| name | android-play-quality-prelaunch-readiness |
| description | Review Android quality, crashes, ANRs, performance, device coverage, and staged rollout readiness for Play release. |
Android Quality & Pre-launch Readiness
Use this skill to decide whether the build is stable enough to expose to testers or production users.
Core Rule
Passing upload validation is not enough. The app must survive the first real session on real Android devices.
Pre-launch Report
For builds uploaded to Play testing/production tracks, review Google Play pre-launch reports where available.
Check:
- crashes
- ANRs
- startup failures
- permission dialog problems
- login dead ends
- accessibility warnings
- performance issues
- screenshots from crawled devices
- unsupported device issues
- blocked content due to app access problems
If the crawler cannot log in, provide review/test credentials and test manually.
Critical Manual QA Matrix
At minimum, test:
| Area | Test |
|---|
| Fresh install | launch, permissions, onboarding, login |
| Upgrade | existing data survives update |
| Auth | login, logout, token expiry, social auth |
| Network | offline, slow network, backend errors |
| Permissions | denied, allowed, later revoked |
| Push | notification opt-in, tap behavior |
| Deep links | open from link, fallback path |
| Purchases | buy, restore, cancel, entitlement refresh |
| AI | safe prompts, blocked prompts, report flow |
| UGC | report/block/moderation path |
| Account | deletion, export, support contact |
| Android back | back button and predictive back if enabled |
| Rotation | orientation if supported |
| Large font | no clipped critical controls |
| Dark mode | contrast and system bars |
| Low-end device | startup and memory behavior |
Android Target Behavior
When target SDK changes, run a focused regression.
Check:
- permissions prompts and restricted permissions
- foreground service behavior
- notification permission behavior
- photo/video picker behavior
- background location behavior
- package visibility / intents
- predictive back gesture if enabled
- edge-to-edge/system bar layout if applicable
- storage/media access
- exact alarms
- WebView/OAuth redirects
Expo-Specific QA
For Expo apps:
- test the Play-delivered AAB-derived install, not only Expo Go or dev client
- verify native modules work in production mode
- verify EAS Update channel/branch is correct
- verify
runtimeVersion prevents incompatible OTA updates
- verify splash screen and app icon are production assets
- verify Proguard/R8/minification behavior if enabled
- verify push notifications with production credentials
- verify Google/Firebase OAuth fingerprints from Play App Signing
Crash / ANR Gate
Block production if:
- app crashes on launch on any common supported device class
- core flow has known crash
- auth crash prevents review
- purchase flow crash exists
- AI/reporting flow crash exists if AI is central
- ANR occurs during startup or common interaction
- native crash appears after minification/production build only
Warnings:
- crash in obscure optional flow
- third-party SDK crash with workaround
- low-memory issue on rare devices
Rollout Monitoring Plan
Before production:
- define rollout percentage
- define monitoring window
- identify dashboards: Play vitals, crash reporting, backend errors, billing events, AI moderation/report metrics
- define stop/pause criteria
- define rollback or hotfix path
- assign owner for first 24–72 hours
Example stop criteria:
Pause rollout if crash-free sessions drop below 99.5%, auth error rate doubles, purchase validation errors exceed 1%, or AI reports spike unexpectedly.
Low-Quality / Minimum Functionality Risk
Google Play may reject or remove apps with poor functionality or disrespectful UX.
Risky:
- app is mostly a WebView with no meaningful mobile functionality
- app is just text/PDF/wallpaper without app-specific value
- app crashes or does not load
- app is empty without login and reviewers cannot access it
- AI app is just an API wrapper with misleading claims and no safety/reporting flow
- app is spammy, duplicated, or low-effort
Blockers
| Blocker | Fix |
|---|
| Crash on launch | Fix before any wider track |
| Core login/paywall/AI flow untestable | Provide credentials and fix flow |
| Play-delivered build fails Google/Firebase auth | Register app signing SHA fingerprints |
| Pre-launch report shows critical crash | Fix and upload new build |
| Target SDK upgrade untested | Run regression matrix on current Android versions |
| No rollout owner or stop criteria | Define monitoring and pause plan |
Output Format
Quality verdict
Ready for testing / Ready for staged rollout / Not ready / Unknown
Quality status
| Area | Status | Evidence |
|---|
| Launch | pass | Pixel 8 / Samsung A series tested |
| Purchases | warn | restore not tested |
| Pre-launch | block | crash on Android 15 crawler |
Required fixes
| Fix | Verification | Owner |
|---|
| Register Play app-signing SHA with Firebase | Play-delivered install can sign in with Google | Engineering |
