The upload needs a Google Play 1 developer account (a one-time US$25), so these steps come from the Play Console 1 Help as of September 2026 and were not run here.
| Step | Where in the Play Console | What BookNest supplies |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Create the app | Home > Create app | Name (30 characters), language, app or game, free or paid |
| 2. Set up the app | Dashboard tasks | Privacy policy, app access, ads, content rating, target audience, Data safety |
| 3. Store listing | Grow users > Store presence | 512 x 512 icon, 1024 x 500 graphic, 2+ screenshots |
| 4. Test release | Test and release > Testing | Upload app-release.aab to internal testing (up to 100 testers) |
| 5. Closed test | Test and release > Testing | New personal accounts: 12 testers opted in for 14 days in a row |
| 6. Production | Test and release > Production | Release notes, then a staged rollout to a share of users |
The Data safety form covers what the plugins collect as well as your own code: BookNest's location, photos and push token all belong in it.
Step 5 applies to personal accounts created after 13 November 2023, and the 14 days must be continuous: plan for them before a launch date.
Later releases can skip the web UI: fastlane 249,704 's supply and Gradle Play Publisher 4,319 (github.com/Triple-T/gradle-play-publisher (https://github.com/Triple-T/gradle-play-publisher 4,319 )), both MIT, upload through the Google Play Developer API.