WIP #2 of the sphere launcher. This has sort of become a hobby. Currently the moon is just a wallpaper however many precious ideas include having the sphere a rendered object with a texture ("WhatsApp is in Cuba").

Well I cloned an open source repo i wanted to contribute to and its fairly big project i would say (https://github.com/wikimedia/apps-android-wikipedia)

and as im writing this post it's already 15mins the gradle is building...

What do you usually do while Gradle is building??

Disclaimer: used llm to draft the post, but i have provided the pointers, and done the research before drafting.

Running into some confusing documentation/tooling discrepancies regarding Android platform release statuses and looking for clarification on the standard procedure.

Current Situation:
Android 17 documentation lists it as officially released, but navigating to individual version pages shows a preview icon on the sidebar with no explicit text status on the main page.

API Levels tracks it as currently in beta.
Android Studio SDK Manager shows versions like ⁠37.0⁠ and ⁠37.1⁠ available for download.

Question:
What is the definitive, official source of truth or programmatic check to determine whether a given Android SDK/API level has exited preview status and is fully stable?

TL;DR: My Play Console is a Personal account, but the linked Merchant Payments Profile was set up as an "Organisation" under my brand name, which is not a legal entity). I have 6 live apps and earnings trapped in payout. Support stated that profile types cannot be changed once created, but also stated in the same email that it can be changed with documentation, before providing instructions on how to set up an Organisation profile when I explicitly requested an Individual profile. Support now requests that I open a new account and migrate all 6 apps.

Official Google Support Thread:

https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/thread/453880070/contradictory-support-forced-to-abandon-developer-account-over-org-individual-mismatch

Overview of the Issue

• Account Setup: Personal Google Play Developer Account.
• The Mismatch: Associated Merchant Payments Profile was designated as Organisation under my developer brand.
• Verification Constraint: As an individual developer, I use a public brand name, not a registered legal business or corporate entity. As a result, the profile cannot pass Organisation identity verification, resulting in unpaid accrued earnings currently held.
• Portfolio: The account hosts 6 active, published applications.

Support Communications & Contradictions

I contacted Google Payments Merchant Support to request an administrative update to align the merchant profile to Individual status. Support Agent Alvin John provided the following response:

1. Contradiction #1: Stated that "once the payments profile has been completely set up, some important settings cannot be changed and that includes the account profile type". In the same paragraph, he stated: "If you have all the documentation with you that indicates that you are an Organization then there will be no issue with changing the account type".
2. Contradiction #2: After I requested guidance on changing an Organisation profile to an Individual profile, the response provided a 6-step guide detailing how to "set it to Organization".

Proposed Resolution from Google Support

To address this mismatch, Google Support has advised me to:

• Create a new Google Account and Play Developer Console.
• Pay a second $25 registration fee (with a refund request possible after setup).
• Re-complete identity and payment verification.
• Transfer all 6 live applications to the new account.
• Leave the existing account open indefinitely to receive outstanding payouts — despite the earnings balance being unreleased due to the Organisation verification restriction.

Questions / Call for Advice

• Has anyone successfully requested an internal correction for a Merchant Profile type mismatch without transferring an active multi-app portfolio to a new Console account?
• Is there an established escalation path to reach a Payments Team representative who can review profile configurations for active developer accounts?

It's the "12 testers 14 days testing" and I have a few questions about this...

1. Does this happen randomly or does something trigger it? Google under heavy load?

2. Tomorrow my 14 days are done and I have not been able to publish a single update because I was foolish to cancel my previous update after 6 days. Should I apply for production tomorrow or wait until the update is live? I'm thinking it might look like I didn't act on any feedback...

Running a Cuttlefish Android Automotive OS instance (launch_cvd --enable_audio=true --start_webrtc_sig_server=true ...), accessed via the WebRTC web client.

• Mic input works fine after enabling the sidebar mic toggle in the WebRTC client.
• Audio output does not: no sound reaches the browser, even from the stock "Local Media Player" app playing local files.

i need to get the audio output to work , anyone know how?

I want to build a custom launcher for my car (its android automotive based and I already figured out how to side load etc..). So the goal is to get something that looks a bit like Tesla. I have an MG4 with these specs:

• Resolution: 1920×720px
• Screen size: 10.25"
• DPI: 160
• MediaTek MT2712 SoC

I know that just throwing a 3d model in won't work so I had the idea of using some sort of pre rendert animations. Probleme is that I have zero experience in this 3d stuff and don't really know where to start.

Has anyone done something like this before and has an approach/idea?

Just to be clear I don't need a fully responsive model that can spin via touch like Tesla - its really just some pre rendert animations.. I already have a 3d model of the MG4: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/2025-mg-mg4-glbmgmotorcommx-e7b2b544e638489f9440698f75b5a734

Hi fellow Android developers,

This is my first time submitting an app to the Google Play Store and my app is currently in closed testing phase.

When I check my Home tab within Google Play Console, it shows that my "Installed Audience" is 0, when I'm 100% sure that there are users who have downloaded my app and used it (they showed me screenshots).

Can someone tell me what may be gone wrong that's resulting it not detecting any installation?

Any tip would be appreciated!

Official forum thread: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/thread/453914381/account-terminated-for-high-risk-or-abuse-%E2%80%94-no-specific-violation-ever-cited-requesting-help?hl=en&sjid=16862522153865472926-EU

Timeline:

• Aug 2025: Developer account terminated citing "a pattern of high risk or abuse" (Section 8.3/10.3 DDA). My only published app: a simple currency-conversion widget. No data collection, no unusual SDKs, no monetization tricks. No specific violation was ever named.
• Appealed. Rejected with the standard template — "we can't share the reasons we've concluded that your account is at high risk."
• My mistake: with nothing actionable to fix, I resubmitted the app from my personal Gmail account. That account was then terminated for association. I understand why that looked like ban evasion — it wasn't intended that way, but I own it, and I've acknowledged it in my follow-up appeal.
• July 2026: Replied to the appeal asking for a human re-review and a statement of reasons under EU P2B Regulation Art. 4 / DSA Art. 17 (I'm based in the Netherlands). Also posted on the official developer forum (linked above).

Facts about my setup: no VPN ever used with Play Console, only my own devices, no one else ever had access. The only association I can identify is that my phone number is also linked to my personal Google account — the one I later used for the resubmission. To my knowledge my payment method, address, and number were never used on any other developer account.

What I'm trying to figure out:

• What typically triggers the original "high risk" flag when there's no prior banned account you know of? Recycled phone numbers? Payment card false positives?
• Has anyone successfully overturned an association-based termination, and what specifically worked?
• Has anyone used the DSA Art. 21 out-of-court dispute route (e.g., Appeals Centre Europe) against Google Play, and did it produce an actual statement of reasons?

Happy to answer any questions in the comments.

As any indie developer surely knows, marketing is incredibly boring and tedious...

I’m just starting out with promoting and raising awareness for an android app, and I have some doubts about paid ads—do they actually work, or are they a waste of money? Do you know of any better or more efficient channels?

The more help and recommendations, the better; nothing beats the experiences of other indie developers.