Google Play Pre-Registration: How It Works and Who Can Use It

Pre-registration lets you put your store listing live before the app exists on the store. Users find the listing, register their interest, and get the app when it launches — automatically. For new developer accounts, it's also one of the features locked behind the closed testing milestone.

Who can use pre-registration

If your account predates the requirement, or belongs to an organization, pre-registration is available through the normal publishing flow — the same entry points apply to everyone.

How it works

1. 1

   Publish the listing before launch

   Your store listing goes live with a pre-register button instead of an install button. Users can't install yet — they register their interest.

1. 1

   Users register

   Anyone who lands on the listing can sign up to be notified. Registration is the conversion you're measuring.

1. 1

   Launch to production

   When the production release goes live, pre-registered users receive a notification to download the app, and where supported, the app is auto-installed on their device.

What pre-registration is for

• Launch-day installs: an audience that opted in converts faster than cold traffic
• Demand signal: registration counts tell you whether the idea resonates before you've shipped
• SEO runway: the listing indexes and ranks while the launch window is still open

Pre-registration vs open testing