What’s New in Google Play Developer Console

We remained connected to the most recent conference where Google presented current and future projects for helping app developers, mobile marketers and Android customers in the same time with play store console. Some may know Google Play developer console as Android developer console but we will not call it with that phrase. Did you know that Android is installed on more than 2 billion active devices? Yes, it is a huge number. This is the reason why Google pay attention to the way Android app owners manage their creations providing constantly enhanced tools for Google Play Console. During I / O 2017, Google team announced that many important changes will be visible in Google Play Console. Let’s explore further these improvements because it is very important for developers to count on all support provided by the platform where they run their activity. A more fluent workflow offers advantages for app owners and for users creating a long term relationship beneficial for both sides.

Android Vitals

As you can imagine by reading the name, Android Vitals are essential for providing a great experience for your customers. In play store console in android vitals category gathered information is related to:

– Stability: Application Not Responding (ANR) Rate and Crush Rate. This page was also update with useful information.

– Render time: in case of slow rendering and frozen UI frames; Google highlights that user should interact with your app at 60 frames per second without delayed or dropped frames. Read carefully all the requirements and take all the necessary measures for fixing any issue.

– Battery usage: it reports stuck wake locks and excessive wakeups. We remind you that one of the best practices when it comes to app performance is Optimizing Battery Life;

Release Management News

Take a look at Release Management section to discover the new modifications and to observe in what manner your work will be a lot easier with this tool. You can access these options for each of your apps uploaded on Google Play.

Release Dashboard

Release Dashboard offers you an intuitive way to track the most important metrics for the app’s production release and it is a part of Google Play dashboard. You can study all the data you receive for Install – related statistics, Ratings, Reviews and Crashes and ANR errors. This way you will compare releases and you will discover the right path for your app.

Android Instant Apps

On Android Instant Apps page on Google Play Console you will notice that many options are similar to the other facilities available for the other apps you have published before. You can add APKs for production release, for pre-release testing or to manage the development process during testing. You can find a detailed article about Android Instant Apps on our blog and of course the official documentation is mandatory for a better understanding of this service.

Device Catalogue

A very useful feature is Device Catalogue where you can check the number of devices from each provider that supports your app. Plenty of information is displayed on this page with the possibility of filtering across installs, reviews and ratings by device type to understand where you need to change your strategy for making sure that your app performs in the best parameters. More information on how to view and restrict your app’s compatible devices you can find on the official page.

App Signing

When you enter App Signing page for the first time you must read and accept Google Play App Signing Terms of Service. After that, you can see a before and after comparison of this process. Next you are able to follow the step – by – step tutorial to enrol your app in Google Play App Signing. You should check different types of keys and many definitions on Manage your app signing keys.

Learn more about app store advertising.

The New User Acquisition Report

Advanced benefits are provided by the user acquisition report which details all the information you need for a complex strategy to combine the techniques for acquiring new users and the methods for retaining them. You will know how many app store views became installs and even more interesting you will have the power to understand the percentage of retained users. All data is measured by acquisition channel or by country over periods up – to 30 days.

Subscription Dashboard

Among other growth factors recommended by Google are subscriptions because the number of active subscribers has doubled over last year. This is the reason why financial reports are better explained in the new subscriptions dashboard in Google play dashboard. Don’t ignore any elements that can improve the numbers calculated for your company. If you want to add subscriptions and recurring charges there is a full document on Google Support. Keep in mind that you have to use Google Play In – App Billing API for taking advantage of this service. Another thing you probably know but it is worth reminding you is that subscriptions have to be bigger than $0 and they can’t be changed or unpublished. It is a more elaborated process but if you study your options you will get rewarded for your effort.

Reviews Analysis

For the readers of our articles, we highlight every occasion the importance of users’ feedback. If you remember our article about the success story behind Slack we underlined that one of the most strategic moves of its owners is the attention offered to customers’ opinions. Coming back to our topic for today, we are happy to notice that Google also takes a lot of care for this aspect. With the new updated console, you will have a better overview of your apps’ reviews and ratings. Besides the history of every conversation with your users, an essential element added lately is the power to report all the reviews that don’t match the posting policy guidelines. Now app owners have a weapon against trolls. More details about the methods available for viewing and analyzing your app’s ratings and reviews are provided by Play Console Help.

FINAL THOUGHTS

As you observed, there are many changes and improvements on Google Play Developer Console. Everything that appears with the small exclamation sign represents an updated or a new page. We encourage you to explore them and to discover all the novelties provided by Google for a successful business. You will be pleased by all the information concentrated in the same place with Google Play Developer Console. Remember that the main reason for this process is to increase the quality of apps presented on Google Play Store.