App Developer Best Practices

The following best practices have enabled developers worldwide to build great, successful apps for Google Play.

1. Make it Android

• Build your apps to make best use of the unique Android features, such as widgets, rich notifications, sharing through Intents, and more.

• Add the power of Google features your users already love, such as Google Maps, Google Drive, and more, all with single sign on.

2. Make it quality

• Make sure your apps follow the Core App Quality guidelines.

• Create apps that are available on all form factors and screen sizes, by following the Tablet App Quality guidelines.

• Test and optimize your quality at every step and make use of the Google Play beta-testing and staged rollouts features to test with users before launch.

1. Build buzz

• Create a great app listing page to showcase your apps and grab users’ attention. Don’t forget to include a YouTube video.

• Launch on multiple platforms simultaneously to maximize your reach.

• Promote your apps with the official Google Play badge and link to your products on Google Play.

• Build a community with social media, forums, and communities to get and keep users talking.

2. Optimize for great ratings

• Get to know your users, listen to and update your apps from their feedback.

• Focus on your strength markets first, get these right before expanding.

1. Keep users coming back

• Use Google Play In-app Billing to offer subscriptions to extended features.

• Hold competitions and offer promotions, then announce them through notifications.

2. Earn users’ love

• Respond to reviews and get valuable feedback from the community you've built.

• Measure your campaigns to see what is driving users to install your apps.

• Analyze in-app use to steer content updates and prolong the life of your apps.

• After you’ve launched in your market of strength, expand into other markets strategically and localize your apps as you go.

• Keep users engaged, and stay ahead of the competition, by continually optimizing your apps to offer new and better features, or retire those that users aren’t using.

• Build educational apps: learn how to make apps for Google Play for Education.