Publishing on Google Play
Play Store App Ownership Verification
Prove APK Ownership to Google Without a PC
AppMintAppwrightBoth builders - the steps below are the same in each.
1What Is Play Store App Ownership Verification?#
Google Play has a challenge-response system that lets you prove you are the legitimate owner of an APK without needing Android Studio or a PC.
When does this happen?
- A user or business partner asks you to prove the APK they have is yours
- Google Play or a distributor sends you a verification token
- You need to inject that token into the APK and re-sign it
The token is a small text file (adi-registration.properties) placed inside the APK's assets folder. Google then downloads and installs the APK to confirm the token matches their records.
In Appwright
2Open the Play Store Verification Tool#
The verification tool is built directly into Appwright:
- Open the generator
- Tap the ☰ menu (top-left)
- Tap '🛡️ Play Store Verification'
No PC, Android Studio, or command-line tools needed.
In AppMint
2Open the Play Store Verification Tool#
The verification tool is built directly into the WebToApk Generator app:
- Open the generator
- Tap the ☰ menu (top-left)
- Tap '🛡️ Play Store Verification'
No PC, Android Studio, or command-line tools needed.
In Appwright
3Step 1 - Pick Your APK File#
Tap 'Pick APK File' and select the generated APK you want to verify.
✅ This should be the same APK you submitted to (or generated for) Google Play.
⚠️ The APK must have been generated by this app so the signing key is available. APKs signed with external keys cannot be re-signed here.
APK file location after generation:
Downloads/<AppName>_v<version>_<timestamp>.apk
Example:
Downloads/MyShopApp_v1.0_20260831_142530.apkIn AppMint
3Step 1 - Pick Your APK File#
Tap 'Pick APK File' and select the generated APK you want to verify.
✅ This should be the same APK you submitted to (or generated for) Google Play.
⚠️ The APK must have been generated by this app so the signing key is available. APKs signed with external keys cannot be re-signed here.
APK file location after generation:
Downloads/WebToApk/<AppName>/
Example:
Downloads/WebToApk/MyShopApp/MyShopApp.apk4Step 2 - Paste Your Verification Token#
Google (or whoever requested verification) will send you a token string. It typically looks like a random alphanumeric code.
Paste it into the 'Verification Token' field exactly as received - do not add spaces or line breaks.
Example token format:
adi-registration.properties content:
token=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...
(Paste ONLY the token value, not the key name)In Appwright
5Step 3 - Generate & Sign Verified APK#
Tap 'Generate Verified APK'. The tool will:
- Read your original APK
- Remove any old META-INF verification files
- Inject assets/adi-registration.properties with your token
- Re-sign the APK with your app's original signing key
- Hand you the finished APK, ready to share (Step 4)
The entire process runs on-device in seconds.
The verified APK stays inside Appwright until you send it.
Step 4’s 'Share APK' hands it straight to email, Drive or chat —
it is never written to your Downloads folder.In AppMint
5Step 3 - Generate & Sign Verified APK#
Tap 'Generate Verified APK'. The tool will:
- Read your original APK
- Remove any old META-INF verification files
- Inject assets/adi-registration.properties with your token
- Re-sign the APK with your app's original signing key
- Save the verified APK to your Downloads folder
The entire process runs on-device in seconds.
Output file:
Downloads/WebToApk/Verified/<AppName>_verified.apk6Step 4 - Share the Verified APK#
After generation, tap 'Share APK' to send it directly to:
- Email (attach to your reply to Google)
- Google Drive / OneDrive
- WhatsApp / Telegram
- Any other sharing method
Send the verified APK back to whoever requested the verification. Google's system will automatically download it, extract the token, and complete the ownership check.
7What Gets Injected Into the APK?#
The tool injects a single properties file at the path required by Google:
File path inside APK:
assets/adi-registration.properties
File content:
<your token exactly as provided>8Signing Key Details#
The verified APK is re-signed using the same deterministic key that was used when the original APK was generated. The key is derived from your app's package name, so:
✅ The verified APK has the exact same signature as your submitted APK
✅ Google can confirm the signer matches their records
✅ No keystore file needed - the key is computed automatically
⚠️ Important: This only works for APKs generated by this app. It cannot re-sign APKs from other tools.
9Frequently Asked Questions#
Q: Will this break my app or change its behavior?
A: No. The only change is the addition of the properties file in assets. All other functionality stays identical.
Q: Do I need to update my Play Store listing?
A: No. The verified APK is used only for the ownership challenge, not submitted as a new release.
Q: Can I verify multiple APKs with different tokens?
A: Yes - run the tool once per APK/token combination.
Q: My token expired. What do I do?
A: Contact Google to request a new token, then repeat this process with the fresh token.