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 are slow and cannot be skipped or automated by anyone — they are Google identity/policy gates. Plan for them up front.

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. The 14-day clock cannot be compressed by VULK or anyone. VULK can put your app on the closed-testing track for you; the time and tester requirement are Google's.

3. Create the app entry in Play Console

In Play Console → Create app: app name, default language, app/game, free/paid, accept declarations. This must be done on the web — there is no API to create the app, and the package name becomes permanent.

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 stays your responsibility (web-only, no API)

• 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 gate for new personal accounts.
• Passing Google's review and the minimum-functionality / repetitive- content policy for wrapped web apps — see Limitations.

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