Author: TBRadmin

Introduction

RevenueCat provides a variety to get your backend integrated with subscription services. One of the possible solutions is the RevenueCat Firebase integration. This integration allows you to receive customer information and subscription events right on your Firebase backend.

Benefits

Which benefits can you get from integrating RevenueCat to Firestore? The RevenueCat Firebase integration makes it possible to track subscriptions status and execute your custom logic on your backend side.

With RevenueCat Firebase extension you can:
1. Receive the latest customer information
2. Handle subscription events, such as trials, renewals, expirations, etc.
3. Integrate and manage user access with Custom Claims
4. Execute your custom logic for each subscription event

How it works

RevenueCat can be integrated with Firebase by using the RevenueCat extension. During plugin installation you can setup 4 features:
1. Collection where to store subscription events
2. Collection where to store customers info
3. Enable or disable Custom Claims and entitlements integration
4. Enable subscription event triggers

Installation

To install this extension you need to have both a Firebase and a RevenueCat project. You can install the extension using the Firebase Console or with CLI. The provided screenshots are from the Firebase Console installation.

Events

To enable subscriptions events storage, enter the collection name where they will be stored.

When the subscription status is changed, RevenueCat sends an event corresponding to this change. There are 12 possible events:
1. Initial purchase
2. Non renewing purchase
3. Renewal
4. Product change
5. Cancellation
6. Uncancellation
7. Billing issue
8. Subscription paused
9. Transfer
10. Expiration
11. Test
12. Subscription alias (deprecated)

Each subscription event will be stored in a separate document in the specified collection. You can implement your custom logic by listening to document changes in this collection or make it more straightforward with event handlers. 

Below are JSON samples for some of the listed events.

{
 "aliases": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "app_id": "appf742acb32c",
 "app_user_id": "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
 "commission_percentage": 0.125,
 "country_code": "UA",
 "currency": "UAH",
 "entitlement_id": null,
 "entitlement_ids": [
   "standard"
 ],
 "environment": "SANDBOX",
 "event_timestamp_ms": 1665576707874,
 "expiration_at_ms": 1665577119081,
 "id": "6E988AC0-47AF-579D-D581-18EC79B70391",
 "is_family_share": false,
 "offer_code": null,
 "original_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "original_transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "period_type": "NORMAL",
 "presented_offering_id": null,
 "price": 14.603,
 "price_in_purchased_currency": 539.99,
 "product_id": "tbrgroup.standard.monthly",
 "purchased_at_ms": 1665576703083,
 "store": "PLAY_STORE",
 "subscriber_attributes": {
   "$androidId": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566380081,
     "value": "e3985a6f8ffcb769"
   },
   "$email": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566426724,
     "value": "tbremail@gmail.com"
   }
 },
 "takehome_percentage": 0.85,
 "tax_percentage": 0.1667,
 "transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "type": "INITIAL_PURCHASE"
}

{
 "aliases": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "app_id": "appf742acb32c",
 "app_user_id": "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
 "commission_percentage": 0.125,
 "country_code": "UA",
 "currency": "UAH",
 "entitlement_id": null,
 "entitlement_ids": [
   "standard"
 ],
 "environment": "SANDBOX",
 "event_timestamp_ms": 1665582112844,
 "expiration_at_ms": 1665582465551,
 "id": "2A24218E-4BDF-DAE8-A862-D55290246734",
 "is_family_share": false,
 "is_trial_conversion": false,
 "offer_code": null,
 "original_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "original_transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "period_type": "NORMAL",
 "presented_offering_id": null,
 "price": 14.603,
 "price_in_purchased_currency": 539.99,
 "product_id": "tbrgroup.standard.monthly",
 "purchased_at_ms": 1665580665551,
 "store": "PLAY_STORE",
 "subscriber_attributes": {
   "$androidId": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566380081,
     "value": "e3985a6f8ffcb769"
   },
   "$email": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566426724,
     "value": "tbremail@gmail.com"
   }
 },
 "takehome_percentage": 0.85,
 "tax_percentage": 0.1667,
 "transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610..5",
 "type": "RENEWAL"
}

{
 "aliases": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "app_id": "appf742acb32c",
 "app_user_id": "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
 "commission_percentage": 0.125,
 "country_code": "UA",
 "currency": "UAH",
 "entitlement_id": null,
 "entitlement_ids": [
   "standard"
 ],
 "environment": "SANDBOX",
 "event_timestamp_ms": 1665580130780,
 "expiration_at_ms": 1665580128528,
 "id": "13FEF71E-4B31-B0CB-B926-41837C86EB6E",
 "is_family_share": false,
 "new_product_id": "tbrgroup.standard.yearly",
 "offer_code": null,
 "original_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "original_transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "period_type": "NORMAL",
 "presented_offering_id": null,
 "price": 0,
 "price_in_purchased_currency": 0,
 "product_id": "tbrgroup.standard.monthly",
 "purchased_at_ms": 1665578844936,
 "store": "PLAY_STORE",
 "subscriber_attributes": {
   "$androidId": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566380081,
     "value": "e3985a6f8ffcb769"
   },
   "$email": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566426724,
     "value": "tbremail@gmail.com"
   }
 },
 "takehome_percentage": 0.85,
 "tax_percentage": 0.1667,
 "transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "type": "PRODUCT_CHANGE"
}

{
 "aliases": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "app_id": "appf742acb32c",
 "app_user_id": "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
 "cancel_reason": "UNSUBSCRIBE",
 "commission_percentage": 0.125,
 "country_code": null,
 "currency": "UAH",
 "entitlement_id": null,
 "entitlement_ids": [
   "standard"
 ],
 "environment": "SANDBOX",
 "event_timestamp_ms": 1665577372363,
 "expiration_at_ms": 1665576999458,
 "id": "80E855E8-4411-1D44-BBCD-BA4CEDB1C5A4",
 "is_family_share": false,
 "offer_code": null,
 "original_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "original_transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "period_type": "NORMAL",
 "presented_offering_id": null,
 "price": 0,
 "price_in_purchased_currency": 0,
 "product_id": "tbrgroup.standard.monthly",
 "purchased_at_ms": 1665576703083,
 "store": "PLAY_STORE",
 "subscriber_attributes": {
   "$androidId": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566380081,
     "value": "e3985a6f8ffcb769"
   },
   "$email": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566426724,
     "value": "tbremail@gmail.com"
   }
 },
 "takehome_percentage": 0.85,
 "tax_percentage": 0.1667,
 "transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "type": "CANCELLATION"
}

