App published but not indexed in Google Play after 2 weeks

Question

For a client of ours we've created an app which has to be available by the 11th of October. The app is already available in the iOS App store but Google Play seems to be a problem.

I have added the package to the release track on the 26th of September, hoping it would be reviewed & published shortly after which, luckily, it did. I can use a direct link to the app (taken from the play console) which indicates it is published correctly. The console does not list any errors. Device and country settings have been double checked and all seems to be correct.

Google support has been contacted a few days ago but, unfortunately, there is still no reply from them.

With the deadline coming closer i'm getting less sleep each night.

Does anyone have any experience with this particular issue and hopefully a solution?

Notes

• App is created with React Native version 0.59.9
• No advertisements but uses AdMob SDK for Firebase Analytics
• Package name is "com.kunstmuseum.kunstmuseum"
• Searching the Play store for: "pub:Kunstmuseum Den Haag" does give me a result.

AndroidManifest.xml

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
package="com.kunstmuseum.kunstmuseum"
android:versionCode="1"
android:versionName="1.0">

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" /> 

<application
  android:name=".MainApplication"
  android:allowBackup="true"
  android:label="@string/app_name"
  android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
  android:roundIcon="@mipmap/ic_launcher_round"
  android:theme="@style/AppTheme">
  <activity
    android:name=".MainActivity"
    android:label="@string/app_name"
    android:configChanges="keyboard|keyboardHidden|orientation|screenSize"
    android:screenOrientation="portrait"
    android:windowSoftInputMode="adjustResize">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
    </intent-filter>
  </activity>
  <activity android:name="com.facebook.react.devsupport.DevSettingsActivity" />
  <service android:name="io.invertase.firebase.messaging.RNFirebaseMessagingService">
    <intent-filter>
      <action android:name="com.google.firebase.MESSAGING_EVENT" />
    </intent-filter>
  </service>
  <service android:name="io.invertase.firebase.messaging.RNFirebaseInstanceIdService">
    <intent-filter>
      <action android:name="com.google.firebase.INSTANCE_ID_EVENT" />
    </intent-filter>
  </service>
</application>

build.gradle

apply plugin: "com.android.application"
apply plugin: "com.google.firebase.firebase-perf"
apply plugin: 'io.fabric'

import com.android.build.OutputFile

project.ext.react = [
    entryFile: "index.js",

    // Sometimes (like if you use Android API<17) adb forwards don't work, so you need a bundle in the dev APK
    bundleInDebug: project.hasProperty("bundleInDebug") ? project.getProperty("bundleInDebug") : false,
]

apply from: "../../node_modules/react-native/react.gradle"

/**
 * Set this to true to create two separate APKs instead of one:
 *   - An APK that only works on ARM devices
 *   - An APK that only works on x86 devices
 * The advantage is the size of the APK is reduced by about 4MB.
 * Upload all the APKs to the Play Store and people will download
 * the correct one based on the CPU architecture of their device.
 */
def enableSeparateBuildPerCPUArchitecture = false

/**
 * Run Proguard to shrink the Java bytecode in release builds.
 */
def enableProguardInReleaseBuilds = false

android {
    compileSdkVersion rootProject.ext.compileSdkVersion

    compileOptions {
        sourceCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
        targetCompatibility JavaVersion.VERSION_1_8
    }

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.kunstmuseum.kunstmuseum"
        minSdkVersion rootProject.ext.minSdkVersion
        targetSdkVersion rootProject.ext.targetSdkVersion
        versionCode 5
        versionName "1.4"

        // Needed to support API<21, though there is a small chance proguard shrinks things sufficiently
        multiDexEnabled true
    }
    splits {
        abi {
            reset()
            enable enableSeparateBuildPerCPUArchitecture
            universalApk false  // If true, also generate a universal APK
            include "armeabi-v7a", "x86", "arm64-v8a", "x86_64"
        }
    }
    signingConfigs {
        release {
            if (project.hasProperty('MYAPP_UPLOAD_STORE_FILE')) {
                storeFile file(MYAPP_UPLOAD_STORE_FILE)
                storePassword MYAPP_UPLOAD_STORE_PASSWORD
                keyAlias MYAPP_UPLOAD_KEY_ALIAS
                keyPassword MYAPP_UPLOAD_KEY_PASSWORD
            }
        }
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled enableProguardInReleaseBuilds
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile("proguard-android.txt"), "proguard-rules.pro"
            signingConfig signingConfigs.release
        }
    }
    // applicationVariants are e.g. debug, release
    applicationVariants.all { variant ->
        variant.outputs.each { output ->
            // For each separate APK per architecture, set a unique version code as described here:
            // http://tools.android.com/tech-docs/new-build-system/user-guide/apk-splits
            def versionCodes = ["armeabi-v7a":1, "x86":2, "arm64-v8a": 3, "x86_64": 4]
            def abi = output.getFilter(OutputFile.ABI)
            if (abi != null) {  // null for the universal-debug, universal-release variants
                output.versionCodeOverride =
                        versionCodes.get(abi) * 1048576 + defaultConfig.versionCode
            }
        }
    }
}

