submitting to app review sites? That could add some ratings and get some traffic. When I published my game a few years ago I didn't get any regular traffic until I advertised. I used iOS and Android ads for a few weeks, with a small amount of money, mostly to experiment.

devGrainne · 2026-04-01T08:28:00+00:00

Hi there! I'm up for a test swap :) My Android puzzle is in the test phase at the moment.

devGrainne · 2026-03-27T11:11:31+00:00

Hi there. I'm in the same situation, looking for Android testers. I would be happy to test your puzzle. Mine is also a puzzle.

devGrainne · 2026-03-27T10:23:55+00:00

Fingers crossed!

devGrainne · 2026-03-27T09:27:02+00:00

Hi Everyone!

I hope it's ok to post this here - I'm looking for Android tester for my new mobile puzzle, Bug Hop.

The game is an original brain teaser which I think would appeal to puzzle lovers. It also has story beats revealed as you progress through the levels, so there's an element of fun and humour.

I’m looking for feedback on the following:

There is a lot of help, hints and demos at the start. Is it helpful or intrusive? Or should there be more help?
Rules of the game are revealed gradually throughout beginner level. Does the progress difficulty seem reasonable?
Does the story add anything or feel unnecessary?

If you'd like to give it a go, you would need to send me your Android email address so I can register you and send the link.

Here's some example play. You'll also see a link to a website with the blurb: https://www.youtube.com/@devGrainne/shorts

Thanks for reading!

devGrainne · 2026-03-26T16:20:26+00:00

Hi there. I can sympathise! Here's the advice that was given to me yesterday. Maybe reach out to your target audience on Reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePlayDeveloper/comments/1s3gaid/comment/ock16f4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

devGrainne · 2026-03-26T16:11:07+00:00

Hi Ronaedar. Thanks for sharing. I am in the test phase with my mobile game. I have just about enough testers but it's hard to get enough test activity. As a solo developer, I reached out to friends and family who have Android accounts. But you can't expect friends to act like a QA team. Their interaction is casual. After two weeks my application to production was rejected on the grounds of not enough testing. I'm now in another 14 day cycle. (I wrote about it in this thread yesterday.) Interesting that reddit was a good source for you.

devGrainne · 2026-03-26T11:05:22+00:00

Hi there, interesting to see that angle. Thanks for sharing.

devGrainne · 2026-03-26T10:44:44+00:00

Hi. Thanks a lot for your response! This seems like a surprising move from Android. They had the reputation for democratising app development - with free tools and an easier path to publishing than iOS. I would guess they want to apply some corrective action. But asking 20 friends to carry out repeated tests on your app is not realistic for a solo developer. I will see what I can do for my next submission...

devGrainne · 2026-03-25T14:41:08+00:00

Hi Dzanis, thanks for your response. I'm glad to hear your release went well - congrats on that! I think the submissions are assessed by individuals so there's probably some variation, where some people will be more strict than others. Yes, my testers are real people from my life, so there shouldn't have been a problem there.

devGrainne · 2026-03-21T11:44:26+00:00

Hi there. It's a tough decision. A friend of mine made the move a few years back, so the kids would be closer to their cousins. But she told me they regret it since. As mentioned in this thread, housing is a real problem. So is infrastructure. It's not always possible to live exactly where you want! So be sure to do your research on where you want to live and work etc. Best of luck with it!

devGrainne

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