{
 "aliases": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "app_id": "appf742acb32c",
 "app_user_id": "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
 "commission_percentage": 0.15,
 "country_code": "US",
 "currency": "USD",
 "entitlement_id": null,
 "entitlement_ids": [
   "standard"
 ],
 "environment": "PRODUCTION",
 "event_timestamp_ms": 1686318917336,
 "expiration_at_ms": 1686405315296,
 "grace_period_expiration_at_ms": 1687528258057,
 "id": "OB1FFF21-42AF-1A20-BC2F-6B72C0FC68FD",
 "is_family_share": false,
 "offer_code": null,
 "original_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "original_transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "period_type": "TRIAL",
 "presented_offering_id": null,
 "price": 0,
 "price_in_purchased_currency": 0,
 "product_id": "tbrgroup.standard.yearly",
 "purchased_at_ms": 1686318658057,
 "store": "PLAY_STORE",
 "subscriber_attributes": {
   "$androidId": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566380081,
     "value": "e3985a6f8ffcb769"
   },
   "$email": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566426724,
     "value": "tbremail@gmail.com"
   }
 },
 "takehome_percentage": 0.85,
 "tax_percentage": 0,
 "transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610..0",
 "type": "BILLING_ISSUE"
}

{
 "aliases": [
   "$RCAnonymousID:48d54d20ad4bfa29e256b4680d3b737f",
   "jxIE6mAjcSD3PBu6ZefO7WOHq98T"
 ],
 "app_id": "appf742acb32c",
 "app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:48d54d20ad4bfa29e256b4680d3b737f",
 "event_timestamp_ms": 1665660047298,
 "id": "C196E7BC-4AFA-C4C2-ACB5-00B3D6951BED",
 "origin_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "store": "PLAY_STORE",
 "transferred_from": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "transferred_to": [
   "$RCAnonymousID:48d54d20ad4bfa29e256b4680d3b737f",
   "jxIE6mAjcSD3PBu6ZefO7WOHq98T"
 ],
 "type": "TRANSFER"
}

{
 "aliases": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "app_id": "appf742acb32c",
 "app_user_id": "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
 "commission_percentage": 0.125,
 "country_code": "UA",
 "currency": "UAH",
 "entitlement_id": null,
 "entitlement_ids": [
   "standard"
 ],
 "environment": "SANDBOX",
 "event_timestamp_ms": 1665577372364,
 "expiration_at_ms": 1665576999458,
 "expiration_reason": "UNSUBSCRIBE",
 "id": "568A38AA-4036-A6DB-4FA2-5ECBCD8C9958",
 "is_family_share": false,
 "offer_code": null,
 "original_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "original_transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "period_type": "NORMAL",
 "presented_offering_id": null,
 "price": 0,
 "price_in_purchased_currency": 0,
 "product_id": "tbrgroup.standard.monthly",
 "purchased_at_ms": 1665576703083,
 "store": "PLAY_STORE",
 "subscriber_attributes": {
   "$androidId": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566380081,
     "value": "e3985a6f8ffcb769"
   },
   "$email": {
     "updated_at_ms": 1665566426724,
     "value": "tbremail@gmail.com"
   }
 },
 "takehome_percentage": 0.85,
 "tax_percentage": 0.1667,
 "transaction_id": "GPA.7988-3317-7927-18610",
 "type": "EXPIRATION"
}

Note that RevenueCat doesn’t send some special events for trial cancellation, trial conversion or for some other events which you can expect to see. But it sends all needed information in the base events, so you can detect special events and implement your custom logic according to them.

For example event RENEWAL contains key is_trial_conversion with boolean value, which you can use to define whether this renewal event was a trial conversion or just a regular renewal.

Customers

To enable customers info storage enter the collection name where you want to store them.

When the customer information is changed, the RevenueCat extension updates this information in the customer document. Each customer is stored in a separate document. The customer identifier represents the document identifier.

Unlike subscription events the customer info is always stored in the single document. Each time customer info is updated the customer info document will be completely overwritten. So the customer info document represents the current state of the customer.

The customer document contains information about purchased user entitlements, subscriptions and products. Below you can see the JSON sample of the customer info.

{
 "aliases": [
   "FK0CyI0zSJmBG53YjHt8gYGhTMP0",
   "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9"
 ],
 "entitlements": {
   "standard": {
     "expires_date": "2022-10-12T13:19:20Z",
     "grace_period_expires_date": null,
     "product_identifier": "tbrgroup.standard.yearly",
     "purchase_date": "2022-10-12T12:47:24Z"
   }
 },
 "first_seen": "2022-10-12T09:19:39Z",
 "last_seen": "2022-10-12T09:20:26Z",
 "management_url": "https://play.google.com/store/account/subscriptions",
 "non_subscriptions": {},
 "original_app_user_id": "$RCAnonymousID:382e60cb78ce1a2bd91c86af3b6294b9",
 "original_application_version": null,
 "original_purchase_date": null,
 "other_purchases": {},
 "subscriptions": {
   "tbrgroup.standard.monthly": {
     "billing_issues_detected_at": null,
     "expires_date": "2022-10-12T12:16:39Z",
     "grace_period_expires_date": null,
     "is_sandbox": true,
     "original_purchase_date": "2022-10-12T12:11:43Z",
     "period_type": "normal",
     "purchase_date": "2022-10-12T12:11:43Z",
     "store": "play_store",
     "unsubscribe_detected_at": "2022-10-12T12:22:52Z"
   },
   "tbrgroup.standard.yearly": {
     "billing_issues_detected_at": null,
     "expires_date": "2022-10-12T13:19:20Z",
     "grace_period_expires_date": null,
     "is_sandbox": true,
     "original_purchase_date": "2022-10-12T12:47:24Z",
     "period_type": "normal",
     "purchase_date": "2022-10-12T12:47:24Z",
     "store": "play_store",
     "unsubscribe_detected_at": null

   }
 }
}

Event Handlers

With the RevenueCat extension you can configure your subscription event custom handlers. You can define a separate cloud function for each event. The difference from events collection is that event handlers do not store any data in your Firestore by default. And you can define what information from the event you need to store and which logic is needed to be executed.

