Google Play Custom App Publishing API
Browse all Google APIs✓ Official Vendor SpecDeveloper ToolsPackage Registryoauth21 EndpointsREST
For Agents
Publish a private Android app to specific managed Google Play enterprise organisations from a developer account.
Use for: I need to publish a private Android app to a specific enterprise organisation, Create a custom app for a managed Google Play customer, Register a new private app under our developer account, Set up a custom app for internal-only distribution
Not supported: Does not upload APKs, manage release tracks, or list public store apps — use only to register a private app under a developer account scoped to enterprise organisations.
The Google Play Custom App Publishing API lets enterprise app developers publish private Android apps directly to specific managed Google Play organisations without going through the public store review queue. The single endpoint creates a custom app under a developer account and associates it with one or more enterprise organisation IDs, returning the package name and Play Console identifiers needed for subsequent uploads. It is intended for managed-Google-Play customers who distribute internal-only Android binaries to employees.
Install Jentic One Beta
Connect the Google Play Custom App Publishing API to your agent
Jentic One is a self-hosted execution layer for AI agents. It lets your agent call the Google Play Custom App Publishing API, or any other public or private API you need. You set the rules, the agent never sees your credentials, and every call is logged.
Two steps, two machines. Install the instance in a safe environment, then register your agent from wherever it runs.
1
Step 1: Jentic One Host machine
# On the machine that will host your Jentic One instance:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh2
Step 2: Agent machine
# On the machine where your agent runs (keep this separate from the instance):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jentic/jentic-one/main/tools/install.sh | sh
jentic register # connects your agent to your Jentic One instanceJentic One is in public beta. The setup above keeps your agent separate from the instance, which is what you want before using real credentials: an agent running as the same OS user as Jentic One can read its stored keys directly. Just evaluating? A single local install is fine to start. See the secure deployment guide for the tiers.
Capabilities
What an agent can do with Google Play Custom App Publishing API.
Create a custom Android app under a developer account targeting one or more enterprise organisations
Associate a new app's package name with the calling developer account in Play Console
Restrict an app's visibility to a defined list of managed Google Play organisations
Return the package name and identifiers needed to upload an APK or AAB through Play Developer API
Use Cases
Patterns agents use Google Play Custom App Publishing API for, with concrete tasks.
★ Private Enterprise App Rollout
An IT team building an internal-only Android app for their workforce uses the Custom App Publishing API to register the app under their developer account and bind it to their enterprise organisation ID in one call. The app does not appear in the public Play Store and bypasses the public-listing review path. After registration, the team uses the Android Publisher API to upload AAB binaries and manage release tracks.
POST /playcustomapp/v1/accounts/{account}/customApps with body {title: 'Acme Inventory', languageCode: 'en-US', organizations: [{organizationId: '01a2b3c4'}]} to register the app for a single enterprise.
MDM Onboarding Flow
A mobile device management vendor automates the creation of customer-specific app variants when onboarding a new managed Google Play customer. The API call provisions the app, returns the package name, and the MDM platform then triggers the binary upload through Android Publisher. End-to-end onboarding drops from a manual multi-day Play Console process to under an hour.
Call POST /playcustomapp/v1/accounts/{developerAccount}/customApps with the customer's organizationId, capture the returned packageName, and queue an AAB upload job for that package.
AI Agent App Publishing via Jentic
An automation agent that handles app release workflows can call the Custom App Publishing API through Jentic to register new private apps without the developer juggling OAuth scopes or Play Console steps. Jentic stores the developer's refresh token in its vault and exposes the customApps.create operation as a single search-load-execute flow, turning a 30-minute manual setup into a one-step agent call.
Search Jentic for 'create a Google Play custom app', load the customApps.create schema, and execute it with the developer account ID, app title, languageCode, and organizationId.
Key Endpoints
1 endpoints — the google play custom app publishing api lets enterprise app developers publish private android apps directly to specific managed google play organisations without going through the public store review queue.
METHOD
PATH
DESCRIPTION
POST
/playcustomapp/v1/accounts/{account}/customApps
Create a custom app under a developer account scoped to one or more enterprise organisations
POST
/playcustomapp/v1/accounts/{account}/customApps
Create a custom app under a developer account scoped to one or more enterprise organisations
Why Jentic?
Three things that make agents converge on Jentic-routed access.
Credential isolation
Google Play developer OAuth refresh tokens are stored encrypted in the Jentic vault. Agents receive a scoped, short-lived access token at call time so the long-lived credential never enters agent context.
Intent-based discovery
Agents search Jentic with the intent 'create a Google Play custom app' and receive the customApps.create operation with its full input schema, eliminating manual Play Console steps.
Time to first call
Direct integration: 1-2 days for service account setup, scope authorisation, and Play Console linkage. Through Jentic: under 1 hour.
Related APIs
Alternatives and complements available in the Jentic catalogue.
FAQs
Specific to using Google Play Custom App Publishing API through Jentic.
What authentication does the Google Play Custom App Publishing API use?
It uses OAuth 2.0 with the https://www.googleapis.com/auth/androidpublisher scope and requires a Google Play developer account. Service accounts are typically used for automation. Through Jentic the refresh token is stored in the vault and a scoped access token is minted at call time.
Can I upload an APK with this API?
No. The Custom App Publishing API only registers a new app and binds it to enterprise organisations through POST /playcustomapp/v1/accounts/{account}/customApps. APK and AAB uploads, release tracks, and listings are handled by the separate Android Publisher API once the app exists.
What are the rate limits for this API?
Like other Google Play developer APIs it follows project-level Google Cloud quotas. Default limits are conservative because custom-app creation is a low-volume administrative operation; raise the quota in Google Cloud Console if onboarding many enterprises in parallel.
How do I create a custom app through Jentic?
Run jentic search 'create a Google Play custom app', load the schema for POST /playcustomapp/v1/accounts/{account}/customApps, and execute it with the developer account ID, app title, language code, and the target organizations array.
Is the Google Play Custom App API free?
There is no per-call charge for the API itself, but it requires an active Google Play developer account, which has a one-time registration fee. Standard Google Cloud project quotas apply.
Can I make a custom app available to multiple enterprises at once?
Yes. The customApps.create body accepts an organizations array, so a single call can bind the new app to several enterprise organisation IDs. Additional enterprises can be added later through Play Console or by republishing.
GET STARTED