1page.title=Distribute to Android Auto
2page.image=/design/auto/images/auto-overview.png
3meta.tags="auto", "publish", "quality"
4page.tags="auto", "publish", "googleplay"
5page.metaDescription=Distribute your apps and content to Android Auto.
6
7@jd:body
8
9<div id="qv-wrapper"><div id="qv">
10<h2>How to Participate</h2>
11<ol>
12<li><a href="#understand_guidelines">Understand the guidelines</a></li>
13<li><a href="#develop_app">Develop a great app for Auto</a></li>
14<li><a href="#test_app">Test for Auto App Quality</a></li>
15<li><a href="#opt_in">Agree to terms</a></li>
16<li><a href="#track_review">Track your review</a></li>
17</ol>
18
19<h2>You Should Also Read</h2>
20<ol>
21<li><a href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App Quality</a></li>
22</ol>
23
24</div></div>
25
26<p>
27  If you've got a great app, Android Auto and Google Play can help you
28  bring it to users right in their vehicles. You can
29  extend your new or existing apps for Auto and then publish them using familiar
30  tools and processes in Google Play.
31</p>
32
33<p>
34  To get started, review the sections in this document to learn how to
35  distribute your Auto apps to users through Google Play. Be sure to read
36  <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App Quality</a>
37  for information on the usability, quality, and safety-related guidelines that your apps should
38  meet. When your app is ready, you can accept the terms in the Developer Console and upload your
39  APK for review.
40</p>
41
42<h2 id="how_to_participate">
43  How to Participate
44</h2>
45
46<p>
47  Google Play lets you deliver apps for use in vehicles. You can develop and publish using your
48  existing Developer Console account and your current distribution and pricing settings. It's easy
49  to participate — the sections below outline the process.
50</p>
51
52<div style="float:right;margin:1em 0 1.5em 2em;">
53  <img src="{@docRoot}images/gp-auto-process.png">
54</div>
55
56<h3 id="understand_guidelines">
57  1. Understand guidelines and requirements
58</h3>
59
60<p>
61  To prepare for a successful launch on Android Auto, start by reviewing the
62  guidelines for creating great experiences on Auto. See the <a href=
63  "{@docRoot}design/auto/index.html">Android Auto design guidelines</a> for ideas
64  on extending your app for Auto and details on design and usability.
65</p>
66
67<p>
68  As you get started designing your Auto experience, make sure to read and
69  understand the quality criteria for Auto apps. Only apps that are usable on Auto
70  will be designated as Auto apps on Google Play &mdash; your apps can participate
71  if they meet a set of basic quality criteria. See
72  <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto
73  App Quality</a> for details.
74</p>
75
76<h3 id="develop_app">2. Develop a great app for Auto</h3>
77
78<p>
79  A great app for Auto is designed for vehicle use and takes advantage of the
80  capabilities of Android Auto. The app offers a high-quality experience while the user is on the
81  go such as providing playback for audio content or accessing messages.
82</p>
83
84<p>
85  As you consider your Auto app, review the <a href=
86  "{@docRoot}training/auto/start/index.html">developer documentation</a> and
87  usability guidelines and plan on supporting them to the greatest extent
88  possible. Make sure to design a great experience and adhere to our guidelines for preventing
89  driver distraction.
90</p>
91
92<p>
93  You must deliver your Auto experience as part of your existing app for phones, tablets, and other
94  devices, using the same package name and store listing.
95</p>
96
97<h3 id="test_app">3. Test for Auto App Quality</h3>
98
99<p>
100  Your Auto apps should be designed to perform well, look great in the car,
101  and offer the best user experience possible. Google Play will showcase selected high-quality
102  Auto apps for easy discovery by users in Google Play. Here’s how you
103  can participate and deliver an Android Auto app that users will enjoy:
104</p>
105
106<ul>
107  <li>Meet <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App
108  Quality</a> guidelines
109    <ul>
110      <li>Follow our best practices for <a href="{@docRoot}training/auto/index.html">
111      Auto app development</a></li>
112      <li>Make sure your app meets all of the <a href=
113      "{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App Quality</a> criteria</li>
114    </ul>
115  </li>
116</ul>
117
118<h3 id="opt_in">4. Agree to Android Auto terms and publish</h3>
119
120<p>
121  Before you can upload your APK and publish the app for review, the developer account owner
122  must agree to the
123  <a href="https://play.google.com/about/auto/developer-distribution-agreement-addendum.html">Android