Select the channel location to enable event handlers. The channel location will be used as a location to publish your event handler cloud functions.

Then select the events which you want to enable from the dropdown menu. Only selected events will be enabled to receive callbacks from the RevenueCat extension.

These events are the same as listed events in the Events chapter of this article.

After the events are enabled you can deploy the cloud functions for these events. In the extension documentation you can see this code sample which shows how to create event handlers.

Note: The entire code presented is written in TypeScript.

import { onCustomEventPublished } from "firebase-functions/v2/eventarc";

export const eventhandler = onCustomEventPublished(
 {
   eventType: "com.revenuecat.v1.initial_purchase",
   channel: "projects/${projectId}/locations/europe-west4/channels/firebase",
   region: "europe-west4",
 },
 (e) => {
   // Handle extension event here.
 }
);

You can see that the event callback consists of 5 parts:
1. The name of the cloud function eventhandler.
2. The event type com.revenuecat.v1.initial_purchase. The com.revenuecat.v1 part is always the same. You need to change only the last part of the event for different event handlers. The last part represents the name of the event like initial_purchase.
3. The channel projects/${projectId}/locations/europe-west4/channels/firebase. It depends on your project id and the channel location which you selected during extension setup. It is the same for all event handlers.
4. The region europe-west4 which you selected during an extension setup.
5. The handler function.

Let’s improve the code above so that it can be used for many event handlers with less effort.

Create a revCatEventarcOpts function which accepts the event name and returns EventarcTriggerOptions value.

import { EventarcTriggerOptions } from "firebase-functions/v2/eventarc";

export const revCatEventarcOpts = (
 eventName: string

): EventarcTriggerOptions => {
 return {
   eventType: `com.revenuecat.v1.${eventName}`,
   channel: `projects/${projectId}/locations/europe-west4/channels/firebase`,
   region: "europe-west4",
 };
};

Where projectId is the variable taken from the environment.

export const projectId = process.env.GCP_PROJECT || process.env.GCLOUD_PROJECT

Use revCatEventarcOpts function to declare your event handlers and put them together into one object.

export const purchases = {
 initial: onCustomEventPublished(
   revCatEventarcOpts("initial_purchase"),
   (e) => {
     // Handle initial_purchase event here.
   }
 ),
 renewal: onCustomEventPublished(
   revCatEventarcOpts("renewal"),
   (e) => {
     // Handle renewal event here.
   }
 ),
 expiration: onCustomEventPublished(
   revCatEventarcOpts("expiration"),
   (e) => {
     // Handle expiration event here.
   }
 ),
};

Now you can deploy all the event handlers functions using a single command.

$ firebase deploy –only functions:purchases

Or deploy a specific cloud function using the purchases-${event_name} naming. For example, deploy a renewal function.

$ firebase deploy –only functions:purchases-renewal

Next let’s see how to get data from the events. Call e.data to get the event payload. Then it will be helpful to use the JSON samples of delivered events. To access the event data you need to use the same naming and the object structure as in the event documents. The RevenueCat extension uses snake_case in their payloads. Below you can see the example of getting fields from renewal event payload.

export const purchases = {
 renewal: onCustomEventPublished(
   revCatEventarcOpts("renewal"),
   (e) => {
     const payload = e.data;

     const appUserId = payload.app_user_id;
     const entitlementIds = payload.entitlement_ids;
     const expirationAtMs = payload.expiration_at_ms;
     const periodType = payload.period_type;
     const isTrialConversion = payload.is_trial_conversion;
   }
 ),
};

Possible issues

During using this integration you may face some common issues. These issues may affect your testing rather than the production work, but it is necessary that you know about them.

The first issue is that RevenueCat doesn’t send the subscription updates immediately to the Firestore. Sometimes you can see a few minutes delay. This is the reason why the subscription can look like it has expired even if it was renewed, but this information hasn’t been updated in the Firestore yet.

The second issue is connected with the fact that sometimes RevenueCat sends subscription events in the wrong order. During subscription testing the trial and subscription periods are much shorter than in the production. So during testing you can receive many events within a few minutes which may cause them to be received in the wrong order.

Conclusion

Once everything has been set up, Firebase starts receiving subscriptions information from RevenueCat. This information is stored in the specified collection and it triggers the selected events.

IHave you ever wondered how much artificial intelligence (AI) has already entered our lives? Nowadays, many popular applications that we use every day rely on AI.  Here are some notable examples:  

• Personal assistants on your smartphone, such as Google Assistant and Siri.
• Music-listening apps like Spotify or Apple Music
• Streaming services like Netflix
• Social networks, from Facebook to YouTube
• Online shopping platforms like Amazon and eBay

As you can see, many large corporations use AI and ML in their applications. 
AI may seem like something straight out of science fiction. Can startups and developers without specialized expertise harness their potential?
Of course, they can (and even should!). To make good use of AI, it is necessary to understand its essence.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) allows computers to simulate human thinking and perform tasks that humans often perform. 
Machine learning (ML) is how computers learn and improve on tasks.
Both of these technologies can be very useful for your business. They can help automate tasks, analyze data, and make informed decisions.
Choosing the right platform for developing AI-based applications is crucial. This is where Flutter emerges as the optimal choice, boasting several advantages that maximize neural network capabilities: 

Cross-platform: This framework allows you to create AI applications that run on different platforms using the same code.

