1. Android 19: Google Play Kirk Scott 1

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3. The Nerpa, or Baikal Seal, the Only Completely Freshwater Seal 3

4. How Did It Get There? 4

5. Introduction There are several sections of the Android developer’s Web site One of these sections is, “Distribute” In this section the first headings is, “Google Play” This heading and its subheadings are listed on the following overhead, given with numbers corresponding to this set of overheads 5

6. 19.1 Google Play 19.2 Visibility 19.3 Monetizing 19.4 Distribution 6

7. 19.1 Google Play 7

8. Your Apps on Google Play The most visited store in the world for Android apps. Cloud-connected and always synced, it's never been easier for users to find and download your apps. 8

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10. Growth Engine A billion downloads a month and growing. Get your apps in front of millions of users at Google's scale. Read More › 10

11. Build Your Business Sell your app in over 130 countries. Flexible monetization options with in-app purchase, subscriptions, and more. Read More › 11

12. Distribution Control Deliver your apps to the users you want, on the devices you want, on your schedule. Read More › 12

13. 19.2 Visibility 13

14. Visibility for Your Apps A billion downloads a month and growing. Get your apps in front of millions of users at Google's scale. 14

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16. Worldwide reach, rapid growth Google Play is the premier store for distributing Android apps. It’s preinstalled on more than 400 million devices worldwide, a number growing by more than a million every day. Android users have downloaded more than 25 billion apps from Google Play, growing at a rate of more than 1.5 billion per month. 16

17. When you publish on Google Play, you put your apps in front of Android's huge base of active customers, in more than 130 countries and territories across the world. Google Play is a central part of the Android experience. New users personalize their devices with apps, games, and other Google Play content. 17

18. Existing users return regularly to see what's trending and new. Downloading new apps is extremely convenient and fast— Google Play pushes apps to the user's devices instantly, over the air. No cable or sync is ever needed. 18

19. Google Play is also a top destination for visitors from the web. Anyone with a browser can explore everything that Google Play has to offer from its web site.web site Android users can even buy and install the apps they want and Google Play pushes them automatically to their devices over the air. 19

20. The accessiblility and convenience of the Google Play web site give you new ways to drive traffic to your products from online ads, web search, cross-linking, and more. 20

21. Growth in app consumption: Users download more than 1.5 billion apps from Google Play each month. 21

22. Built for app discovery Google Play is designed to connect users with great apps and games. It provides key channels to help your app get noticed and gain traction in the marketplace. 22

23. User ratings and reviews When you develop a great app, Android users show their appreciation through ratings and reviews. They rate your app (out of 5 stars) after downloading it and can post a short description of their experience. When other users are considering your app, they look at the ratings and reviews as key benchmarks of the app’s quality. 23

24. Your app’s rating is one of the most important factors influencing its ranking in the various lists and search results in Google Play. It's also one of the key signals that the editorial staff looks for, when curating apps and games for promotion in the store. 24

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26. Category browsing When you publish an app in Google Play, you pick the category in which you want users to find your app. More than 30 categories are available. Inside each category, apps are ranked based on a combination of ratings, reviews, downloads, country, and other factors. Many popular categories also start with a collection of featured apps selected by the Google Play editorial staff. 26

27. Featuring in categories: Most app and game categories include a featured list curated by the editorial team. 27

28. Search Search on Google Play lets users pinpoint an app or game quickly. Search uses powerful heuristics to suggest terms as the user types, and it offers direct links to apps as suggestions. In results, users find the most relevant, most popular apps at the top. 28

29. Top charts and lists Top charts keep users in touch with what’s popular and trending with Android users, right from the Apps and Games home pages. The charts are generated several times each day based on recent download activity, keeping them fresh and allowing new apps to move upward in the charts. 29

30. To make the charts as relevant as possible for users across the world, they are also country- specific in Google Play's most popular countries. As your apps get traction and build momentum in downloads and ratings, they’ll climb one or more of the top charts and gain even more exposure. 30

31. Top FreeFree apps and games Top PaidPriced apps and games Top New FreeLess than 30 days old Top New PaidLess than 30 days old Top GrossingGross proceeds, free or priced Best SellingPopular priced games Trending New arrivals growing quickly in installs 31

