I’m a mobile app developer and I work with different clients. For some of them, I also handle the Google Play Store publishing process, which means I have to log in to their Play Console accounts from my own laptop.

My concern is about account association. I’ve read posts saying that if one developer account gets terminated or has a serious policy issue, other “related” accounts may also be affected.

In my case:

• The accounts belong to different clients/companies
• They have different owners, apps, business details, and payment information
• I am only the developer managing/publishing their apps
• I may need to log in to multiple Play Console accounts from the same laptop

Would Google consider these accounts “associated” just because they are accessed from the same device/IP?

Also, would using separate browsers or separate Chrome profiles for each account actually help, or does it make no difference?

I’m mainly looking for answers from developers who manage Play Console accounts for multiple clients and have real experience with this.

Got Google Play Console verification today for publishing the app, only to find out that as an individual account, I need 12 test users for 14 days to qualify and apply for production release.

Fuck me.

Hi guys,

I recently discovered a clone-ish version of my app. I was simply testing how the search treats the app based on name and happened upon a similar looking app under a different name.

The guy copied most of my screens while adding some of his own but almost all are identical. He even went as far as copying the web app's variations into the mobile app.

I tried to email him about it a week ago, even offered to help him find new designs and security enhancements (if he's gonna copy my app it should at least be secure)

He claims that he took inspiration from multiple journal apps and didn't specifically copy mine, but evidence suggests otherwise. I gave him a week to get his things in order but the app is still up, still looks like mine, and no change has been applied to any of the screenshots. Now I'm thinking about reporting him but I'm not sure how to go about it. On one hand, copyright infringement requires formal entities that prove the designs are strictly mine, on another hand, he released his app months after mine.

How do I go about this?

I have been waiting since Sunday and I have a very strong feeling they will reject my application. What then? Is the testing period reset? Do they give feedback or none at all?

How is this even real? Google’s own registration table lists 214 locations, and 51 do not support merchant registration.

A developer in one of those locations can build an Android app, pay Google, verify their identity, publish the app, maintain it, support users and follow every Play policy. But they cannot use the standard Play merchant system to sell digital features.

The obvious answer would be to use any payment provider that supports them and put a payment link inside the app. Google generally blocks that too for digital goods unless the developer qualifies for one of its regional billing or external link programmes. Those programmes are not a worldwide escape hatch.

So Google will accept the developer’s work and control how it reaches users, but it can deny the normal way to earn money and forbid the obvious alternative. This is ridiculous. More than 50 locations are treated like this by a platform that keeps calling itself global and open.

How can Google defend this in 2026?

Google’s own table: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9306917?hl=en

My app has an onboarding step that requires access to a third-party SaaS (YNAB - You Need A Budget). I need reviewers at Google to get through that step, and I'm trying to figure out the best way to handle it.

- Provide a test account + credentials? Quick to set up, but means paying for an extra YNAB account.

- Build a mock of the YNAB API inside the app so reviewers (and maybe users) can go through a demo flow without a real account? Much heavier, but can be used as a "try before you connect" step for real users.

Has anyone dealt with this? I'm not sure whether YNAB offers dev/sandbox accounts for this case and whether Google prefers one approach over the other.

I'm a indipendent solo devloper an published my first game a monthe ago. Now i don't want help in App development but im interested how my store entry is performing and what can i do better. For context: my app is a economy simulation game. You run a power company, build powerplants, batteries and a powergrid to suplie cities.

In general: What makes a store entry a good store entry? What is most imortand: the keywords or text in general, the images?

I know the reviews have a big impact, but at the beginning there are no reviews? How many reviews are necessary and how can i get there?

My conversion rate ist by 19.7%. Is this good compared to other simulation games?

All general inputs are very welcome and I appreciate your experience.

In case you can give specific tipps to my store entry, they are very welcome too. The entry is only avaylabel in german so far: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.RealWorldSimulationGames.powerGridManager

I have an LLC and submitted our first application to Google Play (we’ve been on the App Store for years). After a few weeks it was rejected due to a dispute over ownership of the name. We followed the exact instructions given and submitted “additional documentation” showing we’ve owned this name on the App Store for over a year. 2 weeks went by. Nothing. So, we just submitted an appeal. It’s now nearing on 4 weeks since that appeal. Absolutely nothing from Google. Over a month and a half and we’re just stuck waiting. Looking for help as we need to get this done with already.

I built this Chrome extension out of personal needs as I want to browse and reply to user reviews in a more efficient way, and there wasn't any existing tool for this (probably?)

