App developmentAndroid
Custom Android apps
On Android phones are not one: they are thousands. Your app must be fine on everyone.
We design and develop Android apps for companies and individuals, publish them on Google Play and keep them in line with the requirements that Google updates every year. From the same codebase, if needed, the iPhone version is also born.
How do I publish an Android app to Google Play?
You open a developer account on Google Play Console (25 USD one-time), upload the signed app in Android App Bundle format and send it to review. Personal accounts created after November 13, 2023 must first take a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 days; company accounts do not.
- Fixed cost Google
- 25 USD one-time for the developer account, with no annual renewal.
- Personal or corporate
- Companies open an organization account with the D-U-N-S number and do not have a closed test obligation.
- Requirement 2026
- As of August 31, 2026 new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API 36).
- What We Do
- Development, signing, testing, store tab, review and updates. Account remains yours.
Sources:Account costTest requirementsTarget APIAccount Types
The 14-Day Rule
Publish to Google Play: 12 testers, 14 days, and who can skip them
Since 13 November 2023, Google has required new personal accounts to run a closed test before production: at least 12 opted-in testers for 14 consecutive days. Testers must remain opted in; if someone leaves halfway through, additional testers are needed.
The rule does not apply to organization accounts, those registered to a company and verified with the D-U-N-S. Athleex, published by an organization account, went into review without mandatory testing.
If the account is personal, we prepare the closed test and help you keep the tester group together. If it is corporate, we guide you through the opening and publish after the review.
Personal account created after November 13, 2023: Before production, at least 12 testers enrolled in the closed test for 14 days in a row are needed.
Google Play Requirements
What Changes in 2026: API 36 and Developer Verification
Google updates the rules every year. A stop app stays on the store, but the day you need an urgent update you may find that it needs to be put back in order first.
13 Nov2023
Test closed for new personal accounts
Those who open a personal account from this date must have at least 12 testers try the app for 14 days in a row before asking for production.
Source: Google Play Console31 Aug2026
Target API 36, namely Android 16
New apps and updates published on Google Play must point to Android 16; those who applied for the extension have until November 1. Apps already published must remain at least on API 35 to be found by new users.
Source: Android Developers30 Sep2026
Developer Verification Part
Verifying the identity of those who distribute Android apps is activated in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Those who post on Google Play manage it from the Play Console: the identity already verified is valid, but each app must be registered in the name of the developer.
Source: Android Developers- Page updated October 3, 2026
2027
Worldwide Verification
Identity verification extends globally: an app installed on a certified Android device will need to come from a verified developer.
Source: Android Developers
Play Console, Play Billing, Notifications
Android app development for business: behind the scenes
A business app is not just the interface. Below are accounts, payments, notifications and signing keys: if one of these pieces is mismounted, you find out on the worst day.
Google Play Console
The panel where the app lives: store tab, tests, releases, statistics and reviews. You open it, with the $25 one-off; we work as invited users, with the permissions that you decide.
Play Billing
If you sell subscriptions or digital content within the app, Google asks you to use its billing system. We integrate this with verification of purchases on the server, so a subscription is active only if it has been paid for.
Push Notifications with FCM
On Android, notifications switch from Firebase Cloud Messaging, which has no usage costs. From Android 13 the user has to give permission: we ask at the right time, when you understand what it is for, not at the first start.
Android App Bundle
It's the format by which apps load to Google Play: Google gets the lightest package for each phone, with only the resources that that device needs.
App signing and the upload key
Every Android app is signed, allowing the phone to recognise updates from its publisher. Play App Signing uses two keys: Google holds one, and we use the other to upload releases.
- Chiave di caricamentoThe buildWe load the app in Android App Bundle format, signed with the loading key.
- Chiave dell'appGoogle PlayCheck the upload signature and sign the app with the app key, which holds Google.
- Firma verificataPhonesThey receive a tailored package for the device, signed with the app key: updates are recognized as yours.
