Google Play is slowly, but surely, growing into a powerhouse distribution platform for Android apps. By that, I mean more and more developers are bringing their previously iOS-exclusive content to the platform. Some of that success can be attributed to Google Play quickly becoming one of the more developer friendly platforms around. The latest release only serves to make Google Play even better.
Google announced today that their long awaited update to the developer console is now available to developers big and small. The new console will make it even easier for developers to track how well each app is doing on Google Play by showing active installs, average ratings, and detailed reports on your app’s success.
The developer console itself has received a major facelift. Here’s what you’ll see when you go to the developer console and click on “Try the new version:”
Beyond that, the new developer console also features more detailed reports than ever before. The top of the page will feature a graph that shows the increase or decrease in user ratings over a set amount of time. It will also break down your ratings by “device, country, language, carrier, Android version, and app version. Here’s what it will look like:
Other changes include a streamlined app publishing process that allows developers to starrt with either an APK or app name. The new process allows you to save before you have all of the information needed for your app. It will also list the differences between new and old versions of apps so developers don’t unintentionally miss anything between versions.
As for language support, developers can now publish an app listing in 49 languages. This is due in part to Google now pushing Google Translate to both the Web and mobile versions of Google Play. All listings will be automatically translated in a user’s native language on the Web starting today and will be available soon on mobile.
There are a few downsides to the new developer console. Namely, the new version doesn’t support multiple APKs or APK Expansion Files just yet. Google is working on adding this support, but they encourage developers who make use of those particular features to keep using the old developer console until the new one is updated.
Any developer interested in trying out the new console need only click on “Try the new version” button in the header of the current developer console. You can also just hit up the new version by visiting this URL.
Here’s a video from earlier this year at Google I/O that explains the new developer console in greater detail (skip to 31:30):