Google Play — account setup

VULK publishes your app to Google Play under your own Google Play Console account, using a service account you create in your own Google Cloud project and grant access to your own Play Console. VULK runs the upload as your own automation with your own credential — it never uses a shared or VULK-owned account.

Some of these steps take days — they are Google's identity and policy checks. Start them early.

1. Create a Google Play Console account

• Go to play.google.com/console.
• Cost: $25 USD, one-time (paid by you to Google).
• Choose Personal or Organization (organization requires a D-U-N-S Number and the legal name/address must match the Dun & Bradstreet record exactly).
• Complete identity verification (government ID, address, a verified phone number in +countrynumber format, Android device verification). This must be finished before any app can be submitted.
• Accept the Developer Distribution Agreement (web click-through).

2. (New personal accounts only) the closed-testing requirement

If your Play account is personal and was created after 13 Nov 2023, Google requires, before you can ship to production:

• A closed test with at least 12 testers opted in for 14 continuous days, then a manual "Apply for production" with three short questionnaires, then a Google review (~7 days).

Organization accounts and accounts created before that date are exempt from this step. VULK can put your app on the closed-testing track for you; start the test early, because the 14 days and the tester count are set by Google.

3. Create the app entry in Play Console

In Play Console → Create app: app name, default language, app/game, free/paid, accept declarations. The package name you set here is permanent, so choose it carefully.

4. Create a Google Cloud service account

1. In Google Cloud Console create (or pick) a project and enable the Google Play Android Publisher API (androidpublisher.googleapis.com).
2. IAM & Admin → Service Accounts → Create service account.
3. On the new service account: Keys → Add key → JSON. A .json file downloads — this is the credential you give VULK.

5. Grant the service account access in Play Console

• Play Console → Users & permissions → Invite new user.
• Paste the service account's email (looks like [email protected]).
• Grant it release permissions for your app (Release manager / Admin as appropriate).
• Propagation can take up to ~24 hours before the API will accept it.

6. Give the credential to VULK

Go to Connect your accounts in VULK and upload the service-account JSON. VULK stores it encrypted (AES-256-GCM) and uses it only to upload your .aab and manage releases on your behalf. You can remove the service account in Google at any time.

What you complete in Play Console

• The $25 registration + identity / D-U-N-S verification.
• Creating the app entry, the Data Safety form (VULK pre-fills a CSV you can import), the content rating questionnaire, target audience, and other "App content" declarations.
• The 12-tester / 14-day closed test for new personal accounts.
• Google's review, including the minimum-functionality / repetitive- content policy — see Requirements.

Sources: Getting started (API/service account) · Testing requirement · Identity verification · Create & set up app