Signing and release
Keep the keys that sign the app safe and backed up. Number every build, test it with internal testers, then release to a small share first.
- Required 1
- Recommended 5
Required
Let the store hold the signing key and back up the upload key
MOB-7Use Play App Signing so Google holds the Android app signing key. Keep the upload key and its passwords in a secrets store with a second copy offline.
Recommended
Sign release builds only in CI
MOB-8Build and sign every store upload in CI, with keys read from the secrets store at build time. No developer laptop signs a release.
Raise the build number on every upload
MOB-9Give every store upload a build number higher than the last one, taken from CI. Keep the version people see separate from the build number.
Test every build with internal testers first
MOB-10Send every release candidate to an internal test group through TestFlight and the Play internal testing track before you submit it for review.
Release to a share of users first
MOB-11Release every update with Apple's phased release and a Google Play staged rollout. Stop the rollout when crash or error rates rise.
Plan to fix forward
MOB-12Keep a fix path that does not need a store rollback, because installed builds stay on phones. Every risky feature ships behind a flag the server can turn off.
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