Google Play for Education
+Distribute Your Apps
+ ++ If you've got a great app or game, Android TV and Google Play can help you + bring it to users right in their living rooms. You'll be able to offer your + apps and games in a storefront experience that’s optimized for TV. You can + extend your new or existing apps for TV and then publish them using familiar + tools and processes in Google Play. +
+ ++ To get started, review the sections in this document to learn how to + distribute your TV apps to users through Google Play. Be sure to read + TV App Quality + for information on the usability and quality standards that your apps should + meet. When your app is ready, you can opt-in to publishing in the Android TV + storefront from the Developer Console. +
+ ++ How to Participate +
+ ++ Google Play lets you put your TV apps in front of a new audience of users in + their living rooms. You can develop and publish using your existing Developer + Console account and your current distribution and pricing settings. It's easy + to participate — the sections below outline the process. +
+ +
++ 1. Understand guidelines and requirements +
+ ++ To prepare for a successful launch on Android TV, start by reviewing the + guidelines for creating great app experiences on TV. See the Android TV design guidelines for ideas + on extending your app for TV and details on design and usability. +
+ ++ As you get started designing your TV experience, make sure to read and + understand the quality criteria for TV apps. The Google Play experience for + Android TV showcases only apps that are usable on the TV + — your apps can participate if they meet a set of basic quality + criteria. See TV + App Quality for details. +
+ +2. Develop a great app for TV
+ ++ A great app for TV is designed for living room use and takes advantage of the + capabilities of Android TV and related input accessories such as game + controllers, D-pads, and remotes. The app is refined to offer a polished, + high-quality experience on large screens and delivers a compelling feature + set for users. +
+ ++ As you consider your TV app, review the developer documentation and + usability guidelines and plan on supporting them to the greatest extent + possible. Make sure to design a great leanback experience for users and build + it with the leanback library included in the SDK. You’ll want to optimize + other parts of your app for the TV use case and it's a good idea to identify + those early in your development process. +
+ ++ In most cases, we recommend delivering your TV experience as part of your + existing app for phones, tablets, and other devices, using the same package + name and store listing. This approach lets users upgrade to your TV experience + seamlessly and also lets you take advantage of the reviews and ratings you’ve + earned in your app for phones and tablets. +
+ ++ You can bundle your TV intents, leanback library, and TV-specific code and + resources as part of a single APK solution for all supported devices. If + necessary, you can use Multiple APK + Support to deliver a custom binary to Android TV devices under the same + package name and store listing that you use for phones and tablets. +
+ ++ Throughout design and development, it's important to have a suitable device + on which to prototype and test your user experience. You should acquire one + or more Android TV devices or emulators and set up your testing environment + as early as possible. The recommended hardware device for testing in the + Android TV environment is Nexus Player, which is available from Google Play + and other stores, and you should also acquire a game controller and other TV + input devices. +
+ +3. Test for TV App Quality
+ ++ Your TV apps should be designed to perform well, look great on Android TV, + and offer the best user experience possible. Google Play showcases + high-quality apps for easy discovery by users in Google Play. Here’s how you + can participate and deliver an Android TV app that users will enjoy. +
+ +-
+
- Meet Core App Quality guidelines
+
-
+
- Follow Android Design + guidelines. Pay special attention to using material + design in your app. + + +
- Test your apps against the Core App Quality + guidelines. + +
+ - Meet TV App