Rapid development: The platform from Google offers a hot reload, allowing you to immediately see code changes and test new features.

Support for third-party libraries: developers can use popular machine learning libraries such as TensorFlow or PyTorch and integrate them into the Flutter application to install various AI features. 

High performance: Flutter uses its own Skia rendering engine, which provides high performance and responsiveness to applications.

This AI will help you open up new possibilities for your projects, whether it’s chatbots and virtual assistants or data analysis and language translation.

In this article, we focus on the popular OpenAI ChatGPT tool. This neural network can be used for both programming and integration, so it’s great for your first AI experience.

We’ll look at the key features and benefits that these technologies offer in mobile app development, using our project as an example.

How to integrate ChatGPT capabilities into Flutter app development

Let’s explore the benefits of integrating the ChatGPT API into your Flutter project:

Expanded functionality. When you integrate ChatGPT into a mobile app, it expands the capabilities of your project. You can create interactive chatbots, personal assistants, and other AI scenarios.

Improved interaction with users. AI can have natural conversations with users. It opens up opportunities for deeper and more personalized interaction

Automation of tasks. ChatGPT can handle user requests, provide recommendations, perform specific actions, and other tasks.

User behavior analysis. Developers can use the AI model to analyze and understand how users behave. It helps in providing recommendations and creating personalized content.

Faster development. By integrating ChatGPT into the Flutter application, you can save time and effort because you don’t have to create complex artificial intelligence features from scratch.

Using these ChatGPT features, you can improve the development of your application. Now let’s look at how you can integrate a neural network from OpenAI into the application itself.

You can integrate the ChatGPT API into your Flutter project using various methods to add AI capabilities to your applications.

The simplest one is to use ChatGPT as an assistant during coding. Open the  OpenAI website and get a response from the chat. This approach allows you to create template code faster and focus on more complex tasks.

One common way to integrate the ChatGPT API into a Flutter application is to use the REST API. You can send HTTP requests to the ChatGPT API to interact with artificial intelligence. In Flutter, you can use packages like http or dio to send HTTP requests and handle responses from the ChatGPT API.
Another method is to use WebSocket. It is a protocol that enables real-time, two-way communication between the client and the server. In Flutter, you can use packages like web_socket_channel to establish a connection and transmit data.
There are special Flutter packages that ease the integration and usage of the ChatGPT API. For example, the gpt_3_5_api_client package provides ready-made classes and methods to send requests to the ChatGPT API and receive responses.
Developers can create classes and methods to integrate the ChatGPT API into their Flutter app.
The choice of a specific integration method depends on the project requirements, available tools, and developer preferences.
OpenAI’s ChatGPT is easy to integrate and perfect for starting work with AI. Here are some examples of apps you can create using this neural network:

• Chatbots. With ChatGPT and Flutter, make apps for natural conversations, useful in customer service, shopping help, and providing information.
• Education Assistants. These apps offer personalized learning materials, assignments, explanations, and support for online and distance education.
• Collaboration Apps. Combine Flutter and ChatGPT for apps that promote teamwork, collaborative document editing, idea sharing, and project planning.
• Personal Shopping Assistants. Provide personalized recommendations for users based on preferences and buying history.
• Health Apps. Use AI to create personalized health recommendations, fitness apps, medical advice, and chronic disease management.
• Language Translation Apps. Develop translation apps with accurate and natural translations, supporting questions and answers in different languages.

TBR Group has extensive experience in cross-platform mobile app development. We are currently working on an innovative AI-integrated app and are excited to share its details to inspire your app creations.

TBR Group — a Flutter mobile app development company

TBR Group is a company that develops cross-platform mobile apps using Flutter. We specialize in creating customized, well-designed, and multifunctional mobile applications.

We have a lot of experience in different areas and have utilized Flutter’s capabilities to create creative and practical mobile apps. Here are a few examples:

• Vetsie
• Neural Reader
• SwishBOOM
• PingPay
• Mind Switch

Each project showcases our commitment to excellence and our ability to meet the needs of different industries.
As the field of AI continues to evolve, we have taken advantage of its potential and integrated it into our latest project. 
This app helps students learn better and faster by using AI to analyze user performance and provide personalized feedback and suggestions.
While the app is primarily designed for students, it can be useful for anyone who wants to learn. Our library offers a wide range of study materials and resources for different subjects, catering to everyone’s needs.
Here are some key features of the app:

• Ask questions and get instant help.
• Engage with other users to make learning interactive and effective.
• Upload snapshots or screenshots of homework to receive personalized AI recommendations.
• Track progress with activity indicators and goal setting.

With its built-in artificial intelligence capabilities, our app acts as a personal tutor, offering tips and advice to help students progress in their educational journey.
Why will people find this app valuable?

Personalized learning.  We combine AI and language science to adapt our lessons and help students learn at their preferred level and pace.

Find your path.  Interact with your personal AI language assistant and learn on the go. It supports four languages and is always ready to learn more.

Efficiency and effectiveness. Our courses enable students to learn faster and retain knowledge better by focusing on result-oriented tasks.

Maintain motivation. We transform language learning into a habit through gamification, engaging tasks, and reminders from the AI language bot.

Using our knowledge and technical skills, we aim to develop creative mobile apps with Flutter. By incorporating AI, we have personalized and improved the educational experience.

Outcome

Using AI and ML can take your project to reach the next level. We recommend choosing the versatile Flatter tool for these purposes. For AI integration, the best choice is OpenAI’s ChatGPT. No matter what industry you’re in, this tool will help you stand out from your competitors.
TBR Group already uses AI in our projects and is keeping up with the times.
Our team is always ready to provide technical expertise and advice on how to use the ChatGPT API for mobile app development. 
Our goal is to help startups and established businesses succeed by creating innovative and functional mobile apps powered by Flutter. We unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence and offer high-quality technical solutions

Introduction

If your app revenue happens to be a subscription based one, then you must look at RevenueCat. RevenueCat is a service which makes implementing a subscription easy and fast. It puts the Google Play and App Store subscriptions together in one place and handles them, so it is much easier to work with them from a cross platform framework, like Flutter.

