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At Bitrise, we're all about helping our users ship their mobile apps sooner, ensuring a smooth release process for everyone involved. That's why we're thrilled to announce significant strides in expanding our Release Management add-on product. What's even more exciting? We're now extending our support to Android teams, allowing them to release their apps to the Google Play Store faster than ever before. Let's take a closer look at the new features.
Simplify your app release workflow with Production Release for Google Play
Starting today, you can create a release for the Google Play Store directly from Bitrise, delivering your Android app to end users with ease. With Release Management, you gain full control over your production release, provide localized release notes, include crucial metadata, and highlight what's new in your app. We've packed this feature with comprehensive functionality to make your release process for all stakeholders involved (sales, legal, product, marketing and more) crystal clear.
During this initial Android roll-out, we've made a strategic decision to prioritize production releases, as it aligns with the primary needs of the majority of our users. As a result internal, Alpha and Beta Testing will be temporarily handled outside the Release Management environment. We understand that many of our users utilize alternative testing solutions such as the Bitrise Public Install Page or Firebase rather than the Google console for testing purposes. However, we have exciting plans to introduce Beta testing soon, complete with features like comprehensive testing instructions and release notes tailored for beta testing. Stay tuned for further announcements in the near future.
Source: Google Assistant
Say goodbye to manual authorization and hello to effortless integration: Introducing Google Service Account Connection
We’re also introducing the Google Service Account Connection feature. Similar to the Apple Service connection in Release Management that facilitates communication with the App Store Connect for Bitrise builds and Release Management authorization, the Google Service Connection establishes a seamless connection between your Google Account and Bitrise. This integration empowers Release Management and Bitrise builds to communicate effortlessly with your Google account on your developer portal. By establishing this connection, you can easily upload your app via Bitrise into production on the Google Play Store.
Coming soon: Google Play Service Account Connection in Google Play Deploy Step. Currently, Bitrise builds require users to provide Service Account JSON key as a secret, which is tedious and cumbersome. We recognize the need for a more streamlined approach, and in the next coming weeks will introduce an option to use the new Google Play Service Account Connection in the Google Play Deploy Step. With this new feature, you’ll be able to eliminate the hassle of manually providing authorization and enjoy seamless integration between Bitrise and your Google account.
The Google Service Connection: Where to connect your Google Account to Bitrise in Release Management
Adding an account via the Google Service Connection
For developers who are also building on iOS, you'll notice that Release Management settings for connecting to the Android store operate on a workspace level rather than a profile level. This decision was made with careful consideration. By associating the connection with the workspace, rather than an individual's profile, we ensure that when a user leaves a company, the app connected to their profile won't sever the connection for the entire organization. Instead, on a workspace level, the connection to the app remains intact, as the developer's ID isn't required for authorization. This means that even if a team member departs from the project or the company, other members can still log in and seamlessly manage the release process, minimizing friction and ensuring continuity.
In conclusion
With our enhanced Release Management add-on, we're dedicated to simplifying your app release workflow and ensuring a seamless experience for Android teams. Get ready to ship your apps faster and more efficiently than ever before. Start leveraging these game-changing features today.
To learn more about our Release Management add-on and explore these new features, view our dev center documentation or book a demo with someone from the team.
Stuck on something when wanting to release your mobile app? Contact our dedicated customer support team.
