Create Your First App – Step-by-Step Guide

This guide walks through creating your first app from start to finish. It assumes you have a working, mobile-responsive website and want a signed Android app ready for Google Play.

Before You Start

Confirm these before spending any credits:

• Mobile-responsive website: Open your site in Chrome on a phone (or use Chrome DevTools device mode). If layout looks broken, fix it before building the app: the app will look the same.
• Website loads via HTTPS: Android WebView requires HTTPS for most features. HTTP-only sites will show security warnings or fail to load in the app.
• App icon ready: A 1024×1024 PNG with no transparency. If you don't have one, create it in Canva or any graphic design tool before configuring the app.

Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Go to webtoappconvert.com/auth/sign-up
2. Register with your email and password
3. Verify your email address

Free accounts receive 20 credits on signup: enough for two Debug builds. Starter and Professional builds require a credit purchase.

Step 2: Create a New App

1. From your dashboard, click New App
2. Enter your App Name: this is what users will see on their home screen and in the Play Store
3. Enter your Package Name: a unique identifier in reverse domain format (e.g., com.yourdomain.app). This cannot be changed after your first release build. Choose deliberately.
4. Enter your Website URL: the full URL that the app will load on startup (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com)

Step 3: Upload Your App Icon

Upload a 1024×1024 PNG file. The build server will automatically generate all required icon sizes for Android density buckets. Avoid icons with very thin lines or small text: these become unreadable at small sizes (36×36 pixels on mdpi screens).

For adaptive icons, the icon you upload is used as both the foreground and background layer. If you need a custom adaptive icon (separate foreground and background), contact support.

Step 4: Configure App Settings

The settings section controls how the WebView behaves:

• JavaScript: Should always be enabled unless your site is purely static HTML
• Zoom: Disable this for most apps: mobile-responsive sites handle their own zoom behavior
• Cache: Enable for better performance on return visits
• Open external links: If enabled, links to other domains open in Chrome rather than inside the app. If disabled, all navigation stays in the WebView.
• Allowed domains: If open external links is disabled, specify which external domains should still open in-app (e.g., your payment processor)

Step 5: Set Permissions

Only request permissions your app actually needs. Android will prompt users to grant permissions at runtime: unnecessary permissions reduce trust and can cause Play Store rejection.

• Camera: Enable if your site has photo upload features (profile photos, receipts, etc.)
• Location: Enable if your site uses geolocation (store locators, delivery radius, maps)
• Storage / Files: Enable if users upload or download files
• Microphone: Enable only if your site has audio recording functionality

Step 6: Splash Screen and Intro Screens (Optional)

The splash screen shows while the app loads. Upload a background color or image and a centered logo.

Intro screens are shown once on first launch. They're useful for onboarding new users to your app's key features. You can add 1–4 screens with a title, description, and illustration.

Step 7: Configure Signing

For your first build:

• Select Automatic if you want us to manage the signing key. Simplest option for first-time builders.
• Select Generate new key if you want to own and store a copy of the signing key. Recommended for production apps.
• Select Upload own keystore if you already have a .jks file from a previous Android project.

For detailed guidance on signing options, see What is App Signing & Why It Matters.

Step 8: Run a Debug Build

Before spending credits on a production build:

1. Select Debug as your build tier and click Build
2. Wait for the build to complete (2–5 minutes)
3. Download the .apk file
4. Install it on your Android device: transfer the file via USB or email it to yourself, then tap to install (you may need to enable "Install unknown apps" in your phone's settings)
5. Test thoroughly: navigation, forms, login, checkout, file operations

Step 9: Run a Production Build

Once the debug build passes testing:

1. Select Starter (50 credits) or Professional (100 credits) as your build tier
2. Click Build
3. Download the .aab file when the build completes

The AAB is what you upload to Google Play Console. See Signed AAB: Uploading to Google Play Console for the full submission walkthrough.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

White screen on app launch: Your website URL is incorrect or the site doesn't load over HTTPS. Check the URL and test it in a mobile browser.

Forms don't work: Ensure JavaScript is enabled in app settings. Also check that form submission doesn't redirect to an external domain that's blocked by your navigation settings.

Camera picker doesn't appear: Camera permission must be enabled in app settings. If you added it after a debug build, rebuild with the permission enabled.

Download link opens browser instead of downloading: File download support requires the storage permission and the Professional build tier.