RevenueCat basics

There are 4 models in RevenueCat which you need to understand to setup your subscriptions:
1. Products
2. Entitlements
3. Offerings
4. Packages

Products

First of all you need to import your Google Play and Apple Store subscriptions into the RevenueCat dashboard. That’s what the products are for. Simply create products using subscription identifiers from the store.

Entitlements

Usually apps have different access layers depending on user subscription. For example, there may be standard, a premium subscription, etc. To divide your subscriptions into layers you need to create different entitlements intended for each subscription layer. After that you can import products to these entitlements. The entitlement consists of many products, but one product is assigned only to one entitlement.

As you can see from the scheme, you can assign many different subscriptions to one entitlement. Let’s say there are annual and monthly subscriptions assigned to gold entitlement. Knowing this, the app can provide the same level of access to users with these two different subscriptions.

Offerings

Sometimes it is required to show not just your standard list of subscriptions, but also some special list instead. This is where offerings are needed. You can create many paywalls using offerings and show them in the app depending on your business logic. The offering consists of many packages.

Packages

Finally, packages are needed to represent products in the offering. The package wraps subscriptions up from different stores into one package, so they can be represented as a single product in the offering.

Flutter integration

To add the RevenueCat library to your Flutter project you need to follow these 2 simple steps:
1. Add the latest version of purchases_flutter package dependency into the pubspec.yaml file.
2. Add In-App Purchase capability for your iOS project.

Note: setup requirements can change with the time and depend on your Flutter version. Check the latest changes in the official documentation.

Call the Purchases.configure function and pass a RevenueCat public API key to it depending on the current platform. You can find Public API keys on the apps page in the RevenueCat dashboard.

Future<void> initialize() async  {
 PurchasesConfiguration configuration;
 if (Platform.isAndroid) {
   configuration = PurchasesConfiguration(<public_google_sdk_key>);
 } else if (Platform.isIOS) {
   configuration = PurchasesConfiguration(<public_ios_sdk_key>);
 } else {
   // Configure other platforms if you have any 
 }
 await Purchases.configure(configuration);
}

Core features

When your RevenueCat dashboard is set up and the RevenueCat package is added to your project you can start receiving and buying subscriptions in the app. There are four main features which you need to implement:
1. Get available subscriptions
2. Purchase subscription
3. Get purchased subscriptions
4. Restore purchases

Get available subscriptions

First of all, users need to see subscriptions to buy them. Call Purchases.getOfferings method to receive offerings with packages from RevenueCat dashboard. It will return the current offering and all other offers from your dashboard. Call offerings.current to get a current offer or offerings.all[offeringId] to get a specific offer by its identifier.

/// Gets current offering by default or by [offeringId]
Future<List<Package>?> getOffering({String? offeringId}) async {
 try {
   // Get offerings information
   final offerings = await Purchases.getOfferings();

   // If offering with offeringId exists, return it, otherwise return 
   // default offering
   final offering = switch (offeringId) {
     null => offerings.current,
     _ => offerings.all[offeringId] ?? offerings.current,
   };

   // Return offering packages
   return offering?.availablePackages;
 } catch (e) {
   // handle RevenueCat getOfferings error
 }
}

Note: you can make the offer current in the RevenueCat dashboard. Press the “Make current” button and you will be able to get this offer with offerings.current method.

Purchase subscription

To make a purchase select one of the packages returned from the Purchases.getOfferings method and pass it to Purchases.purchaseStoreProduct method. It will show a native window with a subscription offer. If a user buys a subscription it returns updated CustomerInfo where you can find active subscriptions, active entitlements and other useful information.

If a user closes a subscription window without buying a subscription it will throw the PlatformException with PurchasesErrorCode.purchaseCancelledError error code. You can check it using the PurchasesErrorHelper.getErrorCode method. This exception appears frequently and can be the reason for many bug reports in your crashlytic, so it is better to handle this case separately.

/// Calls native purchase pop up
Future<Map<String, EntitlementInfo>> makePurchase(Package package) async {
 try {
   // Get store product from package
   final storeProduct = package.storeProduct;

   // Purchase store product
   final customerInfo = await Purchases.purchaseStoreProduct(storeProduct);

   // Get purchased environment from returned customerInfo
   final activeEntitlements = customerInfo.entitlements.active;

   return activeEntitlements;
 } catch (e) {
   if (e is PlatformException) {
     var errorCode = PurchasesErrorHelper.getErrorCode(e);
     if (errorCode == PurchasesErrorCode.purchaseCancelledError) {
       // user cancelled to buy a subscription. Can be ignored.
     }
   }

   // handle RevenueCat purchase error
   rethrow;
 }
}

Get purchased subscriptions

Now, when a user has a subscription we need to check its state from time to time. To get user purchased subscriptions call Purchases.getCustomerInfo method. It returns CustomerInfo, like in the subscription purchase, which you can use to get an active subscription. Note that RevenueCat SDK has its own cache and if you want to get the latest CustomerInfo, then call Purchases.invalidateCustomerInfoCache method before.

/// Gets customer info. If [invalidateCache] is true, then cache is 
/// invalidated and latest customer info is returned.
Future<Map<String, EntitlementInfo>> getCustomerInfo(
   {bool invalidateCache = false}) async {
 try {
   // Invalidate cache if requested
   if (invalidateCache) {
     await Purchases.invalidateCustomerInfoCache();
   }

   // Get customer info
   final customerInfo = await Purchases.getCustomerInfo();

   // Get purchased environment from returned customerInfo
   final activeEntitlements = customerInfo.entitlements.active;

   return activeEntitlements;
 } catch (e) {
   // handle RevenueCat getCustomerInfo error
   rethrow;
 }
}

Restore purchase

Don’t forget to implement the restore purchase feature. It allows users to restore subscriptions after app uninstall or on another device. Call Purchases.restorePurchases  to restore user purchases. It also returns CustomerInfo where you can get user active subscriptions.