Native or cross-platform
Native or cross-platform Kotlin? Let's be honest
We develop with a web base brought to Android and iOS with Capacitor, and write in Kotlin the native modules when the real operating system is needed. It's not the right answer for everyone: that's when it's not.
| Criterion | Native Kotlin | Capacitor, how we work | React Native or Flutter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Kotlin, with Jetpack Compose for the interface | TypeScript on Next.js and React, plus Kotlin and Swift for native modules | JavaScript or TypeScript (React Native), Dart (Flutter) |
| A base also for iOS and web | No: the iPhone app is a separate project | Yes: Android, iOS and PWA from the same code | Android and iOS yes, the web only partly |
| Phone Functions | All, directly | Through plugins; we write missing ones in Kotlin | Through modules; missing ones are written in native code |
| When it makes sense | System-living apps: Bluetooth pushed, continuous background work, complex widgets | Product and business apps, with a web app or business management system alongside them | Teams that already use that framework, interfaces with a lot of animation |
If your project asks for native Kotlin, we tell you before writing a line. Otherwise, one base only costs less than two separate apps: the sources are in the cost page. We also work with programming agents such as Claude Code, which shorten the time without taking control of the code: we tell it in the page on artificial intelligence app.
Already on Google Play
Athleex: the same codebase, published on Google Play
Athleex, the platform for personal trainers, is on Google Play using the same codebase as the web and iPhone versions. Notifications use Firebase Cloud Messaging; the app uses Play App Signing and is published through an organisation account.
- base of code
- 1base of code
- platforms
- 3platforms
- languages
- 6languages
A detail that we have marked ourselves
After the first upload, the Google signature key printout should be added to the file linking site and app (assetlinks.json). Without it, links to the & apos;app open in the browser instead of the & apos;app.
Frequently asked questions
Custom Android apps, the questions they ask us
For the App Store, see our page on iOS App Development; for apps used by your employees, see our Business Apps; if a browser-installable app is sufficient, a PWA.
Sources of answers:Test closedAccount TypesTarget APIVerify DevelopersAlternative paymentsReview timesSigning Apps
It is the closed test that Google asks personal developer accounts created after November 13, 2023: before publishing in production, the app must be tested by at least 12 testers enrolled in the test for at least 14 days in a row. Organization accounts are not subject to this rule.
Native Kotlin makes sense when an app relies on system features such as advanced Bluetooth or continuous background activity. For most product and business apps, a cross-platform codebase costs less and also supports iOS and the web. We use Capacitor and write the missing modules in Kotlin.
From August 31, 2026, new apps and updates on Google Play must target Android 16 (API 36), with extension possible until November 1. Since September 30, 2026, developer verification has been active in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, and in 2027 it extends to the whole world; for those who publish on Google Play it passes from the Play Console. We keep code, dependencies, and accounts aligned.
The developer account costs 25 USD one-time, with no annual renewal. Development is another entry: market segments, with sources, are on the cost page of app development. We give a fixed price quote after the free 30-minute evaluation.
The organization account: is registered to the company, opens with the number D-U-N-S and does not have the obligation of 12 testers for 14 days. The D-U-N-S is free, but Google warns that it can take up to a month to get it:you should ask first. Personal account makes sense for a private individual or a project that doesn't have a company behind it yet.
As a rule yes: Digital content and features sold inside an app downloaded from Google Play pass from Play Billing. In the European Economic Area, including Italy, from 30 June 2026 Google also allows alternative payment systems with a special registration: we evaluate together if it is convenient. For physical goods or services enjoyed outside the app, such as an order or a reservation, traditional payments are used.
Times range from a few hours to a few days. For some accounts and apps the review is more in-depth and can reach 7 days or more, which is why Google recommends keeping at least a week of margin. With a new personal account, before production there are also 14 days of closed testing.
With the signing of Play apps, the signing key is kept by Google. We load builds with a loading key kept out of code; if that key is lost, Google allows you to reset it without losing the app.
Let's talk about your app
Do you have an app to bring to Google Play?
Tell us what to do, for whom and on which phones. We will contact you within one business day for a 30-minute free first assessment: account type, requirements, realistic timing and where to start. The quote comes later, at a fixed price: here we explain how we build it.