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Mobile Build & Release

React Native (Expo SDK 54) Android app. iOS coming later. Released via direct APK download (ka-26.com/download) until Play Store approval.

Build environment​

ToolVersionWhere to install
Node.js20 LTSnvm install 20
Java JDK17brew install openjdk@17
Android SDKlatestAndroid Studio → SDK Manager
Expo CLIlatestbundled via npx expo (no global install)

Required env vars (often need to be set explicitly per command):

  • ANDROID_HOME=/Users/<you>/Library/Android/sdk
  • JAVA_HOME=/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17 (Apple Silicon)

APK build (direct download)​

cd /Users/siddu/marketplace/mobile

# 1. Generate Android project from app.json (idempotent + clean)
ANDROID_HOME=/Users/siddu/Library/Android/sdk npx expo prebuild --platform android --clean

# 2. Gradle assemble release (~3 min)
cd android
ANDROID_HOME=/Users/siddu/Library/Android/sdk JAVA_HOME=/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17 ./gradlew assembleRelease

# 3. Output
ls -lh app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk
# → ~84-90 MB

AAB build (for Play Store)​

cd mobile/android
ANDROID_HOME=/Users/siddu/Library/Android/sdk JAVA_HOME=/opt/homebrew/opt/openjdk@17 ./gradlew bundleRelease
ls -lh app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab

Upload the AAB to Play Console. Play Store accepts only AAB now (not APK).

Distribution flow​

Direct APK (current)​

  1. Build APK locally (steps above)
  2. Copy to landing repo: cp app-release.apk /tmp/ka26-website/public/downloads/ka26-latest.apk
  3. Bump version label in /tmp/ka26-website/src/app/download/page.tsx (APK_VERSION)
  4. git add -A && git commit -m "chore(download): bump APK to vX" && git push
  5. GitHub Pages deploys in ~1 min
  6. Users download from https://ka-26.com/download

Play Store (TBD)​

See incident playbook + Authentication. Requires:

  • Google Play Console developer account ($25 one-time)
  • Aadhaar/PAN verification (1-2 days)
  • Store listing assets (icon, screenshots, descriptions, content rating, data safety form)
  • AAB upload (not APK)
  • Privacy Policy URL (already live: https://ka-26.com/privacy)
  • 1-7 day review

Once approved, swap the /download page CTA from APK direct → Play Store redirect.

APK history​

VersionDateNotable changes
v92026-04-10Pre-launch baseline
v122026-04-15Last v before today's overhaul
v132026-04-17First with rebrand to KA26, Eats archived, offline flags, email migration, About link, Sentry SDK
v142026-04-17+ Shop "My Ads" filter fix

Versioning convention​

Bump the integer for each new build. The major version bump indicates breaking compatibility (e.g. forced re-login, new auth scheme); we haven't crossed one yet.

Release checklist​

Before pushing v(N+1):

  • All tests pass (cd mobile && npx vitest run && npx jest --forceExit --detectOpenHandles)
  • CHANGELOG entry added describing what's new vs prior version
  • mobile/app.json version field bumped
  • APK built locally + tested on real device (install with adb install -r)
  • APK file copied to landing repo
  • APK_VERSION updated on download page
  • Commit + push to landing repo

Common build issues​

ErrorFix
JAVA_HOME not setUse the full env-var prefix shown above
SDK location not foundSet ANDROID_HOME
error TS2307: Cannot find module 'react-native'Mobile imports leaking into web build — ensure mobile path is in web tsconfig.json exclude
Gradle hangs at "Resolving dependencies"First run downloads ~500MB; let it finish
app-release.apk is unsignedWe use the default Expo debug signing for now; for Play Store builds we'll add a release keystore (Phase B of Play Store submission)