Google Play

Android distribution needs a keystore and a Google Play developer account. The account is a one-off fee; the keystore you make yourself. See certificates and provisioning - and back the keystore up before you read any further.

Build

ti build --platform android --target dist-playstore \
  --keystore /secure/myapp.keystore --alias myapp \
  --output-dir ./dist

The output is an .aab, an Android App Bundle, not an APK. Google Play has required bundles for new apps since 2021: you upload the bundle and Play generates the APKs each device needs from it.

The build runs Gradle's bundleRelease, so it is a full release build and slower than a debug one.

The version code

<android xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android">
  <manifest android:versionCode="2">

android:versionCode is an integer, separate from version, and Play rejects an upload whose version code is not higher than the last one. It is the single most common failed upload.

version is what users see. The two move independently, and a common scheme is to derive the code from the version so they cannot drift.

Upload

Play Console, under the release track you want. Four tracks: internal, closed, open, and production. Internal is the fastest way to get a build onto a tester's phone, and it is the one to use instead of emailing an APK.

Uploading is not releasing. A bundle goes to a track, and the track is rolled out - possibly to a percentage of users.

Before you submit

Declare your permissions honestly. Play asks about sensitive ones - location, background location, storage - and wants a reason. A permission a module pulled in without you noticing is still yours to justify; check the merged manifest in build/android/ if the list surprises you.

A privacy policy URL is required for essentially every app now.

Target API level. Play enforces a minimum target, raised annually, and it is a hard block rather than a warning. Titanium 13.4 supports up to API 36; set <tool-api-level> in tiapp.xml if you need to pin it.

Data safety. A form in Play Console, separate from the manifest, describing what you collect. It is checked against what your app appears to do.

Testing the exact artifact

An .aab is not directly installable. To run the thing you are about to publish, either use an internal testing track, or use Google's bundletool to generate and install APKs from the bundle.

Do that at least once before a first release. A bundle that Play splits differently from your debug build is a class of bug you will not otherwise see.

Next

Source code encryption covers what the build did to your JavaScript on the way in.