dependencies {
    implementation project(':react-native-zip-archive')
    implementation project(':react-native-proximity')
    implementation project(':react-native-webview')
    implementation project(':rn-fetch-blob')
    implementation project(':react-native-video')
    implementation project(':react-native-svg')
    implementation project(':react-native-sound')
    implementation project(':react-native-shake')
    implementation project(':react-native-audio-jack')
    implementation project(':@react-native-community_async-storage')
    implementation project(':react-native-gesture-handler')
    implementation fileTree(dir: "libs", include: ["*.jar"])
    implementation "com.facebook.react:react-native:+"  // From node_modules

    /* ----------------------------
    *    REACT NATIVE FIREBASE
    * ---------------------------- */

    // Library as defined in settings.gradle
    implementation project(path: ':react-native-firebase')

    // Required dependencies
    //noinspection GradleCompatible
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-core:16.0.9"
    implementation "com.google.android.gms:play-services-base:16.1.0"

    /* -------------------------
    *   OPTIONAL FIREBASE SDKS
    * ------------------------- */

    implementation('com.google.firebase:firebase-ads:15.0.1') {
      // exclude `customtabs` as the support lib version is out of date
      // we manually add it as a dependency below with a custom version
      exclude group: 'com.android.support', module: 'customtabs'
    }

    // Authentication
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-auth:17.0.0"
    // Analytics
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-analytics:16.5.0"
    // Performance Monitoring
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-perf:17.0.0"
    // Remote Config
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-config:17.0.0"
    // Cloud Storage
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-storage:17.0.0"
    // Dynamic Links
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-dynamic-links:17.0.0"
    // Real-time Database
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-database:17.0.0"
    // Cloud Functions
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-functions:17.0.0"
    // Cloud Firestore
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-firestore:19.0.2"
    // Cloud Messaging / FCM
    implementation "com.google.firebase:firebase-messaging:18.0.0"
    // Crashlytics
    implementation('com.crashlytics.sdk.android:crashlytics:2.9.9@aar') {
        transitive = true
    }

    /* --------------------------------
    *  OPTIONAL SUPPORT LIBS
    * -------------------------------- */

    // Needed to support API<21, though there is a small chance proguard shrinks things sufficiently
    implementation "com.android.support:multidex:1.0.3"

    // For Firebase Ads
    //noinspection GradleCompatible
    implementation "com.android.support:customtabs:27.1.1"

    // For React Native Firebase Notifications
    implementation 'me.leolin:ShortcutBadger:1.1.22@aar'

    // For animated GIF support
    implementation 'com.facebook.fresco:animated-gif:1.10.0'
}

// Run this once to be able to run the application with BUCK
// puts all compile dependencies into folder libs for BUCK to use
task copyDownloadableDepsToLibs(type: Copy) {
    from configurations.compile
    into 'libs'
}

apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

Answer 1

I have the same problem. After two weeks of search page refreshing, I wrote to support. Here's an answer:

I understand that you're concerned about your app's visibility on the Play store.

Please note, we show a limited number of search results in Google Play to ensure the best user experience. If your app's search rank for a specific term is too low, your app will not display in results. Keep in mind, however, that your app is always available by direct link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.johnpopov.bredogenerator&gl=vg, which you can share with users as you actively market your app.

Many factors go into the Google Play search results, and while you can’t control all of them, you can try to find the app by searching pname:com.johnpopov.bredogenerator at play.google.com/store/apps. This is a tip that helps you verify if your app is correctly included in the search index.

As long as you can find the app with the prefix of pname, you can be assured that the app is indexed.

So, I guess the only way is to have more ad installs with direct link.

Answer 2

You should use English description for your app along with other locales. It shows me Dutch, which may affect search result.

Also, Search Result depends on several factors like Downloads, Review and so on. Thanks

Answer 3

I had the same problem with my app, so I sent a message to Google Support addressing this issue.

Unfortunately if it's a new app they said it could take up several days (up to 2 weeks) for the algorithms to detect the app and properly include it on search results. The way to speed up the process is getting more installs and reviews of your app through direct link install.