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33. Featured, Staff Picks, Collections, and Badges The Google Play editorial team is dedicated to bringing the best apps to the attention of users and setting the tone for app quality throughout the store. It constantly reviews apps from across Google Play to find not only the best-known apps and games, but also the “diamonds in the rough” that they want more people to see. 33

34. When the team finds great apps and games, it uses the Featured, Staff Picks, and other collections to promote them to users. You can't nominate your app for featuring, but the team is always on the lookout for great apps through a number of signals and indicators. If you build an app that users love and that looks great on Android devices, the editorial team will notice. 34

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36. Featured and Staff Picks Each week the Google Play editorial staff selects a new set of apps to promote in its popular Featured and Staff Picks collections. The Featured collections highlight the latest and greatest app and game titles available for Android. 36

37. Category featuring highlights the best and most popular apps in the top categories. Staff Picks collects all recently featured apps and games on Google Play. To better reach tablet users, there’s a special Staff Picks collection that highlights the best apps for Android tablets. 37

38. App collections From time to time the editorial staff puts together a collection of apps and games based on a theme or seasonal event. The collections are popular with customers because they are timely and relevant, and they provide a new way to showcase great Android apps to users. 38

39. The editorial staff chooses apps for collection promotions in a similar way as for featuring— high-quality apps that show the best of Android on phones and tablets. For collections the staff also looks for apps that can make an interesting or unique contribution to the collection as a whole. 39

40. EDITORS' CHOICE Editors’ Choice is a curated collection of apps that highlights some of the very best apps available on Android. These apps are chosen for high quality and great UI, long-term popularity, and innovative use of Android features. Apps chosen for Editors’ Choice also receive a badge that is displayed wherever the app name is seen in Google Play. 40

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42. TOP DEVELOPER Top Developer is a badge recognizing established, respected developers for their commitment to launching high-quality and innovative apps on Android. The Google Play editorial staff selects developers awards a Top Developer badge from time to time, based on the cumulative work of the developer. 42

43. The Top Developer badge appears next to the developer name wherever it is displayed in Google Play. For a developer, the badge means long-term recognition of all of your apps. For users, the badge signifies an additional level of trust and confidence in your products. 43

44. Rich, colorful product pages In Google Play, your app’s storefront is its product details page — a rich and colorful page that lets you promote your app, highlight its ratings and reviews, and show what your app can do. Your product details page is the one page where your users come to find out everything about your app. When they see your app listed in search results, top charts, category listings, and collections, one tap takes them directly to your product details page. 44

45. You can manage your product details page through the Google Play Android Developer Console, from any web browser. Just sign in, upload or update your brand assets, and enter your product details in the languages of your markets. 45

46. When you publish, Google Play adds your app’s ratings, reviews, links to your other products, and more, and makes sure your product details page looks great on phones, tablets, or in a web browser. 46

47. You can link web users directly to your product details page from outside Google Play, such as from your web site, an ad campaign, reviews, social media posts, and more. See Linking to Your Products to find out how.Linking to Your Products 47

48. To learn more about how to create your product details page, see Publishing on Google Play.Publishing on Google Play 48

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50. 19.3 Monetizing 50

51. Flexible Monetizing and Business Tools Sell your app in more than 130 countries. Flexible monetization options with in-app purchase, subscriptions, and more. 51

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53. Streamlined purchase flow for users When users find your app, they can purchase it instantly with a streamlined, consistent purchasing process and convenient payment methods. 53

54. Instant purchase from device or web Google Play makes it fast and easy for your customers to buy your products, whether from a phone, a tablet, or a desktop computer. When users find an app or game that they want to buy, they can purchase it in as few as two steps—one to initiate the purchase and another to accept purchase details and permissions and complete the transaction. 54

55. Google Play's convenient purchase experience is the same familiar process for all products everywhere across Google Play—apps, games, in-app products and subscriptions, and other digital content. 55

56. Cloud-connected Purchasing is even more convenient on Google Play because it’s cloud-connected. Users can find and purchase your products from anywhere—from their Android phones or using any web browser on any host computer. 56

57. When users find an app or game they want to buy, they purchase it and download it instantly to their devices over-the-air. Users who sign in to the Google Play web site can also buy apps and games and push them instantly to their phones, tablets, or other devices. Google Play manages the application download. 57