Future<Map<String, EntitlementInfo>> restorePurchases() async {
 try {
   // Restores user purchases
   final customerInfo = await Purchases.restorePurchases();

   // Get purchased environment from returned customerInfo
   final activeEntitlements = customerInfo.entitlements.active;

   return activeEntitlements;
 } catch (e) {
   // handle RevenueCat restorePurchases error
   rethrow;
 }
}

Conclusion

RevenueCat is a good way to implement in-app purchases in Flutter app. It provides wide and complete functionality to support purchases in your cross-platform app.

What makes a mobile app successful? It must have a distinctive design, be user-friendly and reliable.

At TBR Group, we understand your objectives. We know that every company wants to turn its ideas into unique and popular mobile apps.
That’s why we want to introduce you to Flutter — the best framework for cross-platform mobile app development, which can be the key to your business success. It was made by Google and offers many possibilities for creating high-performance and attractive apps.

If you want to learn more about Flutter, you can read our article “The fundamentals of Flutter & Dart“. And don’t forget to check out our review of the latest Flutter version 3.7.

Now, let’s examine a few examples of apps created with Flutter. We’ll see how it can unlock the full potential of your app.

Which businesses can benefit from Flutter apps? 

According to Statista reports, 46% of software development companies choose Flutter.

Statista. Cross-platform mobile frameworks used by software developers worldwide from 2019 to 2022

With Flutter, you can create apps that look great and work well on different devices. It has many ready-made parts that you can use. Also, you can customize the look of your app with widgets.
Many top development companies use the Flutter app for their projects. Here are some examples of successful apps made with Flutter:

• Google Ads (Google) — an app for managing ads and tracking how well they perform.
• Tencent Now (Tencent) — a news app with fresh news, articles, and videos.
• SpaceX Go (SpaceX) — an app that gives users access to information and interactive features about SpaceX.
• Xianyu (Alibaba) — an online trading platform like eBay, where you can buy and sell goods.
• Reflectly (Reflectly) — a popular app for keeping a diary and personal development.

The possibilities for cross-platform app development using Flutter are unlimited.  It’s a platform that can help you create innovative solutions in many areas.

This platform has become the preferred choice for many apps for several reasons.

First, Flutter makes apps fast and smooth. It has a special engine that creates nice animations and responsive designs, giving users a great experience.

Second, Flutter allows developers to write code once and use it for different platforms like iOS and Android. This simplifies and speeds up the process of developing and updating apps.

There’s a huge supportive community of Flutter developers who share their knowledge and help each other.

Different businesses can use Flutter. For example, in e-commerce, you can create interactive platforms with secure payment systems. In healthcare, it ensures accuracy and quick access to medical information.
Other sectors like education, entertainment, and tourism can enjoy Flutter’s features too. It enables engaging educational programs, immersive gaming apps, and innovative travel solutions.

TBR Group has a lot of experience in creating apps for various industries, and we’re excited to show you some of them.  Let’s look at the features of these applications and what sets them apart from competitors.

Vetsie

The Vetsie application allows veterinarians to communicate with clients and provide pet care services.

Key Features:

• Video and audio calls
• Chat with the ability to send files and voice messages
• Ordering consultations
• Google Maps integration
• Charts and PDF reports
• Notifications
• Stripe payment integration
• Events on Facebook

In 2021, Vetsie was selected and mentioned in Calgary’s list of 101 Best Healthcare Startups and Companies.

Neural Reader

Neural Reader is an app for converting text to speech and vice versa. Users can use it to read books and documents, as an audio player, and to transcribe dictation.

Key Features:

• User authentication
• File import
• Audio reader/player
• Audio/text conversion
• Text transcription
• Data storage
• Dictation
• Voice selection
• Text size
• Audio playback speed

The number of installations on Google Play exceeds 10,000+, with an average rating of 4.6; the App Store has a rating of 4.1.

SwishBOOM

SwishBOOM is an online marketplace for families to schedule appointments with nannies and caregivers. The app allows users to directly connect and negotiate with each other.

Key features:

• User authentication.
• App appointment
• Chat
• Verified network
• Contact integration
• Google Maps integration
• Ratings and reviews
• Referral reward system 
• Reviews

The number of installations on Google Play exceeds 500+, and there is a growing trend of user registrations.  App Store ratings and reviews show a 4.7 out of 5. Some positive reviews describe the app as “the best babysitting app” that has ever made “life easier.”

Mind Switch

Mind Switch breaks down complex or challenging subjects into smaller parts. For each part, users watch a video that has an impact on their brain’s neural network. Users have the option to choose specific topics from the Mind Switch library that are bothering them.

Key features:

• A list of meditations, challenges, and aspects; meditations divided into customized aspects
• flexible app content management
• cloud functions
• app theme customization
• integration adjustments
• personal data encryption
• Apple and Google email authentication
• Firebase Crashlytics
• Google Analytics
• push notifications
• a video player
• promo codes
• ratings and reviews
• subscriptions
• statistics

The app is now accessible on both Google Play and Apple stores, allowing users to effectively lower their stress levels and unwind. It has already amassed over 900 installations, and users have given it an impressive rating of 4.4 stars based on 56 reviews on Google Play.
TBR Group is working on adding new functionality to the app.

pingNpay

PingNpay is creating a worldwide payment network specifically for small transactions, particularly those under £10/$10/€10. This network will enable retailers and e-commerce providers to offer new services that would otherwise be unaffordable using conventional payment systems like card networks.

Key features:

• Amplify Cognito authentication;
• Amplify AppSync GraphQL communication;
• rounded branded QR codes;
• a QR scanner;
• app deep-linking;
• push notification integration and handling;
• encryption and decryption;
• Native Share for QR codes and links;
• a QR code on-device saving option.

Thanks to our fruitful collab with the client, we have achieved remarkable success in developing an application that is not only fast and efficient but also visually appealing. Our app is fully functional and can be accessed on both mobile and web platforms.

