Configure Your Android App

In this tutorial, you will learn how to configure your Android app so you can start generating Android builds and sync your in-app purchases with ones setup in your Google Developer account.

Before you begin, you must have first connected your Google Developer account in the BuddyBoss App’s settings.

Application ID

Your Application ID is a unique ID that will identify your app in the Google Play Store.

Google requires Application IDs meet the following conditions:

• The Application ID must have at least two segments, separated by a dot
• Each segment in the Application ID must start with a letter
• Only alphanumeric characters or an underscore are be used in the Application ID
• This Application ID is not being used by any other app

To avoid conflicts, Google encourages developers to use reverse domain name notation, such as com.domain.appname.

For example, if your domain is www.fruit.com and your app is called Oranges, you would use com.fruit.oranges.

After your have chosen an Application ID, follow these steps:

1. In your WordPress admin, go to BuddyBoss App > Configure > Android Settings
2. In the App Information, enter your chosen Application ID
3. Click Save Changes

To register your Application ID with Google and prevent other developers from using it, you must create an app in your Google Developer account and upload a build which uses your chosen Application ID.

Important: Remember to register your Application ID in your Google Firebase account. To find out how, please watch our Google Firebase tutorial.

KeyStore Information

Before you can generate an Android build of your app which you can use to register your Application ID, you will need to enter your KeyStore Information.

Google requires all developers authenticate their apps with a KeyStore Certificate which will assign your identity to builds of your app.

Creating a KeyStore certificate can be a complicated process, so we have provided a tool inside the BuddyBoss App’s settings to generate one instantly.

Generate KeyStore

1. In your WordPress admin, go to BuddyBoss App > Tools > Generate KeyStore
2. Enter a KeyStore Password and KeyStore Alias
   • If you leave these fields blank, these details will be generated for you
3. Enter the Certificate Information
   • This is name of the individual or organization signed to this certificate
   • Only the First and Last Name field is required, but it recommended you complete all relevant fields
   • If you are releasing your app as an Organization, you should complete the Organization name
4. Click Generate
5. Check the box to confirm you understand you won’t be able to download this KeyStore Certificate again
6. Click Download
7. Back-up the ZIP folder with your KeyStore Certificate
   • It is very important you back-up your KeyStore somewhere safe. Once your Android app is published, all future versions of the app must use the same KeyStore Certificate. This means if you lose your KeyStore Certificate, you will be unable to update your app.

Import KeyStore

1. In your WordPress admin, go to BuddyBoss App > Configure > Android Settings
2. Under the KeyStore Information section, click the Import button
3. Select the zip folder generated by the Generate KeyStore tool
4. Click Save Changes

With these steps completed, you can generate builds of your Android app.

In order to setup In-App Purchases for your Android app, or to publish it to the Google Play Store, you will need to follow the steps below to register your Application ID.

Register Application ID

Before you can register your Application ID in your Google Developer account, you will need to have generated a Release App Android build of your app.

Once generated, follow these steps:

1. Login to your Google Developer account using the Google account you created your Google Developer account with
2. On the All apps page, click on the app you want to register this Application ID for
3. Under the Release section, click Production
4. Click on Create new release
5. Under App bundles and APKs, click on Upload
6. Upload the APK file for any build using your chosen Application ID
   • This must be a release app build
   • You don’t need to actually submit this release in order to register your Application ID
   • You can use a different build when you are ready to publish your app
7. Click on Save

Once your Application ID is registered, all future builds of your app must use the same Application ID.

Now that your Application ID is registered, you can now setup In-App Purchases in your Google Developer account and sync them with In-App Purchases setup in your BuddyBoss App’s settings.