How to Release a New Version of the Mushroom Observer Mobile App

[mo-nathan]

Update the Version String for iPhone and Android

iPhone Version Number

1. Select "Navigate" -> "Reveal Project Navigator".
2. Click the project name ("MushroomObserver").
3. Select "MushroomObserver" under "TARGETS" (left side of middle panel).
4. Either filter for "Version" or scroll all the way down to "Versioning" in the middle panel.
5. Update the "Current Project Version" and "Marketing Version".

Android Version Number

Edit the values of versionCode and versionName in android/app/build.gradle.

Git Check-in and Tag

1. Check-in the changes into GitHub.
2. Create Version Tag: git tag 1.0.49; git push origin 1.0.49

The rest of the release process for Google Play and Apple Store are independent and are addresses separately below.

Apple Store

Generate an Archive

1. Open your React Native project in Xcode.
2. Make sure the app is working and does what you want in the Apple Simulator.
3. Select "Any iOS Device (arm64)" as the build target.
4. Go to Product > Archive in the Xcode menu to create an archive of your app.

Validate Your Archive

1. After the archive is created, the Organizer window will open automatically.
2. Click on the "Validate App" button to validate your archive. This step ensures that your app meets Apple's requirements for submission to the App Store.
3. Follow the prompts to resolve any issues that arise during validation.

Distribute Your Archive

1. Once your archive passes validation, click on the "Distribute App" button.
2. Choose "App Store Connect" as the distribution method and click "Next".
3. Follow the prompts to upload your archive to App Store Connect.

Prepare Your App Listing on App Store Connect

1. Log in to App Store Connect (https://appstoreconnect.apple.com/) using your Apple Developer account.
2. Navigate to the "Apps" section and select your app.
3. Update the app's metadata, including the description, keywords, screenshots, etc., if necessary.
4. Ensure that all required information, such as app privacy details and export compliance, is filled out accurately.

Submit Your App for Review

1. Once your app archive is uploaded and all metadata is updated on App Store Connect, submit your app for review by clicking the "Submit for Review" button.
2. Review the submission details and confirm the submission.

Monitor the Review Process

1. After submitting your app for review, monitor its status in App Store Connect. You'll receive notifications and updates on the review progress.
2. If any issues are found during the review process, address them promptly to expedite the review.

Release Your App

Once your app is approved, it may be immediately released if you chose that option earlier or you can release it to the App Store by navigating to the "App Store Versions" section in App Store Connect and clicking on the "Release" button.

Google Play

Generate a Signed APK

1. In Android Studio, Select View -> Tool Windows -> Build Variants. Note there is also an icon shortcut for this on the standard main window.

2. Select "release" for the "Active Build Variant" of the "app" (top of the panel). It is likely set to "debug" when you are doing development. This should update the build variant for all the other modules.

3. Run the app one more time in the emulator just to make sure everything is building and running correctly. If you get duplicate module errors, select File -> Invalidate Caches and select all the caches. It will ask you if you want to Terminate any running emulator which you should agree to. It will then restart Android Studio. If after the initial build you still get errors about duplicate modules, then select Build -> Clean Project and try again. Once the app is running check the version number on the settings screen.

4. To generate a signed APK file for production deployment, you need to sign your app with a keystore file. The keystore file contains the digital certificate required to sign your app. To achieve this, first go to go to Build > Generate Signed Bundle / APK.
   Select APK and click Next.

5. Create a new keystore file or choose an existing one. In my case I apparently already had one setup from Dec. 2022 that I got from Olivia. I expect navigating through the creation process is straight forward.

6. Fill in the required fields, including the keystore password, key alias, and key password. I don't know the password for Olivia's, but it appears to be stored in Android Studio.

7. Click Next and select the build type (usually release).

8. Click Finish to generate the signed APK.

9. Generate a signed bundle by selecting Build -> Generate Signed App Bundle / APK and select Android App Bundle. You will need to sign your app with a keystore file. The keystore file contains the digital certificate required to sign your app.

10. Create a new keystore file or choose an existing one. In my case I originally had one setup from Dec. 2022 that I got from Olivia. However, I need to regenerate it when I tried creating a signed APK for sharing with testers. I had to consult the interwebs to figure that bit out and didn't take notes at the time.

11. Fill in the required fields, including the keystore password, key alias, and key password. It conveniently remembers these so again, I don't remember exactly the process I followed to setup it, but it now just works.

12. Click Next and select the build type (should be "release").

13. Click Finish to generate the signed bundle. The signed bundle should appears as android/app/release/app-release.aab.

Log into Google Play Developer account

There is an account under [email protected] that we try to do everything from.

Prepare Store Listing

Review and Rollout

Submit for Review

Release