So far, we have taken an in-depth look at the Android system, application development in Android, and some other important topics, such as Android application security. It is time for us to cover our final topic for this book pertaining to the Android ecosystem—launching and publishing an Android application.
You may be wondering at this juncture what the words launch and publish mean. A launch is an activity that involves the introduction of a new product to the public (end users). Publishing an Android application is simply the act of making an Android application available to users. Various activities and processes must be carried out to ensure the successful launch of an Android application. There are 15 of these activities in all. They are:
- Understanding the Android developer program policies
- Preparing your Android developer account
- Localization planning
- Planning for simultaneous release
- Testing against the quality guideline
- Building a release-ready APK
- Planning your application's Play Store listing
- Uploading your application package to the alpha or beta channel
- Device compatibility definition
- Pre-launch report assessment
- Pricing and application distribution setup
- Distribution option selection
- In-app products and subscriptions setup
- Determining your application's content rating
- Publishing your application
Wow! That's a long list. Don't fret if you don't understand everything on the list. Let's look at each item in more detail.