How do I sign an Android APK which was built with PhoneGap Build?

Question

PhoneGap Build seems like a great tool and I've build an .apk with it and tested it on multiple Android devices.

Now I need to submit it to the Google Play store but I need to sign the apk.

I've read all about signing an .apk on Google's developer site but it seems that I need to install the Android development tools and use Eclipse. I've installed it but I can't find a way to import my .apk so I'm stuck.

I don't get it - what is the point of PhoneGap Build then?

This is all very disheartening. The app is ready to go but...

Answer 1

This was the solution.

I got the Android dev kit - http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

From there I used this video to get KeyTool: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaXE2FUENFI

From there I could create a KeyStore. Make sure you keep a record of the Alias and Password (I wrote them down and did not store them on any electronic device) and the location of the keystore.

When you are in PhoneGap Build and you pull files from GitHub (which is the way I'm doing it) after the build is done you'll see there is a dropdown. Select "add a key" and upload your keystore.

Note: The keystore will usually be locked. You have to unlock it in order to build with it. It only stays unlocked for one hour.

You PhoneGap Build apk will now be appended with -release instead of the usual -debug.

It's now ready for uploading to Google Play!

Go Build! :)