To publish an app on the Play Store, you register a Play Console developer account (Google lists a one-time US$25 fee), choose personal or organisation, finish the app setup and policy declarations, upload an Android App Bundle, and send a production release for review. A new personal account must also run a closed test with 12 testers for 14 days first. Google says review usually takes seven days or less.
Facts below are from Google's help pages, opened on 9 October 2026.
Step 1: Pick the account type
Both types have "the same functionality" and can earn money. Google says to choose an organisation account if you are "engaged in commercial, industrial, professional, or governmental activities". It requires one for financial products, health apps, VPN apps and government apps.
If you run a business, use an organisation account. It needs a D-U-N-S number, a nine-digit business identifier from Dun & Bradstreet. Google says it is free and warns about third parties that charge for it. The process "can take up to 30 days", so start there. Your details in Google's payments profile must match the D&B profile.
Create the account in your own or your company's name, never the agency's. It is your listing, your reviews and your keys.
Step 2: Pay the fee and verify
Google lists a US$25 one-time registration fee, as listed on 9 October 2026.
- Pay by credit or debit card. Prepaid cards are not accepted.
- You must be 18 or older.
- Google may ask for a government ID and a card under your legal name. The fee is not refunded if that information is found invalid.
- Phone and email are verified with one-time passwords.
- New personal accounts must prove access to a real Android phone using the Play Console mobile app: a non-rooted physical device on Android 10 or higher. Google says it "should take less than a minute".
- To charge for the app or sell in-app items, set up a payments profile and bank details. Bank verification "can take up to 5 days".
Step 3: Create the app
In Play Console choose Home, then Create app. Set a default language, app name, app or game, free or paid, and a contact email, then accept the policy and US export declarations and the Play App Signing terms. Package names are "unique and permanent" and cannot be reused, so choose carefully.
Step 4: Complete the App content declarations
Per Google's Prepare your app for review page, expect:
- A privacy policy on an active URL.
- The Data safety form, which includes data collected by third-party SDKs. You alone are responsible for accuracy.
- An ads declaration, target audience and content.
- A working demo login if any part of the app is gated.
- A content rating questionnaire. "Unrated" apps may be removed.
- Permission declarations for sensitive permissions such as SMS or call log.
Google says misrepresenting ads can lead to suspension.
Step 5: Build the store listing
Sizes from Google's graphic assets page:
- App icon: 32-bit PNG, 512 by 512 px, up to 1024 KB.
- Feature graphic: 1024 by 500 px, JPEG or 24-bit PNG without alpha. Required.
- Phone screenshots: JPEG or 24-bit PNG, each side 320 to 3,840 px, longest side no more than twice the shortest. At least two, up to 8 per device type.
- Short description: 80 characters.
Step 6: Build a compliant release file
Upload an Android App Bundle. On your first release you set up Play App Signing: Google holds the app signing key and you keep an upload key. Once you publish to an open track, the signing key is fixed.
Google's target API page says: "Starting August 31, 2026: New apps and app updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher". Developers can request an extension to November 1, 2026. Confirm the target level before the first upload.
Step 7: Test, then the 12-tester rule
Internal testing is optional. A closed test is mandatory for personal accounts created after 13 November 2023: a minimum of 12 testers opted in continuously for at least 14 days, then you apply for production access. Organisation accounts are not named in that rule. See Play Store closed testing: the 12 testers for 14 days rule explained.
Step 8: Release to production
Create a production release in Play Console and send it for review. Google says review "usually takes seven days or less", and "up to seven days or longer in exceptional cases" for some accounts. Staged rollouts, where an update reaches only a percentage of users, are for updates only, "not when publishing an app for the first time".
Timeline
| Stage | Time, per Google |
|---|---|
| D-U-N-S (organisation) | Up to 30 days |
| Device verification | Under a minute |
| Bank verification | Up to 5 days |
| Closed test | At least 14 days |
| Production review | Usually 7 days or less |
Most of this is waiting, so do the account and D-U-N-S work while the app is being built. See how long does it take to build an app and app development cost in India.
Rejections and updates
Google's testing requirements page says review "is not a troubleshooting step". The usual problems: content and monetisation that break policy, a wrong target age group or rating, crashes or missing screens, and login credentials that do not work for reviewers. Read the Developer Policy Center before you submit. On iPhone the rules differ; see App Store rejection reasons.
Each update goes through review again, and some can take up to seven days. Use staged rollouts for updates, and keep the Data safety form current.
When we build an app, accounts, code and designs are in your name from the start. To scope a first version, tell us about your project.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to publish my app on the Play Store?
A one-time registration fee of US$25, as listed on 9 October 2026 on Google's Play Console Help page. A D-U-N-S number for an organisation account is free from Dun & Bradstreet. Building the app is a separate cost.
Can I publish an app on the Play Store for free?
Not through a normal Play Store listing. Google's registration page lists the US$25 one-time fee. Google's Android developer verification page mentions limited distribution accounts for students, teachers and hobbyists that share apps with up to 20 devices without a registration fee, but that is not a public Play Store listing.
Is it hard to publish apps on the Play Store?
The steps are straightforward but numerous: account, verification, declarations, listing assets, a signed bundle and the right target API level. For a new personal account the 12-tester, 14-day closed test is the surprise. A business account needs a D-U-N-S number, which can take up to 30 days.
How long does Play Store review take?
Google says production access review "usually takes seven days or less, but can occasionally take longer", and some accounts get reviews of up to seven days or longer in exceptional cases. Plan for a week.
How much can an app with 1,000 downloads make?
It depends on the business model and how many people use the app after installing it. Google's pages give no earnings figures, so we will not guess.