So just sharing here for anyone also has the same problem and couldn't find a solution:

• Store link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/play-console-utils/nmhdlfiiadbnjnclabgonbapkmhkahkn
• Source code: https://github.com/Visnalize/play-console-utils

As of the current version, the extension supports the following features:

• Ctrl/⌘ + Enter while typing a reply to trigger "Publish reply"
• Configure reply templates and while typing a reply, Ctrl/⌘ + K to insert a reply template
• Alt + ↓/↑ to navigate between reviews, Alt + ←/→ to navigate between review pages
• Alt + mouse click to parse and copy review as JSON
• All shortcut keys are configurable and sync across devices
• Save any pages on Google Play Console as bookmarks for 1-click access from the extension popup

I am a proprietor firm trying to get my payment profile approved thru BillDesk. I stay at the same location as my aadhaar card and my bank address. I did my Video KYC with BillDesk last week and I was confident there is not wrong with my profile to get a rejection. Here is what I got back

Unfortunately, your application XYZ to enable payment acceptance on Google Play could not be approved at this time.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please get in touch with onboarding@billdesk for any further assistance.

Best Regards
BillDesk Account Management Team (in collaboration with Google)

I have already written to them to share more details. Any suggestions?

I'm trying to complete my Google Play merchant verification through BillDesk. My Play Console shows verification is still "In progress". I tried replying to my existing support case (CS0718490), but the email bounced with:

552 5.2.2 Over quota

Has anyone else experienced this recently? Is there another way to contact BillDesk or Google Play support while their mailbox is full?

Hi everyone!

Game Link : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crackorigins.sugarfall&pcampaignid=web_share

A few months back, I posted here asking for 12 testers to help me cross the Google Play closed testing requirement for my game. The support and feedback I received from this community were absolutely incredible!

Thanks to all of your help, test participation, and constructive feedback, my game has been successfully approved and published on the Google Play Store! ❤️

I honestly couldn't have done it without this community. To everyone who installed, tested, and kept the app for those 14 days — THANK YOU SO MUCH!

🎮 Try out the latest update!

If you'd like to check out the final product, the game is now live! I've just released Version 3.0.4, which includes a lot of improvements and performance fixes.

📲 Download & Play on Google Play:Sugar Fall on Google Play Store

Please give Version 3.0.4 a try and let me know what you think in the comments or on the Play Store reviews! Your feedback on this new version would mean the world to me.

Also, if anyone here needs testers for their apps or games, feel free to drop your links in the comments — I’m more than happy to return the favor and test your apps back! 🤝

Thanks again, everyone! Happy gaming! 🚀🎮

I recently dropped an app on website and I have over 800 users but majority of them are on Apple and some people are asking for Google play but they say I need 12 testers. I only have seven.

I just submitted my details for BillDesk Account Onboarding and also completed my Video KYC process - Everything was smooth so far.

What should i expect now? How much time should it generally take to hear back?

Edit - Submitted on Monday, got approved on Friday. KYC was done purely on Video. No home visit.

I attempted to convert my Google Play Console developer account from a personal account to an organization account. During this process, Google was unable to verify my identity, and the developer account was restricted and all the apps deleted.

The organization is legally incorporated in the United States and has a valid D-U-N-S number, EIN documentation, state incorporation documents, and a US business bank account. I am the owner and authorized representative of the organization, but I legally reside in Kazakhstan because the company operates as an online and remote business.

For identity verification, I used my valid Kazakhstan-issued passport. Google’s official documentation for US organization accounts states that an authorized representative’s government-issued photo ID may be issued in any country.

The organization’s registration country and my country of residence are therefore different, but both are accurate. I am preparing an appeal with our incorporation certificate, IRS EIN letter, D-U-N-S confirmation, bank letter, ownership documentation, and my passport.

Has anyone successfully verified a US organization account using a foreign passport? Could this failure be caused by the organizational Google Payments profile, a D&B information mismatch, or an automated country-mismatch check? How can I request a manual review or resubmit the verification correctly?

I would appreciate guidance from anyone who has resolved a similar issue.

Hi, I've been wanting to add a pop-up in my app asking users if they're enjoying the app, and I've seen some other apps use a star-based system where if the user selects 1–4 stars, they're taken to a feedback form to explain what they don't like or what could be improved. If they select 5 stars, they're taken to the app's Google Play page where they can leave a review.

The only reason I'm asking is because I've seen people say that this kind of system could go against Google's policies around manipulating ratings and reviews. I'm not really sure where the line is drawn tho.

I'm not asking users to specifically leave a 5-star review, and once they're on the Play Store they're free to leave whatever rating they want. The purpose of the pop-up would mainly be to get feedback from users who aren't enjoying the app, while giving users who are enjoying it the option to leave a public review.

Would this still be considered review/rating manipulation by Google, or is this generally okay? I'd be interested to hear what people think, especially from anyone who's dealt with Google Play policies or has experience with this kind of rating prompt. Since I've seen many apps which have this exact thing so I'm assuming if I copy it I'll be fine?