58. Convenient payment options Users can purchase your products on Google Play using several convenient payment methods—credit cards, Direct Carrier Billing, gift cards, and Google Play balance. Credit card is the most common method of payment. Users can pay using any credit card that they’ve registered in Google Play. To make it easy for users to get started, registration is offered as a part of initial device setup process. 58

59. Payment methods on Google Play Credit card Direct Carrier Billing Gift card Google Play balance (stored value) 59

60. Subscribers on many popular carrier networks worldwide can charge purchases to their monthly mobile phone bills through Direct Carrier Billing. This form of payment is convenient and simple and is extremely popular in regions where credit cards are less common. More than 75 million users in key markets around the world can purchase your products through Direct Carrier Billing. Many more will get the option in the months ahead. 60

61. Google Play balance is a stored account balance in Google Play. Users can increase their balance through promotions and offers in the store, and they can use their balance to make purchases of apps, games, or other content. The payment methods available to users worldwide may vary, based on location, carrier network, and other factors. 61

62. Choice of billing models Google Play gives you a choice of billing models to let you monetize your products. You can offer apps to all users for free, or you can set an initial price for the app, paid before download. You can also sell one-time purchases and auto- renewing subscriptions from inside the app, and you can take advantage of AdMob integration to monetize your app through targeted advertising. 62

63. Billing models on Google Play Free (no charge to download) Priced (user charged before download) In-app products and subscriptions 63

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65. You can combine these billing models in different ways, based on your business needs or market conditions. For example, you can use a freemium or ad- supported model by distributing your app for free and selling in-app products or advertising. 65

66. Alternatively you could set a nominal price for your app at download and sell value add-ons, gameplay levels, and upgrades as in-app products. The only restriction is that free apps must remain free (to download) for the life of the app. For details about in-app products or subscriptions, see Google Play In-app Billing.Google Play In-app Billing 66

67. Flexible pricing in the currencies of your customers Google Play gives you complete control over how you price your products. You can set prices in more than 130 countries, for millions of users around the world. When users browse your app’s product page or initiate a purchase, Google Play shows them the price they will be charged in their local currency. 67

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69. You can set and adjust your prices at any time, in any available currency. Your prices in available currencies are independent, so you can adjust one price without affecting others. This gives you the ability to run short-term promotions and discounts in specific countries and more easily manage shifts in exchange rates. You can set and manage prices for your apps and in-app products from the Google Play Developer Console. 69

70. Monthly payouts in your local currency To sell products in Google Play, all you have to do is register for a Google Wallet merchant account and link it to your Google Play Android Developer Console account (see Get Started with Publishing for details).Get Started with Publishing Once you’ve set up your account and published your apps, Google Play makes monthly payouts of sales proceeds to your merchant account, in your local currency. 70

71. Detailed financial reporting When you sell priced apps or in-app products on Google Play, you get a variety of financial reports to help you track and project sales, optimize your marketing campaigns, and support your customers. To help you keep up-to-date with the current activity, you can download daily reports summarizing recent purchases of your products. 71

72. The reports include estimated sales amounts and include a variety of other data for each transaction. At the close of the month, you can download a complete sales report that gives you the final details of all transactions that closed in the month, including the payout amounts and other data. Additional financial reports are available in your Google Wallet merchant account. 72

73. 19.4 Distribution 73

74. Distribution Control Deliver your apps to the users you want, on the devices you want, on your schedule. 74

75. Instant publishing, instant updates On Google Play, you can publish your products to customers instantly. Just upload and configure your product in the Google Play Developer Console and press the Publish button—your app appears in the store listings within hours, not weeks. 75

76. Once your app is published, you can update it as often as you want. You can change prices, configuration, and distribution options at any time through the Google Play Developer Console, without needing to update your app binary. 76

77. Later, as you add features or address code issues, you can publish an updated binary at any time. Google Play makes the new version available almost immediately and notifies existing customers that an update is ready for download. To streamline the rollout across your customer base, Google Play also lets users accept automatic updates of your app, so that your updates are delivered and installed as soon as you publish them. 77

78. Reaching the customers you want Google Play does more than connect your app with users—it helps you reach the broadest possible distribution across the Android ecosystem, while making sure that your app is only available to the audience that you want to reach. 78

79. Geographic targeting You can use controls in the Google Play Developer Console to easily manage the geographic distribution of your apps, without any changes in your application binary. You can specify which countries and territories you want to distribute to, and even which carriers (for some countries). 79