TBR Group — your trusted partner for Flutter solutions

TBR Group is a custom software development company. Our company offers a wide range of services:

• Mobile application development
• Web-development
• Product design
• Full support and project management

We have more than five years of experience on the market and completed more than 30 projects. We are proud of our achievements and customer satisfaction worldwide.

At TBR Group, we understand that choosing the right development partner is critical to the success of your business. 

That’s why we strive not only to achieve exceptional results, but also to provide a seamless collaborative experience. We will take a close look at your unique goals, target audience, and business requirements. 

Quality is our top priority when it comes to creating applications. We are willing to sacrifice development speed to ensure a high-quality development process. We are passionate about what we do, and we explore new technology all the time and features to make your app stand out.

A dedicated TBR Group team can work as an extension of your IT department, providing full control over the processes. Our time & material solution is highly suitable for research and development (R&D) as well as long-term projects with dynamic requirements. It is particularly beneficial when the project scope is not yet fully known and allows for flexibility and adaptability to changes in the market. 

For projects with a known scope, we provide the necessary tools and resources to ensure success. With our well-planned milestones, you can effectively track the progress of your project and ensure timely completion. Additionally, we offer a fixed pricing model for projects with a defined scope, providing transparency and predictability in terms of costs. In any case, we guarantee a quick response to market changes and full accountability for project delivery.

Don’t miss the opportunity to partner with TBR Group, the leading development company on Flutter. 

We guarantee you high quality, reliability, and expertise in every project we undertake.

Outcome

TBR Group is a Ukrainian company that develops software in Flutter. We create user-friendly and innovative web and mobile applications. With us, you can unlock the potential of your business through cross-platform development. 

Introduction

GitHub Actions is a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform that allows you to automate your build, test, and deployment pipeline.

Our focus will be on building and deploying an iOS App.
We will use a machine and environment which GitHub provides us by default.

By the end, you will know how to:

• Enable GitHub Actions and add the first Workflow
• Build an iOS Application Archive.
• Deploy your App to TestFlight

Let’s begin with a basic workflow.

A new Workflow

GitHub Actions can be added to your existing Repository. Still, we will work with a new Flutter project, which has its first commit pushed to a fresh repository.

GitHub Actions are enabled by default, you can start right away by adding a workflow file.
1. Create a .github/workflows directory at the root of your project
2. In the .github/workflows directory, create a file named build.yml
3. Copy the following instructions into the build.yml
4. Change to branch name from “main” if you have a different one
5. Change the Flutter version to the one you use in your project

# Name of the workflow
name: Build

# Controls what will trigger the workflow.
# Change it to your needs.
on:
 # A new push to the "main" branch.
 push:
   branches: [ "main" ]
 # A new pull request to the "main" branch.
   pull_request:
     branches: [ "main" ]
 # Allows to trigger the workflow from GitHub interfaces.
 workflow_dispatch:

# A single workflow can have multiple jobs.
jobs:
 # 'A new job is defined with the name: "build_ios"
 build_ios:
   # Defines what operating system will be used for the actions.
   # For iOS, we have to use macOS GitHub-Hosted Runner.
   runs-on: macos-12
   # Defines what step should be passed for successful run
   steps:
     # Checkout to the selected branch
     - name: Checkout
       uses: actions/checkout@v3
     # Download and install flutter packages
     - name: Install Flutter
       uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
       with:
         # Define which stable flutter version should be used
        flutter-version: "3.7.3" 
        channel: 'stable'
         # Enables cache for flutter packages              
         # Speed up the process
         cache: true
     # Get Flutter project dependencies
       - name: Get dependencies  
         run: flutter pub get

GitHub workflows include jobs, which work via steps one by one.
We use GitHub-Hosted macOS runner because it is the only way to build iOS apps. You can read more about GitHub Pricing here.
If you have you want to build on your device or some other dedicated one, you can use Self-Hosted Runners.

So, you can push a new commit to the branch and look for results in your repository’s Actions tab.

Press on your first workflow. In my case it’s called Build #1Next, press on “build_ios”

Here you can watch for your workflow in progress, and see its results. When the first workflow is finished, you should see something like this.

Congratulations, it works. Let’s build an iOS Application Archive.

Creating iOS Application Archive

To build iOS Archives we have to take multiple steps:
1. To have to be enrolled in paid Apple Developer Program
2. Create an Apple Distribution Certificate
3. Create a Provision Profile 
4. Create and fill exportOptions.plist
5. Add a workflow step for storing values to a keychain 
6. Build IPA
When you have created a Distribution Certificate and a Provision Profile, you need to add new exportOptions.plist file at ./ios/ folder. 
Add the following to the created file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
"http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
   <dict>
       <key>method</key>
       <string>app-store</string>   
       <key>teamID</key> 
       <string><your_team_id></string>        
       <key>provisioningProfiles</key>      
       <dict>     
          <key>com.<your_company>.<app></key>
          <string><provision_profile_name></string> 
       </dict>
   </dict>
</plist>

Now we will add the certificates that will be used during the workflow. Let’s add the step before getting flutter packages:

- name: Import certificates (iOS)
  env:
       BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.iOS_P12_DISTRIBUTION_CERT_BASE64 }} 
       P12_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.iOS_P12_DISTRIBUTION_CERT_PASSWORD }}     
       BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64: ${{ secrets.iOS_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64 }}       
       KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.iOS_KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD }}
     run: |
         # create variables         
         CERTIFICATE_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/build_certificate.p12                PP_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/build_pp.mobileprovision
         KEYCHAIN_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/app-signing.keychain-db
 
         # import certificate and provisioning profile from secrets
         echo -n "$BUILD_CERTIFICATE_BASE64" | base64 --decode -o $CERTIFICATE_PATH
         echo -n "$BUILD_PROVISION_PROFILE_BASE64" | base64 --decode -o
$PP_PATH
         # create temporary keychain         security create-keychain -p $KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD $KEYCHAIN_PATH
         security set-keychain-settings -lut 21600 $KEYCHAIN_PATH
         security unlock-keychain -p $KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD $KEYCHAIN_PATH
         # import certificate to keychain           
security import $CERTIFICATE_PATH -P $P12_PASSWORD -A -t cert -f pkcs12 -k $KEYCHAIN_PATH            
         security list-keychains -d user -s $KEYCHAIN_PATH
         # apply provisioning profile
         mkdir -p ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\ Profiles
         cp $PP_PATH ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\ Profiles
    - name: Install Flutter
      uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
      with:
        # Define which stable flutter version should be used
        flutter-version: "3.7.3"
        channel: 'stable'
        # Enables cache for flutter packages
        # Speed up the process
        cache: true
    # Get Flutter project dependencies
    - name: Get dependencies
      run: flutter pub get
    - name: Build iOS application archive
      run: flutter build ipa --export-options-plist=ios/exportOptions.plist

Also, we should add a step that will always be called and clean up the keychain.

