Google Play Custom App Publishing API Guide

Summary

This document explains how enterprise developers and organizations can get started with the Google Play Custom App Publishing API to publish private apps for their managed Google Play store. It outlines the intended audience, prerequisites, and step-by-step setup, including enabling the API, creating a service account, granting permissions, and retrieving the developer account ID. The content is relevant for enterprise mobility management providers and developers serving enterprise customers requiring private app distribution. No explicit decisions, deadlines, or owners are specified in this documentation.

Action Items

(No specific action items, owners, or deadlines are stated in the source content.)

Overview: Google Play Custom App Publishing API Purpose and Audience

• The API is designed for enterprise mobility management (EMM) providers, third-party app developers, and organizations that enable publishing private (custom) apps for enterprise customers via their interface.
• Enterprise customers are organizations using managed Google Play to distribute apps for work purposes within a private store.
• Private apps created this way are accessible only to users of an enterprise’s managed Google Play store; they aren’t published publicly.

Preliminary Setup Steps

1. Enable the Google Play Custom App Publishing API

• Open the Google API Console and log in.
• Select an existing Google Cloud project or create a new one.
• Access the API Library, search for the Google Play Custom App Publishing API, and enable it.

2. Create a Service Account

• Within the same Google Cloud project, navigate to “IAM & Admin” > “Service accounts” > “Create service account” in the API Console.
• Name the service account and request a new private key during creation.
• Store the service account’s email address and private key file securely for application use.

3. Grant Publishing Permission to the Service Account

• In the Play Console, select (or create) a developer account. The owner must be an admin of the enterprise customer.
• Grant the service account email permission to create and publish private apps as detailed in the linked Google support documentation.

4. Retrieve the Developer Account ID

• After permissions are set, note the developer account ID from the Play Console URL (e.g., https://play.google.com/console/developers/123456).
• The developer account ID is required as a parameter when making publish requests via the API.

Key Considerations and Notes

• Custom app publishing is intended for private apps for single enterprise customers or apps containing sensitive data.
• For apps serving multiple enterprises or needing authentication for sensitive data, public Play Store publishing is recommended instead.

Decisions

• Custom app publishing is recommended only for private, single-enterprise apps or those with sensitive data — to maintain exclusivity and security.

Open Questions / Follow-Ups

• None stated in the supplied documentation.