Android publishing
Android App Bundle (AAB): What Website Owners Need to Know
Understand the difference between APK and AAB files, signing identities, version codes, testing, and what Google Play expects.
APK and AAB serve different purposes
An APK is an installable Android package that is convenient for direct testing. An AAB is a publishing bundle that Google Play uses to generate optimized APKs for different devices.
For a normal release workflow, teams test an APK and submit the corresponding signed AAB to Google Play Console.
Signing identity must remain stable
Android updates are tied to signing identity. Protect the upload keystore, alias, and passwords, and record the SHA-1 and SHA-256 certificate fingerprints used by services such as Google Sign-In, Firebase, and app links.
If Google Play App Signing is enabled, distinguish between the upload key used to submit builds and the app-signing key Google uses for distributed APKs.
Version codes always move forward
Every Play Store update requires a version code higher than the previous release. The user-facing version name can follow your preferred release convention, but the numeric version code must increase.
Keep versioning under a repeatable build process so a test or rollback does not accidentally reuse a published code.
Validate before submission
Install the release APK, verify the package name and certificate, inspect permissions, and test key journeys. Then upload the AAB to an internal testing track before promoting it to a wider audience.
Store listing policy, privacy disclosures, data safety answers, screenshots, and target API requirements are separate from the technical bundle and should be prepared alongside it.