# Release Notes for Play Store

## Overview

This directory contains release notes (what's new) for different locales. These notes are displayed to users when they update your app. This structure is used by Fastlane for Play Store deployment.

## Directory Structure

Each locale has its own changelogs directory with a `default.txt` file:

```
fastlane/metadata/android/
├── en-US/
│   └── changelogs/
│       └── default.txt
├── de-DE/
│   └── changelogs/
│       └── default.txt
├── es-ES/
│   └── changelogs/
│       └── default.txt
├── fr-FR/
│   └── changelogs/
│       └── default.txt
└── ...
```

## File Format

- **Filename:** `default.txt`
- **Format:** Plain text (UTF-8 encoding)
- **Max length:** 500 characters
- **Line breaks:** Supported but count toward character limit

## Content Guidelines

### What to Include
- New features and improvements
- Bug fixes (if significant to users)
- Performance enhancements
- UI/UX changes
- Security updates (if user-facing)

### What NOT to Include
- Internal code changes
- Developer-only features
- "Bug fixes and improvements" (too vague)
- Marketing speak or promotional content
- Future features (only released features)

### Writing Style
- ✅ Use bullet points for clarity
- ✅ Start with most important changes
- ✅ Use active voice ("Added", "Fixed", "Improved")
- ✅ Be specific and concise
- ✅ Use user-friendly language
- ❌ Avoid technical jargon
- ❌ Don't use ALL CAPS
- ❌ Don't use excessive punctuation!!!

## Examples

### Good Example (186 characters)
```
- New: Dark mode support throughout the app
- Improved: 50% faster app startup time
- Fixed: Crash when uploading large photos
- Updated: Refreshed settings screen design
```

### Bad Example (Too vague)
```
- Bug fixes and performance improvements
- Various updates
- Made the app better
```

### Bad Example (Too technical)
```
- Refactored UserRepository to use Kotlin Flow
- Migrated from RxJava to Coroutines
- Updated Gradle dependencies to latest versions
```

## Supported Locales

Common Play Store locales:

| Locale | Language | Region |
|--------|----------|--------|
| en-US | English | United States |
| en-GB | English | United Kingdom |
| de-DE | German | Germany |
| es-ES | Spanish | Spain |
| fr-FR | French | France |
| it-IT | Italian | Italy |
| ja-JP | Japanese | Japan |
| ko-KR | Korean | South Korea |
| pt-BR | Portuguese | Brazil |
| ru-RU | Russian | Russia |
| zh-CN | Chinese | Simplified |
| zh-TW | Chinese | Traditional |
| ar | Arabic | - |
| hi-IN | Hindi | India |
| id | Indonesian | - |

For complete list, see: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/9844778

## Updating Release Notes

### For Each Release

1. Create release notes in primary language (usually en-US)
2. Keep under 500 characters
3. Translate for other supported locales
4. Test that notes display correctly in Play Console
5. Commit changes before building release

### Translation Tips

- Use professional translation service for accuracy
- Native speakers review for cultural appropriateness
- Keep formatting consistent across locales
- Test character limits in each language (some translate longer)

### Automation

Release notes are automatically included by Fastlane during deployment:

```ruby
# In fastlane/Fastfile
lane :deploy_internal do
  # Fastlane automatically looks for changelogs in fastlane/metadata/android/{locale}/changelogs/
  upload_to_play_store(
    track: "internal",
    aab: "app/build/outputs/bundle/release/app-release.aab"
  )
end
```

Deployment command:
```bash
bundle exec fastlane deploy_internal
```

Fastlane automatically includes release notes from `fastlane/metadata/android/{locale}/changelogs/default.txt` when deploying.

## Character Count Checker

To check character count:

```bash
# Count characters in en-US release notes
wc -m fastlane/metadata/android/en-US/changelogs/default.txt
```

Or use online tool: https://www.charactercountonline.com/

## Testing

Before deploying, verify:

1. File exists for each supported locale
2. Files are plain text (UTF-8)
3. Character count < 500 for each file
4. Content is user-friendly and clear
5. No typos or grammatical errors

## Troubleshooting

**"Release notes not showing in Play Console"**
- Check file name is exactly `default.txt`
- Verify UTF-8 encoding
- Ensure file is not empty
- Check locale code matches Play Console format
- Verify file is in correct location: `fastlane/metadata/android/{locale}/changelogs/default.txt`

**"Character limit exceeded"**
- Remove unnecessary words
- Use abbreviations carefully
- Split across multiple short bullets
- Remove marketing fluff

**"Notes show differently on device"**
- Play Store may truncate if too long
- Test on actual device
- Keep most important info at the top

## Version-Specific Notes

Fastlane uses the release notes from `fastlane/metadata/android/{locale}/changelogs/` for each deployment. Simply update the `default.txt` files before building and deploying a new version.

For tracking historical release notes, consider maintaining them in a separate `CHANGELOG.md` file or using git tags.

## References

- [Release Notes Guidelines](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/7159011)
- [Localization Best Practices](https://developer.android.com/distribute/best-practices/launch/localization-checklist)
- [Play Console Help](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer)