Submission of "Timestamp Tracker" app to Google Play Console; Obstacles created for new personal developer accounts

Last updated on 18 Dec. 2025


This procedure has turned out to be much, much more complex than what I had expected. Uptodown store submission is so easy in comparison to Google Play Console (GPC). I get the view that GPC is deliberately bringing in obstacles for new personal/individual developer registrants on their store (which is the category I fall into now as I registered as an individual developer only a few days back). 

Surely some of the legal related topics have to be navigated carefully by Google - no issue about those forms and the many questions there. But the big obstacle-filter they have is their App testing requirements for new personal developer accounts which has the new requirements they introduced in November 2023. The biggest of them that I have encountered so far (no idea, what further obstacles have been introduced) is: "If you have a newly created personal developer account, you must run a closed test for your app with a minimum of 12 testers who have been opted-in for at least the last 14 days continuously."

For a reclusive guy like me, that is a high bar. Further, the app I am trying to publish on GPC is a small utility - Timestamp Tracker - which not many people may be interested in. I find the app useful and use it quite regularly. So I wanted to see if GPC will allow me to share it with interested persons who may be few in number. The obstacles GPC has for a new developer registrant like me are counter to this objective. 

I already have done fair amount of individual testing when I released the app as APK file on Uptodown store in June 2025 (only 21 downloads so far). So I don't want to spend much time on testing and modifications now. I simply want to try to publish the app as it is now on GPC.

One big disadvantage of Uptodown store or sharing APK on Google Drive (which I have done), is that users have to side-load the app which shows rather scary warnings to the user. So I think most Android users would want to stay away from side-loading APKs. 

In contrast, installing apps from Google Play Store or simply Google Play is familiar to many Android users and there are no dire warnings about the app being untrusted or unsecure. Therefore I felt I should invest some time in trying to publish the app on GPC which may enable some other few persons finding out about this app and using it for their benefit. 

Anyway, I have already had to learn quite a bit about trying to publishing an app on GPC. I am sharing some of that learning on this post.

Testing .aab in "Internal Testing"

This is a part of GPC that I liked. 

GPC home page has a 'Create app' button which starts the process of developer-user giving some app details and then uploading the .AAB file for the app. After that, IFIRC, the app can be accessed by testers through 'Internal Testing" option where the app author specifies gmail ids of the testers and then passes on the opt-in link that is provided. Testers go through a few steps starting with opt-in click after which they can download the app from GPC. During installation of app, a warning message is shown to the tester: "This app is for developer testing and may be unsecure or unstable." If the tester chooses to continue he will be able to install the app and use it. While the warning is a tricky thing, the user is installing the app from the familiar Google Play Store and so may not be that scared to install it.

"Closed testing"

Next I wanted to go create a production release and finish the job. That's when I hit against the obstacles wall.

The Production feaure was disabled and said:
Have at least 12 testers opted-in to your closed test
0 testers currently opted-in 
----

So I had to go for 'Closed test'. But before that I had to:
  • Create a privacy policy document on GitHub, publish it on GitHub Pages and share its URL.
    • It may have been faster to have created a blog page with the privacy policy.
  • Make a lot of choices like target age group, data safety, advertising ID
  • Provide app description, contact details, icons, screenshots - this is standard stuff. I had done it for Uptodown store too. So this was expected. Icon and screenshot size specifications seemed to be different on GPC but not a big issue.
  • I had to select countries/region! Initially I chose India only.
Next I could go to creating a 'closed test'. I could use the same .aab file that I had uploaded earlier for 'internal testing' (from some library option IFIRC; so did not upload it again). Some notable points:
  • For specifying the testers I had to choose between email list and Google group. I chose email list but later realized that if I had chosen Google group and set its permissions to open to everyone, it would have been less work for me. As I had already entered two of my friends email ids in the email list, I did not want to switch to Google group and ask them now to join that group.
  • How testers join your test gave two links which is still confusing to me ('Internal testing' gave only one link):
    • Join on android
      • I used this initially but on my phone where I had opted-in for 'Internal testing' and then uninstalled the app, using join on android link seemed to do the same 'Internal testing' action.
      • The status on 'Closed testing' showed Active but some 'Get started' button was also shown.
      • Later it struck me that I had to do 'publish changes' for some of my earlier input to get reflected (even though I had 'saved' each of them). Some time after that step, the 'Get started' button was not shown for 'Closed testing'.
      • I wonder whether the Join on android link has to used in Google Play (and not in Chrome on phone which is what happens when the link is in a WhatsApp message and is clicked).
    • Join on the web
      • This was initially not working properly IFIRC. But after I did 'publish changes', this was showing me the screen sequence put up in my blog post: Procedure to opt-in and install my "Timestamp Tracker" 'closed test' app. This seems to be the right way.
      • I used the above to opt-in myself using two of Google ids. Initially that did not show in the status against Production in Dashboard. But later Production status showed: "2 testers currently opted-in".
  • I was wondering whether after I had started the 'Closed testing' track whether I should pause the 'Internal testing' track that I had started earlier. But I was not sure whether that would trip up something and so did not pause it.
  • I changed the countries/region to all countries as I wanted it to be open to any testers from outside India (if that happens).
    • I was shown messages about additional issues for some countries but I ignored them as I think once I finish 'closed testing', before I go for release, I can change countries/region again. 
  • There is a status in the home page (All apps) too which lists all apps created by user.
    • That 'App status' showed 'Internal testing' for quite some time. I think it changed to 'Closed testing' only after I did the 'publish changes' mentioned above.
    • The 'Installed audience' for the app continues to show 0 even when App Dashboard -> Production shows 2 testers opted-in (and I have installed the app for two of my Gmail ids - phone and emulator).
The user inteface for all the work I did above is not great. In fact, I think it is quite confusing. But I/we don't have a choice if we want to publish Android apps. Google Play is the main gateway for Android apps. So we have to put up with whatever issues GPC UI may have.

Meanwhile I did some browsing to see how the community is handling this 12 testers requirement.

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