New Play Console FAQs

In 2020, we introduced the new Google Play Console. We redesigned many tools and features, added brand new ones, and revamped the navigation to better group together related features.

We're confident that the new product experience will ultimately help you manage and distribute your apps efficiently. And, we recognize that some changes will take a moment to adjust to. This article provides answers to some of the most common questions that we received from developers transitioning to the new Play Console.

Frequently asked questions

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Where do I upload deobfuscation mapping/ReTrace mapping files/debug symbols files?

Deobfuscation and ReTrace mapping files included in your app bundle by standard gradle tasks will be associated with your project and used to deobfuscate your stack traces without additional work on your part. If you want or need to manually upload these files, you have the following options:

• Upload files while preparing your release: In the overflow menu for an artifact in the artifacts table, select Add ReTrace mapping file.
• Upload files for an existing release: 
  • In the artifacts table when reviewing a release details, or
  • On the App bundle explorer page, select the Downloads tab. In the "Assets" section, click the upload symbol on the right for the file that you want to add. 

Make sure to read the Deobfuscate or symbolicate crash stack traces article to know more.

Where do I provide my privacy policy link?

You can set your privacy policy on the App content page, under "Privacy policy." The App content page is where you let us know about the content of your app to make sure that it complies with Google Play policies.

Here's a helpful article to prepare your app for review.

Where is timed publishing in the new Play Console?

This functionality has been improved. It is now called Managed Publishing and a part of "Publishing Overview" at the top of your left navigation.

You can learn more about Managed Publishing in the blog post, Optimize your app publishing process with new Google Play Console features, and Play Academy's Choose when your app updates are published with Managed publishing.

To understand all the differences between timed publishing and managed publishing, you can also read Control when app changes are published with managed publishing.

How does the new Play Console notify me of events and notices? In the old Play Console, there was a notifications bell with a red dot in the top right of the screen.

The old notification feature has been replaced by your Inbox, found at the top of the left navigation. A blue dot indicates that you have unread messages. You can set your notification preferences on the Notifications page (Setup > Notifications).

How do I change Play Console's display language?

You can change the language for Play Console's UI via the URL with a GET parameter (also called URL parameters or query strings) which will carry on until you reset it.

For example, to change Play Console's UI language to Spanish, you can add hl=es to your URL: https://play.google.com/console?hl=es.

Where do I copy release notes from the previous version?

When preparing a release, click Copy from a previous release above the "Release notes" field in the "Release notes" section.

Where do I download the Google-signed distribution APKs (Android Application Package Kit) or the APK I uploaded?

You can find both of these, as well as the app bundles or APKs for each device-specific configuration, in the App bundle explorer's Downloads tab.

Make sure to read Inspect app versions with the app bundle explorer to know more.

Where do I unpublish apps from Google Play?

You can change your app's availability on the Advanced settings page (Release > Setup > Advanced settings), on the App availability tab.

Where do I change the details of my app?

You can edit your app's details (such as description, screenshots, and promo video) on the Main store listing page (Grow > Store presence > Main store listing). Contact details are now located on the Store settings page.

Where do I change the target countries?

You can change country availability on the Countries/regions tab for each release track.

Where did the carrier options go?

You can now turn carrier targeting on or off on the Advanced settings page (Release > Setup > Advanced settings), on the Carrier targeting tab. Once it’s turned on, you can find the Carrier setting button on the Countries/regions tab for your production track.