Mobile Programming (MP)

Mobile Programming

App Deployment & Publishing

Lecturer: Ali Najimi
Faculty of Computer Engineering
Sharif University of Technology
Fall 2027

Google Play App Store Signing Release

Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Table of Contents

  1. Build Configurations (Debug / Profile / Release)
  2. Android Signing & APK/AAB
  3. iOS Signing & Provisioning
  4. Google Play Store Publishing
  5. Apple App Store Publishing
  6. Flutter Build Commands
  7. App Icons & Splash Screens
  8. Versioning & Release Management
  9. Fastlane — Automated Deployment
  10. Post-Release: Monitoring & Updates
  11. Summary & Key Takeaways
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Build Configurations

Flutter has three build modes, each with a different purpose.

Mode Use Case Assertions Performance Size
Debug Development Enabled Slow Large
Profile Performance testing Disabled Near-release Medium
Release Production Disabled Optimized Small 
flutter run                          # Debug
flutter run --profile                # Profile
flutter run --release                # Release
flutter build apk --release          # Build release APK
flutter build ios --release          # Build release iOS
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Android Signing

Every Android app must be digitally signed before installation.

Two keystores:

  • Debug keystore: Auto-generated by Flutter/Android SDK. For development only.
  • Release keystore: You create this. For production.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Android Signing

# Generate a release keystore
keytool -genkey -v -keystore upload-keystore.jks \
  -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000 \
  -alias upload

# Create key.properties
cat > android/key.properties << 'EOF'
storePassword=your_password
keyPassword=your_key_password
keyAlias=upload
storeFile=/path/to/upload-keystore.jks
EOF

Critical: Back up your keystore! If you lose it, you cannot update your app on Google Play.

Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Android Build — APK vs AAB

APK (Android Package)

  • Complete app ready to install.
  • Larger size (includes all densities).
  • Good for sideloading and testing.

AAB (Android App Bundle)

  • Google Play's required format.
  • Smaller download (optimized per device).
  • Google generates split APKs from AAB.
# Build APK (for testing/distribution)
flutter build apk --release \
  --obfuscate \
  --split-debug-info=./symbols

# Build AAB (for Google Play)
flutter build appbundle --release \
  --obfuscate \
  --split-debug-info=./symbols

# Check size
ls -lh build/app/outputs/
  flutter-apk/app-release.apk
  bundle/release/app-release.aab
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

iOS Signing & Provisioning

iOS has a more complex signing process than Android.

Key Components:

  • Apple Developer Account: $99/year (required for App Store).
  • Certificates: Developer (dev) + Distribution (release).
  • Provisioning Profiles: Link cert + device + app ID.
  • App ID: Unique identifier (e.g., edu.sharif.mp).
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

iOS Signing & Provisioning

Steps:

  1. Create an App ID in Apple Developer Portal.
  2. Create a Distribution Certificate.
  3. Create a Provisioning Profile (App Store).
  4. Download and install in Xcode.
  5. Configure signing in Xcode → Signing & Capabilities.
# Build iOS release
flutter build ios --release --obfuscate \
  --split-debug-info=./symbols

# Archive and upload via Xcode
# Xcode → Product → Archive → Distribute App
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Google Play Store Publishing

Steps to publish on Google Play:

  1. Create a Developer Account: $25 one-time fee.
  2. Create an App: Fill in store listing (title, description, screenshots).
  3. Upload AAB: flutter build appbundle --release.
  4. Content Rating: Complete the questionnaire.
  5. Pricing & Distribution: Free/paid, target countries.
  6. Review: Google reviews (usually 1–3 days for new apps).
  7. Publish: App goes live after approval.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Google Play Store Publishing

Key Requirements:

  • Target API level 33+ (Android 13) for new apps.
  • Privacy policy URL (if app collects data).
  • Data safety section (declare what data you collect).
  • App content rating.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Apple App Store Publishing

Steps to publish on the App Store:

  1. Apple Developer Account: $99/year.
  2. App Store Connect: Create app record.
  3. Configure: Bundle ID, version, screenshots, description.
  4. Build & Archive: flutter build ipa --release.
  5. Upload: Via Xcode or Transporter app.
  6. TestFlight: Beta testing (optional but recommended).
  7. Submit for Review: Apple reviews (1–7 days).
  8. Release: Manual or automatic after approval.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Apple App Store Publishing

Key Requirements:

