oliver
132 lines
5.9 KiB
Markdown
132 lines
5.9 KiB
Markdown
# Google Play Store — Official Specs & Guidelines
|
|
|
|
All data from support.google.com and developer.android.com as of March 2026.
|
|
|
|
## Character Limits
|
|
|
|
| Field | Limit | Indexed? | Notes |
|
|
| ----------------- | ----------- | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
|
|
| App Title | 30 chars | Yes (strongest signal) | Reduced from 50 in Sept 2021 |
|
|
| Short Description | 80 chars | Yes | Visible without expanding |
|
|
| Full Description | 4,000 chars | **Yes (heavily)** | Google NLP indexes entire text |
|
|
| Developer Name | 64 chars | Partial | Same emoji/caps restrictions as title |
|
|
|
|
## Prohibited in Metadata (enforced since Sept 2021)
|
|
|
|
**Title, Icon, Developer Name:**
|
|
|
|
- Emojis, emoticons, repeated special characters
|
|
- ALL CAPS (unless registered brand)
|
|
- Performance claims: "top," "best," "#1," "free," "no ads"
|
|
- Misleading store performance or endorsement
|
|
- Calls-to-action: "update now," "download now"
|
|
|
|
**Short Description:**
|
|
|
|
- Same performance claims as title
|
|
- Calls-to-action
|
|
- Unattributed testimonials
|
|
|
|
**Screenshots, Feature Graphic, Video:**
|
|
|
|
- Time-sensitive taglines
|
|
- Calls-to-action ("Download now," "Play now")
|
|
- Must authentically showcase app functionality
|
|
|
|
## Screenshot Specs
|
|
|
|
| Device | Min | Max | Aspect Ratio | Min Resolution | Max Long Edge |
|
|
| ---------- | ----- | ----- | ------------ | -------------- | ------------- |
|
|
| Phone | **2** | **8** | 9:16 or 16:9 | 320px any side | 3,840px |
|
|
| 7" Tablet | 4 | 8 | 9:16 or 16:9 | 1,080px short | 7,680px |
|
|
| 10" Tablet | 4 | 8 | 9:16 or 16:9 | 1,080px short | 7,680px |
|
|
| Chromebook | 4 | 8 | 9:16 or 16:9 | 1,080px short | 7,680px |
|
|
| Wear OS | 1 | 8 | **1:1** | 384x384 | 3,840px |
|
|
| Android TV | 1 | 8 | **16:9** | 1,920x1,080 | 3,840px |
|
|
|
|
- **Recommended phone size:** 1080x1920 (portrait)
|
|
- **Format:** JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
|
|
- **Max file size:** 8 MB each
|
|
|
|
**Note:** Google Play max is 8 screenshots per device, not 10 like Apple.
|
|
|
|
## Feature Graphic
|
|
|
|
- **Dimensions:** 1024 x 500 px (exact, required)
|
|
- **Format:** JPEG or 24-bit PNG (no alpha)
|
|
- Displayed at top of listing and in featured placements
|
|
|
|
## App Icon
|
|
|
|
- **Dimensions:** 512 x 512 px
|
|
- **Format:** 32-bit PNG (with alpha)
|
|
- **Max file size:** 1,024 KB
|
|
- **Shape:** Full square (Google applies 30% corner radius automatically)
|
|
- **Prohibited:** Ranking claims, download counts, deal text, emoji
|
|
|
|
## Preview Video
|
|
|
|
- **Format:** YouTube URL (public or unlisted)
|
|
- **Duration:** 30 seconds to 2 minutes recommended
|
|
- No ads, no monetization, must be embeddable, not age-restricted
|
|
- **Does NOT autoplay** (only ~6% of visitors tap to play)
|
|
|
|
## Store Listing Experiments (A/B Testing)
|
|
|
|
- **Variants:** Up to 3 per experiment (plus control)
|
|
- **Testable:** Icon, feature graphic, screenshots, video, short description, full description
|
|
- **Concurrent:** Cannot run more than 1 default graphics experiment simultaneously
|
|
- **Audience:** Signed-in Google Play users only
|
|
- **Metrics:** First-time installers + retained first-time installers (1-day retention)
|
|
- **Duration:** Run at least 7 days (weekday/weekend variance)
|
|
- **Localized:** Test across up to 5 languages simultaneously
|
|
|
|
## Custom Store Listings
|
|
|
|
- **Max:** 50 per app (100 for Play partners)
|
|
- **Customizable:** Title, short/full description, icon, screenshots, feature graphic, video
|
|
- **Targeting:** Country/region, pre-registration, install state, Google Ads campaigns, inactive/churned users (28+ days)
|
|
- **2025 addition:** Gemini AI auto-generates text for CSLs in Play Console
|
|
|
|
## Promotional Content (LiveOps)
|
|
|
|
| Type | Description | Duration |
|
|
| ----------------- | ------------------------------ | -------------------- |
|
|
| Offers | Discounts, free items, bundles | Up to 28 days |
|
|
| Events | Time-limited in-app events | Must have time limit |
|
|
| Major Update | Significant new features | Max 1 week |
|
|
| Crossover (games) | Cross-game/IP collaboration | Varies |
|
|
|
|
- Submit **4+ days** before start (standard review)
|
|
- Submit **14+ days** before for featuring requests
|
|
- **Impact:** "Over twice as many explore acquisitions during featuring" (official Google)
|
|
|
|
## Android Vitals — Ranking Thresholds
|
|
|
|
Apps exceeding these thresholds get **reduced visibility** in search and recommendations.
|
|
|
|
| Metric | Overall Threshold | Per-Device Threshold |
|
|
| ---------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------- |
|
|
| User-Perceived Crash Rate | **1.09%** | 8% |
|
|
| User-Perceived ANR Rate | **0.47%** | 8% |
|
|
| Excessive Partial Wake Locks | 5% | N/A |
|
|
|
|
**Consequences:** Reduced search visibility, warning labels on listing, quality alerts to users before install.
|
|
**Recovery:** Google checks daily using 28-day rolling average.
|
|
|
|
## Search Ranking — Official Factors
|
|
|
|
Google confirms these affect ranking:
|
|
|
|
1. **Metadata relevance** — Title carries most weight. NLP scans title + short desc + full desc.
|
|
2. **App quality** — Android Vitals (crash/ANR rates)
|
|
3. **Ratings and reviews** — Star rating + review text. 85% of featured apps have 4.0+
|
|
4. **Install volume and velocity** — Total installs + daily/weekly frequency
|
|
5. **Engagement and retention** — Session frequency, duration, retention rates
|
|
6. **Update frequency** — Regular updates signal active maintenance
|
|
7. **Localization** — Regional keyword/visual adaptation. 59% of US apps localize titles.
|
|
|
|
Sources: support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/4448378,
|
|
support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9898842,
|
|
developer.android.com/topic/performance/vitals
|