Google Play Service Account Setup

At Ready Education we leverage tools like the Google Play Developer API to perform app-management tasks for the Android version of the Campus App. This is done through creating a Service Account. This article’s purpose is to provide an overview of the Google Play Service Account Setup, and list instructions for your Google Play Developer Administrator to follow. You’ll see hyperlinks embedded in this article that point to Google Documentation for additional information. Please review Create a Google Play Account as it is a pre-requisite for this.

Overview:

To start using the Google Play Developer API for the Service Account, the first step is to create a Google Cloud Project. Then, you’ll enable the Google Play Developer API for your Google Cloud Project. This is followed by creating the Service Account. Then granting ‘Service Token Creator’ permissions to Ready Education for that Service Account. And finally, granting the Service Account access in the Google Play Console. The Developer API configuration can only be managed by users of your Google Cloud Project with sufficient permissions, and Google Play Console access can only be managed by users of your Google Play Developer account with sufficient permissions

The following instructions explain how to set up the Service Account:

1. Create a Google Cloud Project

In order to access the Google Play Developer API, it is required use a Google Cloud Project.

1. Create a Google Cloud Project by going to https://console.cloud.google.com/

2. Click IAM & Admin

3. In the top Search Bar enter: ‘New Project’

4. Click Create a Project from the Search Results

5. For ‘Project Name’ enter “Ready Education Project”

6. For ‘Billing Account’, be sure to select an account you manage

7. For ‘Organization’ be sure to select the organization for the Developer Account, i.e. your institution

8. Click Create

Open

Updated Video Tutorial

2. Enable the Google Play Android Developer API

Once you have set up the Google Cloud Project, you need to enable the API for this project.

1. Go to the APIs & Services page in Google Cloud Console.
   Use the url: https://console.cloud.google.com/projectselector2/apis/api/androidpublisher.googleapis.com/overview?supportedpurview=project

2. For ‘Select a Recent Project’ - Click Ready Education Project

3. Click Enable

Open

Updated Video Tutorial

3. Creating a new Service Account

Create a Service Account to access the API by following these steps.

1. Go back to the top left of the page and click on the Navigation Menu

2. Go down & Click IAM & Admin

3. Click Service Accounts on the drop down menu

4. Click Create Service Account and follow the instructions on the page to create your service account

1. Service Account Details

• For ‘Service account name’, enter “ReadyEducationPublisher” 

• For ‘Service account description’, enter “Service account to grant Ready Education access to publish app updates.”

• Click Create and Continue

2. Grant this service account access to project (optional)

• For ‘Service account name’, enter “ReadyEducationPublisher” 

• For ‘Select a Role’, enter & select "Service Account User"

• Click Continue

• Skip 3. and Click Done

 Please note that clicking on 'X' instead of 'Done' may result in the unsuccessful creation of a Service Account.

For Google Cloud’s documentation, please see Create Service Accounts

3. Grant Access to Ready Education's Service Account

Now that the Service Account "ReadyEducationPublisher" is created, proceed with the step to grant access to Ready Education's Service Account. 

1. Click Service Accounts on the left hand menu

2. Double Click on the direct link for the newly created Service Account named "ReadyEducationPublisher" 

3. Navigate to the top of the page and Click the "PERMISSIONS" Tab

4. Navigate to the bottom of the page and Click “+GRANT ACCESS”

5. For Add Principles, copy and paste the value: “re-gplay-sa-token-creator@pc-api-6190680001848518307-76.iam.gserviceaccount.com”, then click Enter

6. For Assign Roles, enter & select "Service Account Token Creator" as the “Role”

7. Click Save

4. Share the Service Account Email with Ready Education

1. Please share us the newly created service account email address produced with Ready Education.
   This can be sent directly to the Implementation Consultant you are working with, and/or Integrations@readyeducation.com

For further help with this process please submit a request at Ready Education Help Center.