Introduction
PubCoder can export your publication as a native Android app that can be distributed for free or as a paid download on the Google Play Store or Amazon App Store.
The app actually bundles our own native Android reader technology with an XPUB export of your project, creating a unique app-player for your publication. Since the same player and the same format is used, every feature for the XPUB format is fully supported, including interactivity, read aloud, soundtrack, multiple renditions and localizations.
The resulting app will run on any Android device running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later.
Requirements
Exporting an Android App requires the Java JDK and the Android SDK. PubCoder will automatically prompt for both installations, guiding you through the installation.
Java Development Kit (JDK) installer can be downloaded for free from Oracle website. Please accept their license agreement and download the correct version of the JDK for your OS. Once you have downloaded the JDK, please run the installer and follow the instructions to install JDK.
Android-specific Settings
Exporting an Android app requires additional setup in your project settings. Click Settings in your project window toolbar, then click on the Android App tab.
| App Name | The application name as it will appear under the app icon in the device’s applications screen |
| App ID | Every Android app has a unique application ID that looks like a Java package name, such as com.example.myapp. This ID uniquely identifies your app on the device and in Google Play Store. If you want to upload a new version of your app, the application ID (and the certificate you sign it with) must be the same as the original APK—if you change the application ID, Google Play Store treats the APK as a completely different app. So once you publish your app, you should never change the application ID. |
| App Version | Specifies the public version number of the app, you must increase it at each release and it will appear in the store. The release version number is a string comprised of three period-separated integers. The first integer represents major revisions to the app, such as revisions that implement new features or major changes. The second integer denotes revisions that implement less prominent features. The third integer represents maintenance releases. |
| Build Version | An integer used as an internal version number. This number is used only to determine whether one version is more recent than another, with higher numbers indicating more recent versions. This is not the version number shown to users. |
| Keystore | Android requires that all APKs or AABs be digitally signed with a certificate before they can be installed. A keystore is a binary file that contains one or more private keys. App upgrade: When the system is installing an update to an app, it compares the certificate(s) in the new version with those in the existing version. The system allows the update if the certificates match. If you sign the new version with a different certificate, you must assign a different package name to the app—in this case, the user installs the new version as a completely new app. |
You can also setup App Icons and Launch Images manually or use the default ones.
Android-specific Features
Since PubCoder’s Android native app uses the XPUB format and player, you can use all XPUB-specific features, including multiple renditions and localizations.
Export Destinations
The export control offers various possible destinations for the export.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi export will build a single .apk file and share it over the local network. Scan the QR code or open the address on your Android device to download and install the app on your device.
- Navigate to Settings / Security.
- Check the option Unknown sources.
- Tap OK on the prompt message.
- Select Trust.
- That’s all, now you can try again to install the Application.
Google Play Store Distribution
This will export an Android App Bundle (.aab) file which is a package containing your app code and content. You will need to upload it to Google Play Developers Console to publish your application on Google Play Store.
To upload your AAB file to Google Play Store, follow these steps:
- Go to your Google Play Developers Console
- Create or select your app (please refer to Google Play Store help for more informations)
- On the left menu, click Release.
- Create a new release in Testing or Production channels
- Upload your app’s AAB file.
Finally, save changes and continue with the process by clicking Review then Rollout.
Ad Hoc Distribution
Use Ad Hoc distribution to build an .apk file that you can distribute manually or submit to other app stores (use Google Play Store Distribution to publish to Google Play Store instead).
USB
You can also install your app directly on your USB-connected device. To do this, you need to enable USB debugging mode on the device. USB debugging is a developer option that allows a computer to install software on an Android device.
Enable Developer Options
First of all, you need to enable developer options on your device, which is disabled by default on Android. If you already see Developer options section in the Settings app, please skip this section, otherwise, follow these steps to enable it:
- Open Settings app
- Tap on About tablet or About phone depending on your device
- Tap 7 times on Build number
Enable USB Debugging
To enable USB debugging for your device, please follow these steps:
- Open Settings app
- Tap on Developer options
- Tap on USB debugging to enable it
Allow USB debugging from your computer
When you connect your device to your computer for the first time after enabling USB debugging, your device will ask if you want to allow your computer to use USB debugging:
Check Always allow from this computer to prevent the device from asking this every time, then tap OK.
Your device will now appear in PubCoder devices list; if it does not, please disconnect the device and connect it again to your computer using a USB cable.