Is is ok to upload new app bundles while waiting for the review?

Question

I'm working on a group project and we are trying to upload our flutter app to the Google Play Console. The other day, I finished all the processes for submitting the app and now we are waiting for the app approved. However, the app we submitted as the app bundle before doesn't have much functionality. But, one of our MVP was uploading to Google Play, so we just submitted the app having a simple frontend with no functionality to the "internal test", because I thought our app doesn't have enough functionality to release as a closed or open test.

My first question is if it says "pending publication", does it mean they are in the reviewing process and I should just wait for a few days? Another question is is it ok to update our app bundle while they are reviewing our app (since the current app bundle doesn't have much functionality)? And when is the better time to update app bundle next and and how to update? Is it just hit remove in the picture below and drop a new file??

Solution

"Pending publication" indeed means that your app is under review. These days, it can take as much as a week to have it reviewed.

You can indeed choose to create another release even while the first one is under review and upload a new App Bundle. In this case, the first release will be aborted in favour of the new one (assuming the two releases are in the same track). As someone pointed out, it is possible that it resets the waiting time for the review.

Regarding your screenshot, the fact that you can see a "Remove" button means that you probably already have created a new release (since existing published release are immutable). Maybe you created a new release in a different track?

Clicking "Remove" and uploading another version of the App Bundle should do it.

Comments

[EdwynZN]

It should be ok, the only thing is that review process will reset and you have to wait for them to review the new app bundle

[Aamil Silawat]

Your app is still in under progress so wait for publishing your app and Best of luck

[Bhikkhu Subhuti]

yup.. works.. while it may reset the sub date.. i'm better off with the initial release this way rather than waiting the whole lot 2x..