When uploading your app on Catappult, if your app is available on Google Play, you have to use the same signature as the package in Google Play. For more information on why this is important, click here.

On Google Play, there is the signature you use when you submit your app - and only you have it - and then a "second signature" which is the one Google signs your app with after you submit your app. The signature we check to make sure you are the owner of the app is the "second signature", the one Google uses to sign your app after you submit it.

For this reason, we have made the below guide on how to get your APK from Google Play. This is also recommended by Google Play when developers wish to distribute their app on other stores besides Google Play. You can see their Best Practices section here.

📘

If your app is available on Google Play, you may have to:

• make the necessary changes on your APK to be able to submit your app on Catappult, such as implementing our billing solution;
• submit the changed APK as a draft on your Google Play Console;
• download this draft so it can have Google Play’s signature.

This procedure may be needed because when you submit your app on Google Play, it may automatically get signed by Google and you may not have access to this signature (which they call the “App signing key”). For more information about this topic, click here.

Download the APK with the Google Play signature

If your app has the Google Play signature, please follow the steps below to download the APK with the Google Play signature and upload it onto our platform:

Open your Google Play Console. Select your app in the "App list", in the "All apps" menu.

In the menu on the left, select "Internal testing" (inside the "Testing" menu).

🚧

Please note that this needs to be done inside the "Testing" menu. Otherwise, issues may arise because of the vercode number. Always do this process in Testing > Internal testing.

In the top right corner, press the “Create New Release” button.

In the "App bundles" section, upload your .apk or .aab file.

In the "Release details" section, write the name of the release.

After the upload is finished, press the "Save" button that appears in the bottom right corner.

🚧

Always click on "Save", don't click on "Review release".

After it is saved, go to the menu on the left and select "App bundle explorer".

Go to the "Downloads" tab.

Download the "Signed, universal APK".

Alternatively, you can also obtain device-specific APKs. To do so, search for the below devices and, for each of them, download the specific files:

• OPPO Find X2
• Xiaomi MI 9 SE
• Samsung Galaxy A10
• Samsung Galaxy Tab A7

After downloading all the APKs from your Google Play Console, go to your Catappult Console.
In the left menu, go to Manage Apps and select "Add App". Upload all downloaded files in the Files section - you can upload all 4 files at once.

FAQ

What is this for?
This process is required if your app is on Google Play and signed with the Google Play signature. To upload your app on Catappult, your app’s signature has to be the same on Google Play and on our platform.

I have my app on Google Play but I use my own signature, do I need to do this?
No. If your app is on Google Play but you have your own signature, you do not need to do this process. You can upload your package’s files directly onto our platform. This is only needed if you use the Google Play signature.

Why do I download the .apk for 4 different devices only?
The specific devices mentioned above (OPPO Find X2, Xiaomi MI 9 SE, Samsung Galaxy A10, Samsung Galaxy Tab A7) are enough for you to cover all device-specific APKs you may need. You don’t have to download all the available devices and you can use different devices if you would like to. This is just our recommendation.

My app does not have splits, do I have to download a different APK for each device?
No. The process is the same whether you have .obb files or not. However, if your app does not have any splits, instead of downloading each device-specific APK, you download the “Distribution APK” in the Assets section.

My app has OBB files, do I need to do anything to them?
No. There is no need to do anything.

My app has IAPs, how do I sign and use the One-Step Payment (OSP) billing method?
If your app has In-App purchases, you have to follow the OSP procedure before uploading your file to the Google Play Console. The file you upload on Google Play to get the Google Play signature has to already have the OSP billing method integrated.