+ Quality guidelines
+
-
+
- Follow our best practices for + TV app development +
- Make sure your app meets all of the TV App Quality criteria +
+ - Strive for simplicity and highest usability +
4. Opt-in to Android TV and publish
+ ++ When you've built your release-ready APK and tested to ensure that it meets + all of the TV App + Quality guidelines, upload it to the Developer Console. Update your store + listing with TV screenshots and TV banner, and set distribution options as + needed. If you aren't familiar with how to prepare for launch on Google Play, + see the Launch + Checklist. +
+ ++ Before you can publish to Android TV users, you need to opt-in to Android + TV from the Pricing and Distribution section of the + Developer Console. Opt-in means that you want your app to be made available + to Android TV users through Google Play, and that + your app meets TV + App Quality guidelines. +
+ ++ You can opt-in only if your app meets two preliminary quality + criteria that are automatically checked on APK upload: +
+ +-
+
- Your app manifest must include an intent type of
ACTION_MAIN+ with category +CATEGORY_LEANBACK_LAUNCHER. Learn more here. +
+
+ - Your app must declare that it does not require a touchscreen. The
+ manifest must declare the
android.hardware.touchscreenhardware + withandroid:required="false”. Learn more here. +
+
+ If your app meets the preliminary criteria, you’ll see an opt-in checkbox for + Android TV, as shown below. If the opt-in checkbox is not enabled, review + your APK to ensure it meets the preliminary criteria. +
+ ++ After you opt-in and save the changes, you can publish your app as usual. + Before making the app available to Android TV users, Google Play submits + your app for review against the TV App Quality criteria + and notifies you of the result. See the next section for details on how to + track the approval status of your app. +
+ ++ If your app meet TV + App Quality criteria, Google Play makes that app available to Android TV + users. Your app is alsoeligible for higher-visibility featuring in app + collections and promotions. To let users everywhere know that your app is + designed for Android TV, Google Play decorates the app’s store listing with a + TV badge. +
+ ++ Note that opt-in and review do not affect the availability of your app to + other devices in Google Play Store — on phones and tablets, for + example, your app is available as soon as you publish. +
+ ++ Here are the steps to opt-in to Android TV in the Developer Console: +
+ +-
+
- Make sure your app meets all TV App Quality criteria + + +
- Add TV screenshots and banner graphic to the app’s store listing + + +
- In the All Applications page, click the app you want to opt-in. + + +
- Under Pricing and Distribution, scroll down to find Android TV and the + opt-in checkbox. + + +
- Click the checkbox next to Distribute your app to Android TV. + + +
- Click Save to save your changes. + +
+ + Opt-in for TV: Include your app in Android TV by opting-in from the + Developer Console. +
+5. Track your review and approval
+ ++ If your app meets the technical and quality criteria for Android TV, as described above, + your app will be available for users to enjoy on Android TV. If your app doesn’t meet + the criteria, you’ll receive a notification email sent to your developer account + address, with a summary of the areas that you need to address. When you’ve made + the necessary adjustments, you can upload a new version of your app to the Developer + Console. +
+ ++ At any time, you can check the review and approval status of your app in the + Developer Console, under Android TV in the app's Pricing and Distribution + page. +
+ ++ There are three approval states: +
+ +-
+
- + Pending — Your app was sent for review and the review is not yet + complete. + + +
- + Approved — Your app was reviewed and approved. The app will be + made available directly to Android TV users. + + +
- + Not approved — Your app was reviewed and not approved. Check the + notification email for information about why the app was not approved. You + can address any issues and opt-in and publish again to initiate another + review. + +
To understand how your apps are evaluated, please see the TV App Quality document.
