Android Beta Track Workflow

Generates GitHub Actions workflow for manual deployment to Play Store beta (closed testing) track.

Prerequisites

• Service account setup complete
• Package name known

Inputs

Process

Step 1: Verify Fastlane Setup

Ensure Fastlane is configured:

bundle exec fastlane lanes

Expected output should show deploy_beta lane.

Step 2: Generate Beta Testing Workflow

Create .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml:

name: Deploy to Beta Testing

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      track:
        description: 'Beta track'
        required: true
        type: choice
        options:
          - alpha
          - beta
        default: 'beta'
      rollout_type:
        description: 'Rollout type'
        required: true
        type: choice
        options:
          - full
          - staged
        default: 'full'
      rollout_percentage:
        description: 'Rollout percentage (only for staged: 0.05-1.0, e.g., 0.5 for 50%)'
        required: false
        default: '0.5'

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683  # v4.2.2

      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: actions/setup-java@c5195efecf7bdfc987ee8bae7a71cb8b11521c00  # v4.7.0
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Setup Gradle cache
        uses: actions/cache@1bd1e32a3bdc45362d1e726936510720a7c30a57  # v4.2.0
        with:
          path: |
            ~/.gradle/caches
            ~/.gradle/wrapper
            .gradle/configuration-cache
          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}
          restore-keys: |
            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-

      - name: Setup Gradle
        uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@v4

      - name: Run unit tests
        run: ./gradlew test

      - name: Upload test reports
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02  # v4.6.0
        with:
          name: test-reports
          path: app/build/reports/tests/
          retention-days: 7

  deploy:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683  # v4.2.2

      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: actions/setup-java@c5195efecf7bdfc987ee8bae7a71cb8b11521c00  # v4.7.0
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Setup Gradle cache
        uses: actions/cache@1bd1e32a3bdc45362d1e726936510720a7c30a57  # v4.2.0
        with:
          path: |
            ~/.gradle/caches
            ~/.gradle/wrapper
            .gradle/configuration-cache
          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ hashFiles('**/*.gradle*', '**/gradle-wrapper.properties') }}
          restore-keys: |
            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-

      - name: Setup Gradle
        uses: gradle/actions/setup-gradle@v4

      - name: Decode keystore
        run: |
          echo "${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_STORE_BASE64 }}" | base64 -d > app/release.jks
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_STORE_BASE64 }}

      - name: Build Release Bundle
        run: ./gradlew bundleRelease
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_PATH: ${{ github.workspace }}/app/release.jks
          SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD }}
          SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}
          SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}

      - name: Set up Ruby
        uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
        with:
          ruby-version: '3.2'
          bundler-cache: true

      - name: Create Service Account File
        run: echo "${{ secrets.SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON_PLAINTEXT }}" > service-account.json

      - name: Deploy with Fastlane (Full Rollout)
        if: github.event.inputs.rollout_type == 'full'
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_PATH: ${{ github.workspace }}/app/release.jks
          SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD }}
          SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}
          SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          PLAY_STORE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: service-account.json
        run: bundle exec fastlane deploy_beta

      - name: Deploy with Fastlane (Staged Rollout)
        if: github.event.inputs.rollout_type == 'staged'
        env:
          SIGNING_KEY_STORE_PATH: ${{ github.workspace }}/app/release.jks
          SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_STORE_PASSWORD }}
          SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}
          SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}
          PLAY_STORE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT: service-account.json
        run: bundle exec fastlane deploy_beta rollout:${{ github.event.inputs.rollout_percentage }}

      - name: Cleanup Service Account
        if: always()
        run: rm -f service-account.json

      - name: Clean up keystore
        if: always()
        run: rm -f app/release.jks

      - name: Upload AAB artifact
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02  # v4.6.0
        with:
          name: beta-aab-${{ github.event.inputs.track }}
          path: app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab
          retention-days: 90

      - name: Upload mapping file
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02  # v4.6.0
        with:
          name: mapping-file-${{ github.event.inputs.track }}
          path: app/build/outputs/mapping/release/mapping.txt
          retention-days: 90

      - name: Summary
        run: |
          echo "✅ Deployed to ${{ github.event.inputs.track }} track"
          if [ "${{ github.event.inputs.rollout_type }}" = "staged" ]; then
            echo "📊 Rollout: Staged (${{ github.event.inputs.rollout_percentage }})"
          else
            echo "📊 Rollout: Full (100%)"
          fi
          echo ""
          echo "🔗 View in Play Console:"
          echo "   https://play.google.com/console/developers/tracks/${{ github.event.inputs.track }}"

Key features:

• ✅ Uses Fastlane for deployment
• ✅ Supports full and staged rollouts
• ✅ Pinned all actions to commit SHAs
• ✅ Test job runs before deployment

Step 2: Update Workflows README

Add to .github/workflows/README.md:

### deploy-beta.yml
- **Trigger:** Manual only
- **Tracks:** Alpha or Beta (closed testing)
- **Approval:** None (manual trigger is the approval)
- **Rollout:** Configurable (5-100%)

## Usage - Beta Deployment

**Deploy to Beta:**
1. Go to: Actions → Deploy to Beta Testing
2. Click "Run workflow"
3. Select track: "beta"
4. Set rollout: "100" (or lower for staged beta)
5. Click "Run workflow"

**Deploy to Alpha (for smaller group):**
1. Same as above, but select track: "alpha"
2. Useful for pre-beta testing with smaller group

## Beta Testing Best Practices

1. **Use Alpha for Pre-Beta**
   - Test with small group (10-50 users)
   - Catch major issues before wider beta
   - Quick feedback loop

2. **Beta for Broader Testing**
   - Larger group (100-1000+ users)
   - Diverse devices and OS versions
   - Real-world usage patterns
   - 1-2 week minimum period

3. **Staged Beta Rollout**
   - Start at 50% for critical updates
   - Monitor for 24 hours
   - Increase to 100% if stable
   - Can halt and fix if issues found

4. **Collect Feedback**
   - Monitor crash reports in Play Console
   - Review user feedback
   - Check ANR (Application Not Responding) rate
   - Address critical issues before production

Verification

MANDATORY: Validate workflow:

# Validate YAML syntax
yamllint .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml

# Verify package name
grep "packageName:" .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml

Expected output:

• No YAML syntax errors
• Package name matches your app

Outputs

Troubleshooting

"Track not found"

Cause: Beta track not created in Play Console Fix: Create closed testing track in Play Console first

"Invalid rollout percentage"

Cause: Value not between 5-100 Fix: Use valid percentage (5, 10, 20, 50, 100)

Completion Criteria

• .github/workflows/deploy-beta.yml exists
• YAML syntax is valid
• Package name is correct
• Workflow supports both alpha and beta tracks