Release & Play Store

The app has no in-app purchases. Packages and featured ads are sold on the website only, so Google Play Billing rules do not apply and you answer No to digital purchases in the Play forms.

Before you build

• Own package name set and FlutterFire run for it (Change Package Name, Firebase Setup)
• App name, launcher icon, splash and the hard-coded classiadshub.web.app links replaced (App Name, Logo & Splash)
• API base URL points at your production API (API Configuration)
• Your own Maps key, Maps SDK for Android enabled, key restricted (Google Maps & Location)
• Google provider enabled and the new google-services.json in place, if you keep Continue with Google (Login, Register & OTP)
• Website payment gateways on live keys and Sandbox / Bank Transfer switched off as needed (Payment Gateways)
• Privacy Policy, Terms and About pages written in the Admin Panel (CMS Pages). The privacy page must name your app, list the data collected (see Data safety) and explain account deletion
• Test data from QA runs removed from the live database (tools/qa/cleanup-qa-data.js, run it with --dry first)
• The version text in Settings → About (settings_screen.dart) matches pubspec.yaml

1. Create the upload keystore (once)

keytool -genkey -v -keystore upload-keystore.jks \
  -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 -alias upload

Keep the file outside the repository or in a git-ignored folder.

2. key.properties

storePassword=YOUR_STORE_PASSWORD
keyPassword=YOUR_KEY_PASSWORD
keyAlias=upload
storeFile=/absolute/path/to/upload-keystore.jks

storeFile may also be relative; it is resolved from android/app/.

3. Signing in build.gradle.kts

Release signing is already wired. android/app/build.gradle.kts loads key.properties and creates a release signing config from it:

val keystoreProperties = Properties().apply {
    val file = rootProject.file("key.properties")
    if (file.exists()) file.inputStream().use { load(it) }
}

signingConfigs {
    if (keystoreProperties.isNotEmpty()) {
        create("release") { /* keyAlias, keyPassword, storeFile, storePassword */ }
    }
}

buildTypes {
    release {
        signingConfig = if (keystoreProperties.isNotEmpty()) signingConfigs.getByName("release")
                        else signingConfigs.getByName("debug")
    }
}

4. Build the App Bundle

Set the version first. The number after + is the Android versionCode and must increase with every upload:

version: 1.0.0+1     # next release: 1.0.1+2

cd mobile
flutter clean
flutter pub get
flutter build appbundle --release
# optional: --dart-define=API_BASE_URL=https://www.yourcompany.com/api/v1

The bundle is mobile/build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab. Check that it is signed with your upload key:

keytool -printcert -jarfile build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

The SHA-1 must be your upload key's, not the debug key's.

5. Create the app in Play Console

1. play.google.com/console (opens in a new tab) → Create app: your app name, default language, App, Free. Accept the declarations.
2. Test and release → Setup → App signing: keep Google-managed app signing (Play App Signing).

6. Store listing

Grow users → Store presence → Main store listing. Ready-made assets are in `store/playstore/`:

The screenshots tell the story in order: home, listings, ad detail, category, chat, post ad, ad detail, my ads. They show the ClassiAds-Hub branding. Replace them with captures of your branded app before you publish. store/compose.mjs builds framed screenshots from raw captures in store/raw/ (node store/compose.mjs).

Also fill: short description (80 characters max), full description, category (for example Shopping), contact email and website.

7. App content

Policy → App content. Suggested answers for this app:

Data safety

All traffic is encrypted in transit (HTTPS / Firebase). Users can delete their account.

Data is not shared: Firebase and Google act as your service providers. Review this table against your own privacy policy and any SDKs you add.

8. Upload and test

1. 1

   Internal testing

   Test and release → Testing → Internal testing → create a testers list → Create new release → upload app-release.aab → release name 1.0.0 (1) → release notes → Save → Review → Start rollout.

2. 2

   Register the App Signing SHA

   See the next section. Do it before you test Google sign-in and Maps from Play.

3. 3

   Test on a real phone

   Install from the opt-in link and check: email login, Google sign-in, the map on an ad, a push on a new chat message, posting an ad with a photo, and Delete Account.

4. 4

   Closed test (new personal accounts)

   New personal developer accounts must run a closed test with at least 12 testers for 14 continuous days before production access. Organisation accounts skip this.

5. 5

   Production

   Production → Create new release → promote the tested release, choose countries, use a staged rollout (for example 20%) → Send for review. The first review can take from a few days up to about a week.

Add the App Signing SHA to Firebase

Google re-signs every app delivered from Play with the App signing key. After the first upload:

1. Play Console → Test and release → App integrity (App signing) → copy the App signing key certificate SHA-1 and SHA-256.
2. Firebase Console → Project settings → Your apps → Android app → Add fingerprint → add both.
3. Download google-services.json again and replace mobile/android/app/google-services.json (needed for Google sign-in), then build and upload a new version.
4. Google Cloud console → your Maps key → Android apps restriction → add the same SHA-1 with your package name.

After launch

• Crashlytics in the Firebase Console for crashes, Play Console → Android vitals for ANRs.
• For each update: bump version: (the + number must increase), run flutter build appbundle --release, create a new release in the same track.
• If you ever change signing keys, update the SHA fingerprints in Firebase and the Maps key restriction.

iOS (App Store)

The project builds for iOS (deployment target 13.0), but the release flow is not scripted. In short:

1. Open mobile/ios/Runner.xcworkspace, set your Team and bundle ID, and add Push Notifications and Background Modes → Remote notifications if you use push.
2. Add NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription to Info.plist (the image picker needs it; it is missing in the shipped file).
3. Upload an APNs key to Firebase, and use an iOS-restricted Maps key in AppDelegate.swift.
4. If you offer Google sign-in on iOS, App Review may require Sign in with Apple (Login, Register & OTP).
5. flutter build ipa --release, then upload with Xcode Organizer or Transporter and submit in App Store Connect.

Next: Architecture →