Signed AAB for Google Play without Android Studio (2026)

An .apk is the legacy install package; an .aab is a publishing format that Google splits into per-device APKs server-side. The Play Console only accepts .aab for new apps. Keep .apk around for sideloading and internal testing — see building an APK from GitHub.

• A GitHub repo with a Capacitor, Flutter, or React Native project (Expo too: with no android/ folder, the build runs npx expo prebuild itself).
• An Android keystore. New to keystores? Read the Android keystore guide.
• Your applicationId matches the package name registered in Play Console.

Create .github/workflows/build-aab.yml with a job that runs:

- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: actions/setup-java@v4
  with: { distribution: temurin, java-version: '17' }
- name: Decode keystore
  run: echo "$KEYSTORE_B64" | base64 -d > android/app/release.keystore
- name: Build release bundle
  working-directory: android
  run: ./gradlew bundleRelease
- uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with: { name: app-release.aab, path: android/app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab }

Store KEYSTORE_B64, KEYSTORE_PASSWORD, KEY_ALIAS, and KEY_PASSWORD in Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions.

1. Connect your repo via the Corenna GitHub App.
2. Upload or generate a keystore — we encrypt and sync it into Actions Secrets for you.
3. Pick Build type: AAB and click build.
4. Download the signed bundle when the run finishes (~5–10 min).

1. In Play Console open your app → Release → Production (or Internal testing).
2. Click Create new release and upload the .aab.
3. If Play Signing is enabled (default), Google re-signs per-device APKs — your upload key still matters for future updates, so back it up.
4. For every update after that first release, you can skip the upload: connect a Google Play service account in Corenna once and it sends each new .aab straight to your internal, closed, open, or production track, with release notes.

• "Package name has already been used" — change applicationId or claim the existing app.
• "You uploaded an APK that is signed with a different key" — you swapped keystores; restore the original or contact Play support.
• Version code already exists — bump versionCode in build.gradle on every upload.