Building and Releasing Expo Android Apps with EAS

A complete guide to setting up and managing Expo EAS builds for Android using the CLI. It covers initial project configuration, credential management, build types (APK vs AAB), submission to Google Play, and versioning best practices for future releases.

📦1 - Install & Authenticate

1
Install required CLIs
bash
```
npm install -g expo-cli eas-cli
```
2
Login to Expo / EAS
bash
```
npx expo login
# or
eas login
```
3
Verify session
bash
```
eas whoami
```

⚙️2 - Project Configuration

Run the EAS setup wizard once inside your Expo project root.

bash

eas build:configure

ℹ️

This creates eas.json for your build profiles (e.g. preview and production).

json

{
  "build": {
    "preview": {
      "distribution": "internal",
      "android": { "buildType": "apk" }
    },
    "production": {
      "distribution": "store",
      "android": { "buildType": "app-bundle" }
    }
  }
}

🧩3 - Check app.json / app.config.js

Ensure Android identifiers, versioning, and permissions are defined.

json

{
  "expo": {
    "name": "App Name",
    "slug": "app-slug",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "android": {
      "package": "com.appname.identifier",
      "versionCode": 1,
      "permissions": [
        "ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION",
        "ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION",
        "INTERNET"
      ],
      "adaptiveIcon": {
        "foregroundImage": "./assets/adaptive-icon.png",
        "backgroundColor": "#ffffff"
      }
    }
  }
}

⚠️

Increment android.versionCode for every Play Store submission.

🧱4 - Build Types & Commands

1
Internal testing build (APK)
bash
```
eas build -p android --profile preview
```

Play Store bundle (AAB)

bash

eas build -p android --profile production

3
List past builds
bash
```
eas build:list
```

🔑5 - Signing Credentials

When prompted, let Expo manage credentials automatically.

bash

eas credentials -p android

ℹ️

EAS stores keystores securely. You can export or back them up later if you decide to manage signing manually.

📱6 - Testing the APK

Manual install

bash

# copy to device and install
adb install -r yourapp.apk

2
Smoke-test checklist
- App launches without errors
- Registration & login flows work
- Network and API calls succeed
- Permissions prompt correctly
- Splash / icons display correctly

🚀7 - Submit to Google Play

After a successful AAB build, you can either upload manually via Play Console or submit directly from CLI.

bash

eas submit -p android --latest

Opt into Play App Signing (recommended)
Complete store listing & content rating
Add release notes for each locale (e.g. en-ZA)
Roll out to Internal Testing track first

🔄8 - Update Cycle & Versioning

Bump versions

json

"version": "1.0.1",
"android": { "versionCode": 2 }

Rebuild & submit

bash

eas build -p android --profile production
eas submit -p android --latest

3
Check builds
bash
```
eas build:list
```

ℹ️

For hotfixes to JS/UI only, consider using eas update to push over-the-air updates without rebuilding.

🧠9 - Common Gotchas

Android 9+ blocks HTTP (cleartext). Use HTTPS or add a network security config via expo-build-properties.
Android 13+ requires runtime permission for POST_NOTIFICATIONS.
Each Play Store update must increment versionCode.
Don't delete Expo-managed keystores unless you've exported a backup.

Filed under: React Native, Expo, EAS Builds, Android, Play Store, Deployment, Versioning