+ + +Related resources
+ + diff --git a/docs/html/images/games/game-controller-buttons_2x_crop.png b/docs/html/images/games/game-controller-buttons_2x_crop.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000..54dc2fa4dd066 Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/html/images/games/game-controller-buttons_2x_crop.png differ diff --git a/docs/html/images/gp-tv-opt-in.png b/docs/html/images/gp-tv-opt-in.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000..a8158188a9e60 Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/html/images/gp-tv-opt-in.png differ diff --git a/docs/html/images/gp-tv-process.png b/docs/html/images/gp-tv-process.png new file mode 100644 index 0000000000000..a53077729c3c7 Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/html/images/gp-tv-process.png differ diff --git a/docs/html/jd_collections.js b/docs/html/jd_collections.js index 08c00902ac241..d63580e800104 100644 --- a/docs/html/jd_collections.js +++ b/docs/html/jd_collections.js @@ -57,8 +57,8 @@ var RESOURCE_COLLECTIONS = { }, "distribute/gp/gpfelanding": { "resources": [ + "distribute/googleplay/tv.html", "distribute/googleplay/edu/about.html", - "distribute/googleplay/edu/start.html", "distribute/googleplay/edu/videos.html" ] }, @@ -773,6 +773,14 @@ var RESOURCE_COLLECTIONS = { "https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2651410" ] }, + "tvlanding": { + "title": "", + "resources": [ + "tv/index.html", + "design/tv/index.html", + "training/tv/index.html" + ] + }, "distribute/stories/games": { "title": "", "resources": [ diff --git a/docs/html/training/tv/discovery/index.jd b/docs/html/training/tv/discovery/index.jd index fbc8c9f96eac9..58491492ccf43 100644 --- a/docs/html/training/tv/discovery/index.jd +++ b/docs/html/training/tv/discovery/index.jd @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ -page.title=Helping Users Find Content on TV +page.title=Helping Users Find Your Content on TV +page.tags="tv", "leanback" startpage=true diff --git a/docs/html/training/tv/games/index.jd b/docs/html/training/tv/games/index.jd index 8a998e092841b..5276d7fc9a420 100644 --- a/docs/html/training/tv/games/index.jd +++ b/docs/html/training/tv/games/index.jd @@ -1,5 +1,7 @@ page.title=Building TV Games -page.tags="controller" +page.tags="tv", "games", "controller" +page.image=images/games/game-controller-buttons_2x_crop.png +page.metaDescription=How to bring your games to Android TV, including recommendations and examples. page.article=true @jd:body @@ -180,7 +182,7 @@ href="{@docRoot}training/game-controllers/controller-input.html#button" It includes a white controller on black background and a black controller on white background (shown in figure 1), as a PNG file and an Adobe® Illustrator® file. -
Figure 1. Example controller instructions using the diff --git a/docs/html/training/tv/index.jd b/docs/html/training/tv/index.jd index 56667a9b50d61..d52e1e8042850 100644 --- a/docs/html/training/tv/index.jd +++ b/docs/html/training/tv/index.jd @@ -1,8 +1,11 @@ page.title=Building Apps for TV page.trainingcourse=true - +page.metaDescription=Starting point for building apps and games for Android TV, with guidelines, information, and examples. +page.image=design/tv/images/focus.png @jd:body -
These classes teach you how to build apps for TV devices.
\ No newline at end of file +These classes teach you how to build apps for TV devices.
+ +Note: For details on how to publish your TV apps in Google Play, see Distributing to Android TV.
\ No newline at end of file diff --git a/docs/html/training/tv/playback/index.jd b/docs/html/training/tv/playback/index.jd index 118fc6c5600d2..09c3f24307efa 100644 --- a/docs/html/training/tv/playback/index.jd +++ b/docs/html/training/tv/playback/index.jd @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ page.title=Building TV Playback Apps -page.tags="leanback" +page.tags="tv","leanback" startpage=true diff --git a/docs/html/training/tv/start/index.jd b/docs/html/training/tv/start/index.jd index ceefea1ac23f7..fb478a85df3fc 100644 --- a/docs/html/training/tv/start/index.jd +++ b/docs/html/training/tv/start/index.jd @@ -1,4 +1,5 @@ page.title=Building TV Apps +page.tags="tv", "leanback" startpage=true @jd:body diff --git a/docs/html/training/tv/tif/index.jd b/docs/html/training/tv/tif/index.jd index 4746e42ed1293..cde8ba7bc8a8c 100644 --- a/docs/html/training/tv/tif/index.jd +++ b/docs/html/training/tv/tif/index.jd @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ page.title=Building Live TV Apps -page.tags=tif +page.tags="tv", "tif" page.article=true @jd:body diff --git a/docs/html/tv/index.jd b/docs/html/tv/index.jd index 71e177bade472..e4d7f7ac9902d 100644 --- a/docs/html/tv/index.jd +++ b/docs/html/tv/index.jd @@ -1,5 +1,9 @@ -page.title=Android TV +page.title=About Android TV +page.type=about +page.image=tv/images/hero.jpg page.viewport_width=970 +page.tags="tv", "leanback" +page.metaDescription=Bring your apps, games, and content to the biggest screen in the house. fullpage=true no_footer_links=true page.type=about