who_need_help/android/play-store/store-presence-runbook.md

# Google Play store presence runbook

This runbook records the exact local inputs and the observed Console gaps. It
does not authorize saving fields in Play Console or publishing a release.

## Observed Console state on 2026-08-13

- App type is **App**.
- App category was subsequently saved as **Social**.
- Tags are not selected.
- Store-listing contact email, phone, and website are empty.
- The default English listing has no saved short description, full
  description, app icon, feature graphic, or phone screenshots.
- The Dashboard initially showed 9 of 11 setup tasks complete. Category was
  saved afterward; public contact details and Store-listing completion still
  require a current Console recheck.
- Closed testing was still locked pending those setup tasks and reported zero
  opted-in testers.
- After this initial observation, the foreground-service declaration was saved
  with **User-initiated location sharing** and the unlisted demonstration URL
  `https://youtube.com/shorts/UZh_QBdlbBc`. Recheck the current Console state
  before any later release; this runbook does not treat a saved form as Google
  approval.

These are direct observations from the authenticated Play Console session on
that date. Recheck the Console before applying because its fields and policy
requirements can change.

## Prepared local inputs

- English listing: `android/play-store/store-listing-en-US.md`
- Ukrainian listing: `android/play-store/store-listing-uk-UA.md`
- Russian listing: `android/play-store/store-listing-ru-RU.md`
- Icon: `android/store-assets/icon-512.png`
- Feature graphic: `android/store-assets/feature-graphic-1024x500.png`
- Phone screenshots: `android/store-assets/screenshots/phone/`
- Screenshot alt text: `android/store-assets/README.md`

Run `./scripts/android-store-assets-validate.sh` immediately before upload.
The validator checks image dimensions/formats and listing-length constraints;
it does not prove Play policy approval or visual quality.

The validator passed again on 2026-08-10, and a fresh combined visual review
confirmed that the approved icon, feature graphic, and four phone screenshots
contain no visible email, private message, handover code, or real precise
location.

## Contact fields

- Public support email candidate: `contact@whoneedhelp.com`
- Website: `https://whoneedhelp.com/`
- Public phone: leave empty unless the operator deliberately chooses a number
  that can be published and monitored.

Do not save the email merely because it is used as an outbound sender. First
send a real inbound message to it, observe arrival in the monitored mailbox,
and verify that replies are handled. Google recommends keeping the public app
support address distinct from the developer-account sign-in address.

A repeated read-only public DNS check on 2026-08-13 returned no MX record for
either `whoneedhelp.com` or `contact.whoneedhelp.com`. Production is configured
to send through Brevo as `contact@whoneedhelp.com`, while internal support
alerts route to the operator's monitored mailbox. These are outbound and
internal-routing facts; neither proves inbound delivery to the public address.
The address remains a candidate, not a verified support inbox. Before Console
entry, either configure and test a monitored inbound mailbox/forwarder for that
address or deliberately use a different already monitored public support
address.

## Category and child-safety gate

The prepared listing suggests **Social**, which accurately describes the
community and participant features. Google Play's current Child Safety
Standards policy applies to every app that declares itself as Social, including
adult-only apps. Before saving that category or self-certifying:

1. Deploy and open the globally accessible `/child-safety` standards.
2. Verify the in-app and public report paths for child-safety content.
3. Select a monitored child-safety point of contact who can access the urgent
   restricted queue and act on reports.
4. Test inbound delivery to the selected contact.
5. Confirm the launch-jurisdiction escalation and authority-reporting process.
6. Record the evidence and only then complete Play's self-certification.

Do not choose a less accurate category merely to avoid a policy declaration.
Do not claim cross-jurisdiction legal compliance from the presence of a page,
queue, or automated test.

On 2026-08-10 a repeated public check observed HTTP `200` from
`https://whoneedhelp.com/child-safety` on production revision `dafcdb36`. The
frozen hackathon test was not changed and still returns `404`. This clears the
public-page deployment check only; it does not prove that the monitored
child-safety contact or jurisdiction-specific escalation process is ready.

## Suggested apply order after explicit permission

1. Recheck the current Console fields and policy warnings read-only.
2. Verify the production policy/support URLs and monitored email.
3. Host the verified foreground-location demonstration as an unlisted video,
   then complete and save the mandatory foreground-service declaration. Reopen
   **App content** and verify that the permission alert is cleared before
   changing Store Presence. Google documents that an unresolved permissions
   declaration for an active bundle can block publishing changes, including
   store-listing changes.
4. Save category, tags, contact email, and website.
5. Create the default English (United States) listing with prepared text,
   images, and alt text.
6. Add Ukrainian and Russian localizations from their prepared files.
7. Reopen the Dashboard and verify both setup tasks are marked complete.
8. Recheck App content; do not start Closed or Production rollout as part of
   store-presence setup.

Official references rechecked on 2026-08-10:

- https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9859454
- https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/14747720
- https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9878809
- https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9214102