124  Auto terms</a> from the <strong>Pricing and Distribution</strong> section of the
125  Developer Console. Agreeing to the terms means that you want your app to be made available
126  to Android Auto users through Google Play, and that
127  your app meets <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto
128  App Quality</a> guidelines.
129</p>
130
131<p>
132  Your Auto app can be uploaded only after you have agreed to the terms. The following describes
133  which apps are determined to be Auto apps:
134</p>
135
136<ul>
137  <li>Your app manifest must declare the <code>com.google.android.gms.car.application</code>
138  metadata entry in the manifest with auto capabilities that the app uses. For more information
139  about configuring your app for use with Android Auto, see
140  <a href="{@docRoot}training/auto/start/index.html#auto-metadata">Getting Started with Auto</a>.
141  </li>
142</ul>
143
144<p>
145  When you've built your release-ready APK and tested to ensure that it meets
146  all of the <a href="{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App
147  Quality</a> guidelines, upload it to the Developer Console. Update your store
148  listing with any additional Auto functionality information, and set distribution options as
149  needed. If you aren't familiar with how to prepare for launch on Google Play,
150  see the <a href=
151  "{@docRoot}distribute/googleplay/publish/preparing.html">Launch
152  Checklist.</a>
153</p>
154
155<p>
156  After you agree to the terms and save the changes, you can upload and publish your app as usual.
157  Before making the app available to Android Auto users, Google Play submits
158  your app for review against the <a href=
159  "{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App Quality</a> criteria
160  and notifies you of the result. If your app is approved, Google Play makes that app
161  available to Android Auto users. See the next section for details on how to track the approval
162  status of your app.
163</p>
164
165<p>
166  Note that the review affects the availability of your app to other devices in
167  Google Play Store &mdash; on phones and tablets, for example.
168  If you have an existing app that includes updates to the phone/tablet component,
169  the Android Auto component must pass review before the updated app
170  is made available on the Google Play Store.
171</p>
172
173<p>
174  Here are the steps to agree to Android Auto terms in the Developer Console:
175</p>
176
177<ol>
178  <li>Make sure your app meets all <a href=
179  "{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App Quality</a> criteria
180  </li>
181
182  <li>In the <strong>All Applications</strong> page, click the app you want to publish.
183  </li>
184
185  <li>Under <strong>Pricing and Distribution</strong>, scroll down to find <em>Android Auto</em> and the
186  link to the terms.
187  </li>
188
189  <li>Click the <em>terms</em> link.
190  </li>
191
192  <li>Read through the terms and click <em>Agree</em>.
193  </li>
194</ol>
195
196<div style="padding-top:1em">
197  <img style="border:2px solid #ddd;" src="{@docRoot}images/gp-auto-opt-in.png">
198  <p class="caption">
199    <strong>Agree to terms for Auto:</strong> Include your app in Android Auto by agreeing to the
200    terms from the Developer Console.
201  </p>
202</div>
203
204<h3 id="track_review">5. Track your review</h3>
205
206<p>
207  Your app will be reviewed for compliance with driver distraction guidelines and the
208  technical and quality criteria described above. This detailed review process may take
209  more time than you are accustomed to when submitting phone/tablet apps.
210  Until your app is approved, your app or app update won’t be published to the Google Play Store.
211  After a successful review, your app will be published and made available on the Google Play
212  Store.
213</p>
214
215<p>If your app is not accepted, you’ll receive a <strong>notification email sent to your
216  developer account address</strong>, with a summary of the areas that you need to address. When
217  you’ve made the necessary adjustments, you can upload a new version of your app to the Developer
218  Console.
219</p>
220
221<p>
222  Note that if the submitted app is an update to an existing app and your updated app does not meet
223  the review criteria, the update is rejected and the existing app remains published in the Google
224  Play Store.
225</p>
226
227<p>To understand how your apps are evaluated, please see the <a href=
228"{@docRoot}distribute/essentials/quality/auto.html">Auto App Quality</a> document. </p>
229
230
231  <h3>Related resources</h3>
232
233  <div class="resource-widget resource-flow-layout col-16"
234    data-query="collection:autolanding"
235    data-cardSizes="9x6, 6x3x2"
236    data-maxResults="6">
237  </div>
238