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To publish and update your Rey app on Google Play, Rey needs permission to submit builds on your behalf. Google grants this permission through a service account — a special Google Cloud identity with a JSON key file that acts like a password. Once you upload the key to Rey, all future Android submissions and updates happen automatically. You only need to do this once per Google Play Developer account.

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Prerequisites

  • A Google Play Developer account with the Admin (all permissions) role.
  • A Google Cloud account (any Google account works — no billing required for this flow).
  • Your Rey app ready to publish. See App Stores for the full submission overview.

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Step 1: Create a Google Cloud project

1

Open the Google Cloud Console

Go to the Google Cloud Console.
2

Create a new project

Click the project selector in the top bar, then New Project. Name it something recognizable like rey-play-publishing and click Create.
3

Select the new project

Once created, make sure your new project is selected in the project selector before continuing.

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Step 2: Enable the Google Play Android Developer API

1

Open the API library

In the Cloud Console, navigate to APIs & Services → Library.
2

Search for the API

Search for Google Play Android Developer API.
3

Enable it

Click the result, then click Enable.

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Step 3: Create the service account

1

Open IAM & Admin

In the Cloud Console, go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts.
2

Create a service account

Click Create Service Account. Give it a descriptive name like rey-play-publisher and click Create and Continue.
3

Grant a role (optional at this step)

You can skip granting a Cloud project role here — the required permissions are granted later inside the Play Console. Click Continue, then Done.

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Step 4: Create and download a JSON key

1

Open the new service account

From the service accounts list, click the account you just created.
2

Add a key

Go to the Keys tab, click Add Key → Create new key, choose JSON, and click Create.
3

Save the JSON file

A JSON file downloads to your computer. Store it somewhere safe — you’ll upload this file to Rey in the final step.
Treat this JSON key like a password. Anyone with the file can publish apps to your Google Play account. Do not commit it to source control or share it in chat.

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Step 5: Grant the service account access in Google Play Console

1

Open the Play Console

Go to the Google Play Console and select your developer account.
2

Open Users and permissions

In the left sidebar, click Users and permissions, then click Invite new users.
3

Enter the service account email

Paste the service account email (it looks like rey-play-publisher@your-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com). You can find it back in the Cloud Console service accounts list.
4

Grant account permissions

Under Account permissions, enable at minimum:
  • View app information and download bulk reports
  • Manage production releases
  • Manage testing track releases
  • Manage store presence
  • Edit and delete draft apps
  • Release apps to testing tracks
  • Release to production, exclude devices, and use Play App Signing
For the simplest setup, you can grant Admin (all permissions), but least-privilege is recommended.
5

Invite the user

Click Invite user, then Send invitation. The service account is granted access immediately — no email confirmation needed.

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Step 6: Upload the JSON key to Rey

1

Open Publish settings

In the Rey editor, click Publish in the toolbar and select Google Play as the target.
2

Connect your Google Play account

In the Google Play Developer account section, click Upload service account key.
3

Select your JSON file

Choose the JSON key file you downloaded in Step 4. Rey validates the file and confirms the connection.
4

You're done

Rey is now authorized to publish and update this app on Google Play. You can start a submission from the same screen.
If you rotate or revoke the key later, just repeat Step 4 to generate a new JSON file and re-upload it in Rey. Old keys can be deleted from the Cloud Console service account Keys tab.

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Troubleshooting

Make sure you uploaded the JSON key (not a P12) and that the Google Play Android Developer API is enabled in the same Cloud project that owns the service account.
The service account is missing a required Play Console permission. Return to Users and permissions in the Play Console and confirm every permission listed in Step 5 is enabled for the service account.
In the Cloud Console, go to IAM & Admin → Service Accounts and select your project. The email is listed next to each account and always ends in .iam.gserviceaccount.com.

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Next Steps

  • Return to App Stores to complete your Google Play submission.
  • Preview your app on a real device first with Device Preview.