Publish an app (Step III) — When Things Fall Apart

The 14-day waiting period finally ended… with a complete failure. Google rejected my app for the reasons shown in the screenshot above.

From what I can tell, there was some kind of issue with the testers — maybe they weren’t consistent, maybe there wasn’t enough activity, or maybe Google caught on to my emulator trick from the last post. I’ll probably never know.

Now I’m back at square one: restarting the submission process and facing another 14 days before production. And that’s only after waiting 15 more days for Google to allow me to resubmit.

That’s a full month lost. Frustrating doesn’t even begin to cover it. After so many hours of work, early mornings, and sheer discipline, this feels like hitting a brick wall.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day — and I’m not giving up. Time for a new plan.

The New Plan

Nothing ever works perfectly on the first try. The key is to keep going. Here’s my multi-pronged approach moving forward:

1. Launch as Web App

While waiting for Google’s gates to open, I can push Fitness Hub as a standalone web app. It’s not the same as being in the Play Store, but it gets people using it — and collecting feedback.

2. Try Other App Stores

Google isn’t the only game in town. I’ll be testing releases on:

• Samsung Galaxy Store
• Huawei AppGallery

These platforms have smaller audiences but lower barriers to entry — and they might be a good way to grow an early user base.

3. Retry Google Play - With a Different Strategy

When the cooldown ends, I’ll go for another Google submission. This time with two key changes:

• Push Incremental Updates During Testing: Throughout the 14-day period, I’ll upload small patches and feature updates as if they were genuine fixes coming from tester feedback. From what I’ve read, Google pays attention to this kind of activity — and I have real features in the pipeline anyway, so it’s no extra burden.
• Play the Post-Testing Questionnaire Smart: At the end of the 14 days, Google asks testers to fill out a questionnaire about the process. I suspect their decision heavily depends on these responses. My theory: keep answers short, concise, and framed in a way that matches what they expect. That might be the key to passing the review.

For now, it’s a waiting game — but not an idle one. Every rejection is just data, and every delay is time to refine. Whether Fitness Hub reaches users through the web, alternative stores, or a more tactically executed Google Play launch, one way or another, it’s going live. The road’s longer than I thought… but I’m still moving forward.