Flutter: Deploy app to Play Store
To build and deploy a Flutter app to Google Play, follow these steps:
1. Prepare Your Flutter App
- Ensure your
pubspec.yamldependencies are up to date. - Run
flutter analyzeandflutter testto check for issues.
2. Configure App for Release
- Set App Name & Package Name: Update
android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml. - Set Versioning: Modify
pubspec.yaml: yamlCopyEditversion: 1.0.0+1 - Add Launcher Icon: Use
flutter_launcher_icons. - Enable ProGuard (optional, for obfuscation): Edit
android/app/proguard-rules.pro.
3. Generate a Signed APK or AAB
Create a Keystore File
Run:
keytool -genkey -v -keystore ~/upload-keystore.jks -keyalg RSA \
-keysize 2048 -validity 10000 -alias upload
Store the .jks file securely.
Configure Keystore in Flutter
Edit android/key.properties:
storePassword=<your-store-password>
keyPassword=<your-key-password>
keyAlias=your_key_alias
storeFile=your-key.jks
Then, update android/app/build.gradle:
Add the following lines to top of files
def keystorePropertiesFile = rootProject.file("key.properties")
def keystoreProperties = new Properties()
keystoreProperties.load(new FileInputStream(keystorePropertiesFile))
Add the following to Android {} block
signingConfigs {
release {
storeFile file(keystoreProperties['storeFile'])
storePassword keystoreProperties['storePassword']
keyAlias keystoreProperties['keyAlias']
keyPassword keystoreProperties['keyPassword']
}
}
buildTypes {
release {
signingConfig signingConfigs.release
shrinkResources true
minifyEnabled true
}
}
4. Build the Release Package
To generate an AAB (preferred for Play Store):
flutter build appbundle
For APK:
flutter build apk --release
5. Upload to Google Play Console
- Go to Google Play Console.
- Create a new app and complete the required information.
- Upload the
.aabfile to the Production, Beta, or Alpha track. - Complete the content rating, store listing, and compliance forms.
6. Submit for Review
Once all requirements are met, submit the app for review. Google Play takes a few hours to a few days to approve it.
Would you like help automating this process with a CI/CD pipeline (e.g., using GitHub Actions)?
