My Android Release Workflow: From Code to Play Store in Under an Hour

PRE-RELEASE CHECKLIST
─────────────────────────────────────
[ ] Version bumped (versionName + versionCode)
[ ] CHANGELOG.md updated with new features/fixes
[ ] All debug logging removed or guarded by BuildConfig.DEBUG
[ ] ProGuard rules verified (no R8 surprises)
[ ] Signing config using local.properties (not hardcoded)
[ ] Target SDK is current (36)
[ ] Permissions in manifest match actual usage
[ ] Privacy policy URL is live
[ ] Store screenshots are current (not from 3 versions ago)
[ ] Release notes written in plain language
[ ] Tested on physical device + emulator (API 24 + API 34)
[ ] Crash-free session rate > 99% on existing version

# config/version.properties
VERSION_MAJOR=1
VERSION_MINOR=4
VERSION_PATCH=0
VERSION_CODE=52

build.gradle.kts

import java.util.Properties

val versionProps = Properties().apply {
    load(rootProject.file("config/version.properties").inputStream())
}

android {
    defaultConfig {
        versionName = "${versionProps["VERSION_MAJOR"]}.${versionProps["VERSION_MINOR"]}.${versionProps["VERSION_PATCH"]}"
        versionCode = (versionProps["VERSION_CODE"] as String).toInt()
    }
}

build.gradle

#!/bin/bash
# version-bump.sh patch|minor|major [repo-name]

BUMP_TYPE=${1:-patch}
PROPS_FILE="config/version.properties"

# Read current values
MAJOR=$(grep VERSION_MAJOR $PROPS_FILE | cut -d= -f2)
MINOR=$(grep VERSION_MINOR $PROPS_FILE | cut -d= -f2)
PATCH=$(grep VERSION_PATCH $PROPS_FILE | cut -d= -f2)
CODE=$(grep VERSION_CODE $PROPS_FILE | cut -d= -f2)

# Increment
CODE=$((CODE + 1))
case $BUMP_TYPE in
  major) MAJOR=$((MAJOR + 1)); MINOR=0; PATCH=0 ;;
  minor) MINOR=$((MINOR + 1)); PATCH=0 ;;
  patch) PATCH=$((PATCH + 1)) ;;
esac

# Write back
sed -i '' "s/VERSION_MAJOR=.*/VERSION_MAJOR=$MAJOR/" $PROPS_FILE
sed -i '' "s/VERSION_MINOR=.*/VERSION_MINOR=$MINOR/" $PROPS_FILE
sed -i '' "s/VERSION_PATCH=.*/VERSION_PATCH=$PATCH/" $PROPS_FILE
sed -i '' "s/VERSION_CODE=.*/VERSION_CODE=$CODE/" $PROPS_FILE

echo "Bumped to $MAJOR.$MINOR.$PATCH (code: $CODE)"

./version-bump.sh patch

# local.properties (NEVER commit this file)
KEYSTORE_PATH=/Users/sudarshan/keystores/myfamilytracker.jks
KEYSTORE_PASSWORD=your-password-here
KEY_ALIAS=myfamilytracker
KEY_PASSWORD=your-password-here

// build.gradle.kts
import java.util.Properties

val localProps = Properties().apply {
    val f = rootProject.file("local.properties")
    if (f.exists()) load(f.inputStream())
}

android {
    signingConfigs {
        create("play store") {
            storeFile = localProps["KEYSTORE_PATH"]?.let { file(it) }
            storePassword = localProps["KEYSTORE_PASSWORD"] as? String
            keyAlias = localProps["KEY_ALIAS"] as? String
            keyPassword = localProps["KEY_PASSWORD"] as? String
        }
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            signingConfig = signingConfigs.getByName("play store")
            isMinifyEnabled = true
            isShrinkResources = true
            proguardFiles(
                getDefaultProguardFile("proguard-android-optimize.txt"),
                "proguard-rules.pro"
            )
        }
    }
}

# Clean build to avoid cache issues
./gradlew clean

# Build release AAB
./gradlew bundleRelease

# Output location
ls -la app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

# Check the AAB is signed with the right key
bundletool validate --bundle=app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

# Extract APKs locally to test on device
bundletool build-apks \
  --bundle=app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab \
  --output=app.apks \
  --ks=myfamilytracker.jks \
  --ks-key-alias=myfamilytracker

bundletool install-apks --apks=app.apks

❌ "Fixed NPE in LocationService initialization"
✅ "Fixed a crash that some users experienced when first opening the app"

❌ "Migrated from deprecated API to LocationManager v2"  
✅ "Improved location accuracy and battery efficiency"

Day 1:  10% rollout
Day 2:  Check crash-free rate in Play Console
Day 3:  25% rollout (if stable)
Day 5:  50% rollout
Day 7:  100% rollout

// Crashlytics setup in Application class
@HiltAndroidApp
class MyApp : Application() {
    override fun onCreate() {
        super.onCreate()
        if (!BuildConfig.DEBUG) {
            FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true)
        }
    }
}