Google has released an API that you can use to publish and manage your Android apps on the Google Play Store portal.

While it’s fairly easy to publish an app, you do have to log in to update existing apps and to carry out other management tasks. Where things get more complicated is when you have different groups of end users that need different versions of your app – beta testers, for example. The new Play Store API comes in two parts, a publishing API and a subscriptions and in-app purchases API.

The publishing API lets you automate tasks that you have to carry out frequently that are concerned with app production and distribution. The tasks covered are essentially those you can carry out in the Developer Console, such as uploading new versions of an app; releasing apps in various tracks such alpha, beta, staged rollout, or production; and creating and modifying Google Play Store listings, including localized text and graphics and multi-device screenshots. You can bundle several changes into a single draft edit, then commit the changes all at once.

The subscriptions and In-App Purchases API can be used to manage in-app products, subscriptions catalogs, and products purchase statuses. For example, you can check the status of purchases, and modify and cancel recurring purchases.

Writing about the new API on the Android Developers blog, Kobi Glick of the Google Play team said:

“The Publishing API also makes it easier for you to manage your in-app products catalog, provide tablet-specific screenshots, and localize your store listing text and graphics. The Publishing API will help you focus on your core business, with less time managing your releases, even as your business grows to more apps and markets.”

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