Connect Google Play

StoreReady uploads your app with a service account: a robot user in Google Cloud with its own key file. It lets us publish to your Google Play account. It takes about 5 minutes, and setup step 5 walks you through the same steps.

No Google Play developer account yet? Sign up in Play Console. Google charges a one-time $25 fee.

1. Create a service account

1. Open Google Cloud → Service accounts. Sign in with the Google account of your Play Console, or any account that can make projects.
2. At the top, pick a project, or make one: Select a project → New project, any name, then Create.
3. Press + Create service account. Name: storeready. Press Create and continue.
4. Skip the two optional parts: press Continue, then Done. No roles are needed.

2. Turn on the Google Play API

1. Open the Google Play Android Developer API page.
2. Check that the project at the top is the one from step 1.
3. Press Enable. Once per project is enough.

3. Create the JSON key

1. Back on Service accounts, click the email of storeready.
2. Open the Keys tab and press Add key → Create new key.
3. Pick JSON and press Create. A .json file downloads.
4. Add it in setup step 5, or in your app's Settings → Stores. We show the service account's email.

Google says key creation is turned off for your organization? Its admin can allow it in IAM & Admin → Organization policies → Disable service account key creation. Or make the project with a personal Google account.

4. Invite it in Play Console

1. Copy the service account's email. It ends in .iam.gserviceaccount.com.
2. Open Play Console, then Users and permissions in the menu on the left. Press Invite new users.
3. Paste the email. On the Account permissions tab, turn on:
   • View app information and download bulk reports
   • Release to production, exclude devices, and use Play App Signing
   • Release apps to testing tracks
   • Manage store presence
4. Press Invite user, then Send invite. A service account doesn't need to accept it.

Account permissions cover every app in this account, apps you add later too. You can narrow them to one app afterwards, under App permissions.

5. Check the connection

Press Check connection. If we say Google Play doesn't know the key yet, the invite can take a few minutes to kick in. Wait a little and press Check again.

The key is stored encrypted. To take access away, remove the service account in Play Console.

If something goes wrong

• "That is not a Google service account key." Download the JSON key again (step 3).
• "Google did not accept this key." It may have been deleted. Create a new JSON key.
• "Turn on the Google Play API." The Google Play Android Developer API is off in the key's Google Cloud project. Press Turn on the API, then Enable, wait a minute and press Check again.
• A build says the service account has no access to this app. In Play Console open Users and permissions, find the service account and turn on the permissions from step 4.