android-play-quality-prelaunch-readiness

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