Step-by-Step Tutorial: Publishing a React Native App to Google Play Store

Step 1: Create a Google Play Console Account

• Go to google.com and search for “Google Play Console.”
• Click on “Go to Play Console.”
• Log in to your Google account.
• Choose “Create for yourself.”
• Provide your developer name, contact information, and address.
• Agree to the terms and conditions.
• Pay the $25 developer registration fee.

Step 2: Generate an Upload Key Keystore

• Open a terminal window.
• Navigate to the JDK bin folder.
• Run the following command and Enter a password for the keystore and provide answers to the prompts.

Windows​

On Windows keytool must be run from C:\Program Files\Java\jdkx.x.x_x\bin, as administrator.

keytool -genkeypair -v -storetype PKCS12 -keystore my-upload-key.keystore -alias my-key-alias -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000

This command prompts you for passwords for the keystore and key and for the Distinguished Name fields for your key. It then generates the keystore as a file called my-upload-key.keystore.

The keystore contains a single key, valid for 10000 days. The alias is a name that you will use later when signing your app, so remember to take note of the alias.

macOS​

On macOS, if you’re not sure where your JDK bin folder is, then perform the following command to find it:

/usr/libexec/java_home

It will output the directory of the JDK, which will look something like this:

/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/jdkX.X.X_XXX.jdk/Contents/Home

Navigate to that directory by using the command cd /your/jdk/path and use the keytool command with sudo permission as shown below.

sudo keytool -genkey -v -keystore my-upload-key.keystore -alias my-key-alias -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000

CAUTION

Remember to keep the keystore file private. In case you’ve lost upload key or it’s been compromised you should follow these instructions.

Step 3: Add Keystore to Android Project

• Drag the keystore file into the android/app folder.
• Open android/app/build.gradle and add the following lines:

buildTypes {
    release {
        signingConfig signingConfigs.debug
    }
}

Step 4: Change App Name and Package Name (Optional)

• Install react-native-rename globally: yarn global add react-native-rename
• Run npx react-native rename and provide the new name and package identifier.

Step 5: Update Version Numbers (Optional)

• Install react-native-version globally: yarn global add react-native-version
• Run react-native version and provide the new version numbers.

Step 6: Generate Android Icons

• Go to appicon.co and generate icons for Android.
• Drag the generated icons into android/app/src/main/res.

Step 7: Create Android App Bundle

• Navigate to android/app in the terminal.
• Run ./gradlew bundleRelease.

Step 8: Create App in Google Play Console

• Go to the Google Play Console dashboard.
• Click “Create App.”
• Provide app name, language, and other details.

Step 9: Configure App Settings

• Go to “Setup App” and complete the following steps:
• App access
• Ads
• Content rating
• Target audience
• Data safety

Step 10: Manage App Listing

• Go to “Manage App Listing.”
• Provide app category, description, screenshots, and other details.

Step 11: Release App

• Go to “Releases” and click “Create New Release.”
• Provide a release name and notes.
• Upload the Android App Bundle.
• Review the release and click “Start rollout to production.”

Step 12: Update App (Optional)

• Increment the version numbers in package.json and android/app/build.gradle.
• Build a new Android App Bundle.
• Create a new release in the Google Play Console and upload the new bundle.