By Alex Musil, Director of Product Management for Google Play

In the #11WeeksOfAndroid series, we covered contacts and identities, privacy and security, Android 11 compatibility, the development language, Jetpack, and Android developer tools. This installment focuses on Google Play app distribution and monetization. We’ll be bringing you #11WeeksOfAndroid, an in-depth look at Android’s key technology points, and you won’t miss anything.

This issue of 11 Weeks of Android focuses on app distribution and monetization on Google Play. We continue to improve the Android platform in our original spirit.

Google Play works closely with developers to provide an amazing online experience for billions of Android users. From the very beginning, we have focused on providing the most useful tools and data analytics to enable you to attract more users and expand your business. Recently, we have introduced more features and improved existing features to continue to help you succeed.

knowledge

  1. We’ve released three online videos about the beta of the new Google Play Manager, which you can view directly below.

  2. We shared the latest improvements to the App Bundle and plan to release new apps and games In this format In the second half of 2021. Learn more about the In-App Review API for requesting ratings and reviews from within your app In Friday’s post. Stay tuned.

  3. In an effort to increase trust on the platform, we’ve made some product updates and shared a more transparent subscription policy. We’ve also expanded our feature set to help you attract and retain users and launched Play Billing Library 3, which developers will need to use from mid-2021.

  4. Google Play Pass announced support for nine new markets last month. With an innovative revenue model, the total revenue of participating games is 2.5 times that of Google Play Store sales alone, without reducing the revenue of the Play Store. You can learn more and express your intention to participate here.

Google Play Admin Center Beta

The beta version of the new Google Play Admin center was released a few months ago at play.google.com/console, and we’d like to thank everyone for their feedback. While we continue to refine the beta, we also rolled out some key updates, including:

  • Much-anticipated multi-browser performance improvements;
  • New mobile menus and titles for a more responsive experience;
  • Inbox (your Google Play Admin Center information center) and upgraded subscription reporting features.

We’ve recently released three videos to get you up to speed on new content and changes in the Google Play Admin center:

If you’re just getting started, Dan White, lead engineer at Google Play Administration, introduces you to new features like inbox, policy status, app content, and enhanced team management.

The video of Welcome to the New Play Admin can be viewed at the following link:

  • Tencent Video link: v.qq.com/x/page/z313…
  • Bilibili video collection links: www.bilibili.com/medialist/p…

Google Play User experience designer Matt McGriskin will walk you through the new testing and publishing workflow to make you feel more confident about launching your app.

You can link to the video from Easy To Manage App Launches below:

  • Tencent Video link: v.qq.com/x/page/l313…
  • Bilibili video collection links: www.bilibili.com/medialist/p…

Finally, Google Play engineer Ryan Fanelli shares best practices for app Store optimization and Outlines new user acquisition reports to help you reach a larger audience.

You can see the video on Expanding your Audience with the Google Play Console below:

  • Tencent Video link: v.qq.com/x/page/g313…
  • Bilibili video collection links: www.bilibili.com/medialist/p…

You can also take the Google Play Administration Center course at the Google Play App Success Academy. In addition, if you are not already using 2-step Verification, please add two-step Verification to your Google Play Administrator as soon as possible; it will be mandatory later this year.

Android App Bundle

We’re proud that the Android App Bundle has become so ubiquitous in App and game releases. We will continue to make improvements to the App Bundle as a better distribution format:

  • The newly launched Play Asset Delivery brings the benefits of App Bundle to games, enabling developers to reduce Delivery costs, reduce game size and improve user experience.
  • Now, you can scale back resources when building modular applications;
  • When the App Bundle reaches the distribution APK phase, modules will now fuse automatically by default upon installation;
  • In Android Studio 4.0, feature dependencies are stable.

If you haven’t already converted to App Bundle, we’ve published the Play App Signing FAQ (app Bundle required) and guidance for testing the App Bundle to help you complete the conversion. You can learn more about the latest improvements in App Bundle development, testing, and distribution in two articles published today.

As we announced at the Android 11 Beta launch, we plan to require new apps and games for the second half of 2021 to be available on Google Play via the Android App Bundle. This means we will also move away from APK extension files (OBBs) and make Play Asset Delivery the standard for games over 150MB.

In-app Review API

Ratings and reviews are an important way for developers to connect with their users, so in-app reviews are a long-awaited feature. Now, the new In-App Review API will meet your need to choose when to prompt users for reviews and get the most valuable feedback. The Google Play core library now provides an in-app rating API.

We also released a unified example of the Play Core API, including in-app reviews as well as on-demand feature modules and in-app updates. Learn how to use these apis with Play Core Kotlin extension artifacts to make Play Core easier for Kotlin users.

Google Play Commerce

We have launched a series of updates to Play Commerce designed to build trust with a clearer and more convenient payment experience. Our user Trust policy, announced in April, provides users with greater transparency, a more secure trial experience, and easier revocation.

We also launched Play Billing Library 3, which supports cash payments, a better subscription promotion code redemption experience and purchase attribution. From 2 August 2021, Play Billing Library 3 will be mandatory for all new apps.

You can also watch the video with more information from Mrinalini Loew, team project Manager for Google Play Commerce.

  • Watch video: What’s new with Google Play Commerce

We’ll be Posting more tutorials on how to use Google Play Billing in the near future, so stay tuned.

Google Play Pass

Google Play Pass offers an ad-free and in-app purchase experience that allows developers to make more money and connect with potential audiences. Since its launch in September, Play Pass has added more than 200 new games, spanning genres from puzzle and racing games to utilities and kid-friendly apps. We are also proud to celebrate Super Glitch Dash and Element’s “Play Pass debut “.

A robust catalog of games provides a rich user experience and a sustainable revenue stream for developers through innovative monetization models. Overall, games on Play Pass generate more than 2.5 times as much revenue as games that are only available on the Play Store in the US.

In its latest developer story, FunPlus added cash from scratch via Google Play Points, adding more than 200 transaction orders a day to its games.

Last month, we launched Google Play Pass in nine new markets with an annual subscription option or an existing monthly subscription option.

At the same time, we announced that developers with in-app subscriptions can recommend their apps for inclusion in Play Pass. If you are building a great experience for Google Play Pass, please find out more and express your interest in participating.

Begin to learn

For faster access to the highlights of this issue, check out app distribution and Monetization. Test your understanding of key points and get limited edition virtual badges.

Thank you for keeping an eye on 11 Weeks of Android! We hope these latest content and resources will help you succeed on Google Play.

More resources

You can watch the full video resources or check out the full playlist of #11WeeksOfAndroid videos, or go to the official website to learn more about the topic. We will continue to focus on more new areas, so stay tuned. If you have any questions or need help, please go to the wechat message area or “Contact us” feedback. Thank you for being with us.