Android Deployment¶

Complete guide to deploying ShopSync to the Google Play Store.

Prerequisites¶

Android Studio installed
Java JDK 11+ configured
Google Play Developer account
App signing key created

Setup¶

1. Configure Signing¶

Create android/key.properties:

storePassword=your_store_password
keyPassword=your_key_password
keyAlias=upload
storeFile=../upload-keystore.jks

Security

Add key.properties to .gitignore. Never commit credentials!

2. Update `build.gradle`¶

In android/app/build.gradle:

def keystoreProperties = new Properties()
def keystorePropertiesFile = rootProject.file('key.properties')
if (keystorePropertiesFile.exists()) {
    keystoreProperties.load(new FileInputStream(keystorePropertiesFile))
}

android {
    ...

    signingConfigs {
        release {
            keyAlias keystoreProperties['keyAlias']
            keyPassword keystoreProperties['keyPassword']
            storeFile keystoreProperties['storeFile'] ? file(keystoreProperties['storeFile']) : null
            storePassword keystoreProperties['storePassword']
        }
    }

    buildTypes {
        release {
            signingConfig signingConfigs.release
            minifyEnabled true
            shrinkResources true
        }
    }
}

3. Generate Signing Key¶

keytool -genkey -v -keystore upload-keystore.jks \
  -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 \
  -alias upload

Follow prompts to set passwords and details.

Building for Release¶

APK Build¶

For testing or direct distribution:

flutter build apk --release

Output: build/app/outputs/flutter-apk/app-release.apk

App Bundle (Recommended)¶

For Play Store submission:

flutter build appbundle --release

Output: build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

Why App Bundle?

Smaller downloads for users
Automatic APK optimization
Required for Play Store

Build Variants¶

Different architectures:

# ARM64 only (most devices)
flutter build apk --release --target-platform android-arm64

# Multiple architectures
flutter build apk --release --split-per-abi

Play Store Submission¶

1. Create App in Play Console¶

Go to Play Console
Click Create app
Fill in app details
Set up store listing

2. Prepare Store Listing¶

Required:

App name (30 chars max)
Short description (80 chars)
Full description (4000 chars)
App icon (512x512 PNG)
Feature graphic (1024x500)
Screenshots (2-8 images)

Screenshots sizes:

Phone: 16:9 or 9:16
Tablet: 16:9 or 9:16 (optional)
Wear: 1:1 (optional)

3. Upload App Bundle¶

Go to Release → Production
Click Create new release
Upload app-release.aab
Add release notes
Review and rollout

4. Content Rating¶

Complete questionnaire for age ratings:

Navigate to Policy → App content
Complete rating questionnaire
Submit for rating
Apply ratings

5. Privacy Policy¶

Required if app collects data:

Add privacy policy URL
Ensure it covers:
Data collected
How it's used
User rights
Contact information

App Updates¶

Version Management¶

Update in pubspec.yaml:

version: 4.2.0+11

Format: version+buildNumber

Release Updates¶

Increment version number
Update changelog
Build new app bundle
Upload to Play Console
Add release notes
Review and release

Staged Rollout¶

Gradual rollout to minimize risk:

Start at 5% of users
Monitor crash reports
Increase to 20%, 50%, 100%
Halt if issues detected

Testing¶

Internal Testing¶

Quick testing with team:

Create Internal testing track
Add tester emails
Upload APK/AAB
Share test link

Closed Testing¶

Beta testing with select users:

Create Closed testing track
Create tester list (up to 2000)
Upload APK/AAB
Collect feedback

Open Testing¶

Public beta:

Create Open testing track
Set opt-in link
Upload APK/AAB
Monitor metrics

Build Optimization¶

ProGuard/R8¶

Shrink and obfuscate code:

buildTypes {
    release {
        minifyEnabled true
        shrinkResources true
        proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android-optimize.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
    }
}

Code Obfuscation¶

In build command:

flutter build appbundle --release \
  --obfuscate \
  --split-debug-info=build/debug-info

App Size Reduction¶

android {
    ...
    bundle {
        language {
            enableSplit = true
        }
        density {
            enableSplit = true
        }
        abi {
            enableSplit = true
        }
    }
}

Common Issues¶

Signing Errors¶

Issue: Key not found

Solution:

Verify key.properties path
Check keystore file location
Ensure passwords are correct

Build Failures¶

Issue: Build failed with Gradle errors