  • Must follow Apple's Human Interface Guidelines.
  • Privacy policy required.
  • App must be useful and not crash.
  • No private API usage.
  • Explain why you need each permission.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Flutter Build Commands

# Android
flutter build apk --release                    # APK
flutter build apk --split-per-abi              # Smaller APKs per CPU
flutter build appbundle --release              # AAB (Google Play)

# iOS
flutter build ios --release                    # Build for iOS
flutter build ipa --release                    # Build IPA for upload

# Web
flutter build web --release                    # Web app

# All with obfuscation
flutter build apk --release --obfuscate \
  --split-debug-info=./symbols

# Build with flavors
flutter build apk --release --flavor production \
  --dart-define=ENV=prod \
  --dart-define=API_KEY=xxx
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

App Icon

# Use flutter_launcher_icons package
# pubspec.yaml
dev_dependencies:
  flutter_launcher_icons: ^0.13.0

flutter_launcher_icons:
  android: true
  ios: true
  image_path: "assets/icon/app_icon.png"
  adaptive_icon_background: "#1966AB"
  adaptive_icon_foreground: "assets/icon/app_icon_fg.png"

# Generate
dart run flutter_launcher_icons
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Splash Screens

# Use flutter_native_splash package
# pubspec.yaml
dev_dependencies:
  flutter_native_splash: ^2.3.0

flutter_native_splash:
  color: "#1966AB"
  image: assets/icon/splash.png
  android_12:
    image: assets/icon/splash_android12.png

# Generate
dart run flutter_native_splash:create
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Versioning & Release Management

Semantic Versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH+BUILD

# pubspec.yaml
version: 1.2.3+45
#        │ │ │  └── Build number (must increment for each upload)
#        │ │ └── Patch (bug fixes)
#        │ └── Minor (new features, backward compatible)
#        └── Major (breaking changes)

Android: versionCode (+45) and versionName (1.2.3) in build.gradle.
iOS: CFBundleVersion (45) and CFBundleShortVersionString (1.2.3) in Info.plist.

Rule: Every upload to Google Play or App Store must have a higher build number than the previous one.

Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Fastlane: Automated Deployment

Fastlane automates screenshots, beta deployment, and release.

# Install
gem install fastlane

# Initialize (per platform)
cd android && fastlane init
cd ios && fastlane init
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Fastlane: Automated Deployment

# android/fastlane/Fastfile
default_platform(:android)
platform :android do
  desc "Deploy to Play Store"
  lane :release do
    sh("flutter build appbundle --release --obfuscate")
    upload_to_play_store(
      track: 'production',
      aab: '../build/app/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab',
    )
  end
end

# ios/fastlane/Fastfile
platform :ios do
  desc "Deploy to App Store"
  lane :release do
    sh("flutter build ipa --release --obfuscate")
    upload_to_app_store(
      ipa: "../build/ios/ipa/myapp.ipa",
    )
  end
end
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Post-Release: Monitoring

Crash Reporting:

  • Firebase Crashlytics: Real-time crash reports, stack traces.
  • Sentry: Cross-platform error tracking.

Analytics:

  • Firebase Analytics: User behavior, events, funnels.
  • Mixpanel / Amplitude: Advanced product analytics.

Performance Monitoring:

  • Firebase Performance: Network traces, screen rendering.
  • Flutter DevTools: CPU profiler, memory, network inspector.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Post-Release: Updates

Update Strategy:

  • Monitor crash-free rate (target: 99.5%+).
  • Respond to user reviews.
  • Release hotfixes for critical bugs.
  • Regular updates for OS compatibility.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Summary: Key Takeaways

Build & Sign

  • Three modes: Debug, Profile, Release.
  • Android: Keystore + APK/AAB.
  • iOS: Certificates + Provisioning.
  • Always obfuscate release builds.

Publishing

  • Google Play: $25 one-time, AAB format.
  • App Store: $99/year, IPA format.
  • Both require privacy policy.
  • Plan for review time (1–7 days).

Automation

  • Fastlane for deployment.
  • GitHub Actions for CI/CD.
  • flutter_launcher_icons for icons.
  • flutter_native_splash for splash.

Post-Release

  • Crashlytics for crash reporting.
  • Analytics for user behavior.
  • Monitor crash-free rate.
  • Regular updates for OS changes.
Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi
Mobile Programming (MP)

Thank You! 🙌

Questions?

"It works on my machine.
— Every developer before their first App Store rejection."

Sharif University of Technology • Fall 2027 • Ali Najimi