Code Sign Android App for Customers | Zoho Creator Help

Code sign Android app for customers

This help page is for users in Creator 6. If you are in the older version (Creator 5), click here. Know your Creator version.
Notes:
  1. Refer to this page for the Android code sign prerequisites.
  2. Firebase Cloud Messaging server key has been deprecated on June 21, 2024. To continue using push notifications, update your new service account JSON file (FSA file) instead of the deprecated FCM server key before the above mentioned date.  
  3. Google has mandated the declaration of foreground service information when uploading an application to the Google Play Console. As Zoho Creator code-signed apps use these services, you must declare them when uploading AAB or APK apps. Learn how to declare foreground service information on the Google Play Console.

To code sign Android app and enable push notification for customers

  1. Navigate to the Mobile section on the left pane and click the Mobile App tab.

  2. Click on the Create New button. It opens the below slider.

  3. Select the Application Name from the dropdown and then under the Type section, select Application Type as Portal and Platform as Android.


  4. In the For Customer - Code Sign slider, click on the Generate Client. This will open a Zoho Accounts link in a new tab and create a new client for the Android app to communicate with Zoho Creator.
  5. Set your app's icon as required:
    • Default Icon option will be selected by default
    • You can opt to Upload Custom Icon — a PNG file of 1024x1024 resolution

    Refer to this page for sourcing the inputs required for performing steps 6-9.

  6. Enter Alias Name.

  7. Enter Package Name. This will uniquely identify your Android app. It's usually in the format:
    com.companyname.appname.

    For example, com.zylker.employeemanagement

  8. Upload Keystore file.
  9. Enter the Keystore password.
  10. Enter the Key password.

  11. If you want to enable Push Notification for the Android app, toggle the Push Notification button. Else, skip to step 15.

    Firebase config file and Firebase Service Account file are required for enabling push notification support. Refer to this page to learn how to source them.

  12. In the Push Notification popup, upload the Firebase Configuration file. 
  13. Upload the Firebase Service Account file and click Enable.

  14. Click Code Sign. This process can take 10-15 minutes to complete.

  15.  On successful completion, the status will be Code signed.
  16. Distribute the app as required.
You can upload this .apk file to any of the below distribution platforms.  
  1. Google PlayStore
  2. Amazon Appstore
  3. Samsung Galaxy Appps
  4. Huawei AppGallery
  5. Tencent Appstore
  6. Xiomo GetApps.

Distribute your app by downloading its .apk file

  1. Navigate to the Mobile section on the left and select the Mobile App tab.
  2. Click on the corresponding row of the code signed Android app, it will open the For Customer - Code Sign pane on the right.


  3. Click the DownloadAPK button on the top right of the pane.
  4. Alternatively, navigate to the Mobile App and hover on the corresponding row of the code signed Android app, it will show a three-dot action popup on the right side of the row.

  5. Click the Download button and distribute the .apk file to your customers.
    Note: The Delete option will be available only for those whose code-sign process has failed.

To re-code sign your Android app

Note: The Re-code sign option will be available only for those apps with a successful code-sign process.
  1. Navigate to the Mobile section on the left and select the Mobile App tab.
  2. Click on the corresponding row of the code signed Android app, it will open the For Customer - Code Sign pane on the right as below.


  3. Click Re-code sign at the top-right of the For Customer - Code Sign pane.
  4. Alternatively, navigate to the Mobile App tab and hover on the corresponding row of the code-signed Android app, it will show a three-dot action popup on the right side of the row.

  5. Click Re-code sign. A popup will appear.
  6. Click Re-code sign to confirm. Your app will be code signed again.
    Note: When you re-code sign an app, previous versions of your app will be maintained. To use a particular version of your mobile app, you need to switch to that version.

  7. You can filter your code-signed apps based on the Application and type by clicking on the Filter option at the right side of your screen.

  8. The Type filter lets you filter apps based on User appsCustomer appsiOS apps, and Android apps.


Points to Note

  1. Declare foreground service information on Google Play Console:
    It is mandatory to declare foreground service information in the Play Console when uploading the AAB or APK application to the Google Play Console. To do so:
    1. Create a screen recording that demonstrates the following steps in your codesigned app:
      1. Navigate to Settings > Offline Components > Add Components and download the preferred component.
      2. Return to the Offline Components section, where all downloaded components will be listed.
      3. Click the Sync icon () next to the offline components.
        Refer below for a sample screen recording:

    2. Upload the recorded video to Zoho Workdrive or Google Drive and generate an external share link. Learn how to generate an external share link for uploaded files in Zoho Workdrive
    3. Follow these steps in the Google Play Console to declare foreground service information:
      1. Go to Google Play Console and navigate to App Content  > Foreground service permissions.
      2. Under Data sync, select Other in Network processing. Enter the external share link and click Save.



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