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81. When users visit the store, Google Play makes sure that they are in one of your targeted countries before downloading your app. You can change your country and carrier targeting at any time just by saving changes in the Google Play Developer Console. To help you market to users around the world, you can localize your store listing, including app details and description, promotional graphics, screenshots, and more.localize your store listing 81

82. Capabilities targeting Google Play also lets you control distribution according to device features or capabilities that your app depends on. There are several types of dependencies that the app can define in its manifest, such as hardware features, OpenGL texture compression formats, libraries, Android platform versions, and others. 82

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84. When you upload your app, Google Play reads the dependencies and sets up any necessary distribution rules. For technical information about declaring dependencies, read Filters on Google Play.Filters on Google Play For pinpoint control over distribution, Google Play lets you see all of the devices your app is available to based on its dependencies (if any). From the Google Play Developer Console, you can list the supported devices and even exclude specific devices if needed. 84

85. Statistics for analyzing installs and ratings Once you’ve published your app, Google Play makes it easy to see how it’s doing. The Google Play Developer Console gives you access to a variety of anonymized statistics and custom charts that show you the app's installation performance and ratings. 85

86. You can view data and charts for active, daily, and total installs per unique devices or users, as well as upgrades and uninstalls. You can also view the app's daily average user rating and its cumulative user rating. To help you analyze the data, you can view install and ratings statistics across a variety of different dimensions such as Android version, device, country, app version, and carrier. 86

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88. You can see your app statistics on timeline charts, for all metrics and dimensions. At a glance, the charts highlight your app’s installation and ratings peaks and longer-term trends, which you can correlate to promotions, app improvements, or other factors. 88

89. You can even focus in on data inside a dimension by highlighting specific data points (such as individual platform versions or languages) on the timeline. So that you can “take your data with you”, you can download all of your installation data as a CSV file for viewing in the business program of your choice. 89

90. Advanced delivery options Google Play offers convenient options for managing how your apps are delivered to users. 90

91. Alpha and beta testing, staged rollouts It's always valuable to get real-world feedback from users, especially before launch. Google Play makes it easy to distribute pre- release versions of your app to alpha and beta test groups anywhere in the world. 91

92. You can start with a small group of alpha testers, then move to a larger group of beta testers. Once users are added, they access your app's store listing and install the app. User feedback from alpha and beta testers goes directly to you and is not posted as public reviews. 92

93. To help you ensure quality and protect your app ratings, you can choose a staged rollout when launching an app or an update. With staged rollout, you distribute the production version of your app to a percentage of users. You can adjust the percentage as you go, starting small and increasing until your app is available to all users. 93

94. Multiple APK support In most cases, it’s easy to create an app that supports all of your targeted screen sizes and platform versions from a single APK. Distributing a single APK to all of your users is a highly recommended approach, because it’s the easiest way to manage and maintain the app. If you need to deliver a different APK to devices, Google Play provides a way to do that. 94

95. An option called Multiple APK support lets you create multiple APK packages that use the same package name but differ in their OpenGL texture compression formats, screen-size support, or Android platform versions supported. You can upload all of the APKs to Google Play under a single product listing and Google Play selects the best APK to deliver to users, based on the characteristics of their devices. 95

96. The APK Expansion Files option lets you upload up to two secondary downloads for each published APK, including multiple APKs. Each of the two expansion files can be up to 2GB each and can contain any type of code or assets. When you upload the expansion files, Google Play hosts them for free and handles the download of the files as part of the normal APK installation. 96

97. Protecting your app Google Play provides two key features to help you protect your application against piracy — Google Play Licensing and app encryption. 97

98. Google Play Licensing is a network-based service that you implement in your app. The service lets your app query a trusted licensing server at runtime, to determine whether the app is licensed to the current device user. You can use the licensing service to protect any app, even apps that you distribute for free. For an overview of the service, see Application Licensing.Application Licensing 98

99. Additionally, Google Play offers app encryption to help protect your priced apps. When delivering your priced apps to devices running Android 4.1 or higher, Google encrypts the app binary so that it can be run only by the user who downloaded it, on the device to which it was originally downloaded. Your priced apps benefit from app encryption automatically — there's no extra development work or configuration needed. 99

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