How to Upload a Closed Test Release for Your Android App
Posted on 20. February 2026 by Jan Bunk
On the "Closed Testing - Alpha" track, click "Manage track" if you are not already there.
Click "Create new release" at the top right.
Download your app as an .aab fileUpload the .aab file you just downloaded in the Google Play Console.
After uploading the file you should see it listed below the upload field.
Click here if you see the error message "Version code x has already been used. Try another version code."
First, please reload the Google Play Console page and instead of uploading the app bundle again, click "Add from library" and select it there.
If you can't select the app bundle there either, click here to generate a new app bundle with a new version code. Building a new version will take a couple of minutes and afterwards you need to download the app bundle again using the download button from earlier in this guide.
Enter a description for the app release, for example "Initial release of the app.".
Click "Next" or "Save" at the bottom right.
Click "Next" and "Save" at the bottom right.
Go to the publishing overview in the Google Play Console.
Submit the changes for review using the button at the top right.
After Google has reviewed your app (this can take a few days), testers can download the app using this link:
If, during the test, you see reports of errors in the app like in the following screenshot, you can ignore them, those are normal. If you actually see issues in your app, you can contact us of course.
Once you've completed all the steps in this guide, please click this button so you can continue with the next guides.
Jan Bunk
With a background in computer science, Jan founded webtoapp.design in 2019 and developed the underlying software to convert websites into apps. With experience and feedback gathered from hundreds of published apps, he strives to write easy to follow guides that help you with everything related to app creation, publishing and maintenance.