Android PWA Application Publishing Guide

Publishing a Progressive Web App (PWA) to the Google Play Store allows you to reach a wider audience and provide a more native-like experience. This guide will walk you through the essential steps, from creating a digital signature to submitting your application for review.

Step 1: Generate a Keystore Signing Key

Before you can publish, you need a digital signature to prove that you are the author of the application. This is stored in a file called a keystore. This key is crucial, as you will need it for all future updates.

Important: Securely back up your keystore file and its passwords. If you lose this key, you will not be able to publish updates to your app.

  1. Open your terminal or command prompt.

  2. Run the following command to generate the key. It will ask you for passwords and some information about yourself or your organization.

    keytool -genkeypair -v -keystore my-release-key.keystore -alias mykey-alias -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000

  3. Follow the on-screen prompts to set passwords and provide certificate details.

  4. Once completed, a file named my-release-key.keystore will be created. Save this file and all associated passwords in a safe place.

Step 2: Build the Application with PWA Builder

PWA Builder is a fantastic tool from Microsoft that helps package your PWA for different app stores.

  1. Go to PWA Builder and enter the URL of your PWA.

  2. Follow the steps to generate the Android package.

  3. When you get to the signing options, you’ll need the information from the .keystore file you just created. Fill in the fields with your key data:

    • Keystore File: Upload your my-release-key.keystore.
    • Key Alias: Enter the alias you chose (e.g., mykey-alias).
    • Keystore Password & Key Password: Enter the passwords you set in the previous step.

    PWA Builder Signing Options with Keystore data

Step 3: Download and Test the Build Artifacts

After building, PWA Builder will provide you with a downloadable archive. Inside, you will find several files, but two are most important for Android:

  • *.apk (Android Package Kit): This is the file you can use to install the application directly on an Android device for testing.
  • *.aab (Android App Bundle): This is the format required for uploading your application to the Google Play Store. It allows Google to optimize the app size for different devices.

Step 4: Create and Publish in Google Play Console

The final step is to upload your app to Google’s platform for developers.

  1. Go to the Google Play Console and log in.
  2. Click on Create app and fill in the initial details like the app name and language.
  3. You will be taken to the app’s dashboard. Google provides a checklist of tasks you need to complete before you can publish. This includes:
    • Setting up your store listing (description, screenshots, icon).
    • Specifying app content, target audience, and data safety information.
    • Creating a new release.
  4. In the release section, upload the *.aab file you downloaded from PWA Builder.
  5. Once all tasks on the dashboard are completed, you can submit your application for review.

After Google’s review process, your PWA will be live on the Play Store for users to download!

iOS PWA: Build and Publication Guide