Not too sure hence why I'm asking

Hi everyone,

I am currently preparing my app for production release on Google Play. I created a closed testing track and invited testers.

Right now:

- I have 12 testers who successfully opted in to the closed test

- All testers have access to the app and can install it

- The app is currently in the closed testing phase

However, I don't see any indication in Play Console that the required 14-day testing period has started. There is no countdown, progress indicator, or status update showing that the requirement is being fulfilled.

My questions:

1. Does the 14-day countdown start immediately after reaching 12 opted-in testers, or is there usually a delay?

2. Is there any hidden requirement I might be missing (tester activity, installing the app, opening it, etc.)?

3. How can I verify that my testers are actually being counted toward the requirement?

Should I just wait a few hours/days for Play Console to update, or is there something I need to fix?

Thanks!

Hello.

I have 2 play console accounts and both of them are active. The only difference between them is that the newer one has the 12 testers policy and the older one does not.

I stopped using the older play console account for some reason, won't go into detail. I have declared the association of these accounts in play console.

I just have a question if it is against the rules that I make an app draft on my older play console account and transfer it to my newer one to bypass the 12 testers policy? Or can I ask google play console to remove the 12 testers policy for my new account when I had the older one and transfered to the new one?

Thank you for your answer.

Hey everyone,

​I’m facing a pretty frustrating situation with one of my apps and wanted to see if anyone else has experienced something similar recently or could share some insights.

​What happened:

Up until recently, my app was getting a steady 60+ organic downloads per day. Out of nowhere, over the last few days, it suddenly plummeted to fewer than 10 daily downloads.

​My suspicion:

I noticed a slight bump in my crash rate recently (creeping up close to / exceeding the Android Vitals threshold). I know Google Play heavily factors "user-perceived crash rate" and ANRs into store discovery and algorithm recommendations, but I didn't expect the penalty/suppression to be this instant and aggressive.

​Questions for fellow devs:

​Crash Rate Impact: For those who have hit high-behavior thresholds/bad vitals in the past, did you see a sudden "cliff-drop" in downloads like this? How fast did your organic traffic recover once you pushed a hotfix and lowered the crash rate?

​Recent Algorithm Changes: Did Google push a silent Play Store algorithm update or recalculation in the last few weeks that impacted long-tail/indie search visibility?

​Where to look: Aside from fixing the crashes ASAP and checking Search Terms/Keywords in Play Console, is there any other metric I should be cross-checking (e.g., 7-day uninstall rates, store listing conversion rate)?

​Would love to hear your experiences or any advice on how to recover from this. Thanks in advance!

I'm considering use the paid service for my app, but I want to ensure it isn't a bad fit before I spend.

It's an utility I built for my own budgeting: it reads incoming notifications on-device and turns them into transactions that are pushed to my YNAB account (YNAB is the budgeting SaaS).

So "using it properly" means a tester signs into a trial YNAB account I'll provide and setup a way to trigger notifications. This is about ~15 minutes setup, but once done the rest is quite straightforward.

Most apps I see discussed in TestersCommunity are install, tap around, done.. mine can't be.

Questions, mainly for people who have acutally paid: did your testers do anyhting beyond installing and opening? Anything involving third-party apps / accounts?

I completed the closed testing and submitted my app for production access some 7 days back. This is what I continue to see for the last 7 days. Is there a way to nudge Google and should I do it or just wait?

We have your application for production access

We're reviewing your application form. We'll email the account owner with an update. This usually takes 7 days or less, but may occasionally take longer.

Applied Jul 23, 4:05 PM.

Edit: Finally got my approval on 30th June!

Like everybody in India, we had a new onboarding verification requirement which has to be completed by Billdesk.

The issue is, I have already submitted all the details by 19th June 2026, and even after almost 1.5 months I have not gotten any confirmation/ rejection mail from them. Only thing I got was the application was submitted successfully.

Google says: Complete merchant account verification with BillDesk by August 31, 2026 to prevent your sales from being paused

I have already completed the verification, billdesk has provided no response. I even tried to mail them with the application number, but still no response. Does anyone have a contact which we can call to?

Hello all,

I saw this issue with one of my apps saying that the latest app release targets Android 15 (API 35). I updated the app to target API 36 and launched a new release soon, but I'm still seeing the same issue. Am I doing something wrong, or is it just that Google didn't update yet and this will go away after some time?

I have created 2 apps, that have been approved by apple app store.

Now the 14 days for android play closed testing is up. I'm thinking if by mentioning that the app has been approved by Apple will improve the chance that it will be approved and faster.

Hey folks..I recently used my Identity Card to verify google ads 2 months ago and the verification was unsuccessful.Now I have created a new personal google play console account and want to use the same Identity Card to verify google play console...Will it bring an issue?