 - name: Clean up keychain and provisioning profile
     if: ${{ always() }}
     run: |
        security delete-keychain $RUNNER_TEMP/app-signing.keychain-db
        rm ~/Library/MobileDevice/Provisioning\
 Profiles/build_pp.mobileprovision

We need the distribution certificate and provision profile files encoded as base64. To create a new file with base64 encoded string, use the macOS command:

base64 -i ./<file_name> -o ./file-base64.txt

To add new secrets to your repository, go to its webpage > Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions and add the 4 secrets by pressing the New repository secret button. 

As a result, we have IPA built every time a new commit has been pushed.

iOS Application Archive Deployment

At the current stage, we have signed the iOS build and the last step is to deploy it to App Store Connect and the TestFlight.
Let’s look at the steps for the workflow:
First, we need to decode App Store Connect private key file and save it:

 - name: Decode App Store Connect private key file and save it
   env:
       API_KEY_BASE64: ${{ secrets.iOS_APPSTORE_CONNECT_PRIVATE_KEY_BASE64 }}
       API_KEY: ${{ secrets.iOS_APPSTORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID }}     
   run: |
     mkdir -p ~/private_keys
     ls ~/private_keys
     echo -n "$API_KEY_BASE64" | base64 --decode -o ~/private_keys/AuthKey_$API_KEY.p8
     echo "After saving: "
     ls ~/private_keys

Then, after the IPA building, we add the following: 

 - name: Upload to App Store Connect
     env:
       ISSUER_ID: ${{ secrets.IOS_APPSTORE_CONNECT_ISSUER_ID }}          
       API_KEY: ${{ secrets.IOS_APPSTORE_CONNECT_API_KEY_ID }}     
   run: |
       echo "Before uploading: "
       ls ~/private_keys
       xcrun altool --upload-app -f build/ios/ipa/flutter_app.ipa -t ios --apiKey $API_KEY --apiIssuer "$ISSUER_ID"
       ls ~/private_keys

As we see, to deploy the app archives we need 3 values: 

• App Store Connect API key ID
• App Store Connect Private key file as base64
• App Store Connect Issuer ID

Let’s begin with the private key file. You should open the App Store Connect > Users and Access > Keys and press the Generate API key button. You should name the key and choose the developer role. Next, you should see all the 3 values

• You can download the Private key by pressing the Download API Key button
• You can see the API key ID
• You can see the Issuer ID on top

You should add them to your GitHub Secrets. Congratulations, you are ready to distribute your application.

Conclusion

Using GitHub actions as a continuous delivery tool has provided a comfortable, reliable service for building and deployment of any app. Benefits worth mentioning:

• When you use a GitHub Repository, you already have a familiar environment for your CI/CD. You can have everything for your code in one place.
• With a big community of GitHub, you can have nearly any use case already covered with an Action from the marketplace.
• At any moment, you can scale to your needs with Microsoft-provided servers or run all your actions on another server or your device with self-hosted runners without paying GitHub anything.

Overall, GitHub Actions helped us deliver apps in different configurations much faster on multiple platforms at a time.

Introduction

GitHub Actions is a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform that allows you to automate your build, test, and deployment pipeline.

Our focus will be on building and deploying an Android App.
We will use a machine and environment that GitHub provides us by default.

By the end, you will know how to:

• Enable GitHub Actions and add the first Workflow
• Build an app and deploy it to GitHub Artifacts
• Sign your apps on the fly using credentials securely stored inside GitHub Secrets
• Setup Google Play Console, create a Service Account and Deploy your App

Let’s begin with a basic workflow.

New Workflow

GitHub Actions can be added to your existing Repository. Still, we will work with a new Flutter project, which has its first commit pushed to a fresh Repository.

GitHub Actions are enabled by default, you can start right away by adding a workflow file.
1. Create a .github/workflows directory at the root of your project
2. In the .github/workflows directory, create a file named build.yml
3. Copy the following instructions into the build.yml
4. Change to branch name from “main” if you have a different one
5. Change the Flutter version to the one you use in your project

 # Name of the workflow
name: Build

 # Controls what will trigger the workflow.
 # Change it to your needs.
 on:
 # A new push to the "main" branch. 
  push:
   branches: [ "main" ]
 # A new pull request to the "main" branch.
  pull_request:
   branches: [ "main" ]
 
 # Allows to trigger the workflow from GitHub interfaces.
   workflow_dispatch:
 
# A single workflow can have multiple jobs.
jobs: 
 # 'A new job is defined with the name: "build_android" 
 build_android:
   # Defines what operating system will be used for the actions.
   # For android, we will use Linux GitHub-Hosted Runner.
   runs-on: ubuntu-22.04
   # Defines what step should be passed for successful run
   steps:
     # Checkout to the selected branch
     - name: Checkout
       uses: actions/checkout@v3
     # Download and install flutter packages
     - name: Install Flutter
       uses: subosito/flutter-action@v2
       with:
         # Define which stable flutter version should be used
         flutter-version: "3.7.0"
         channel: 'stable'
         # Enables cache for flutter packages              
         # Speed up the process
         cache: true
     # Get Flutter project dependencies
     - name: Get dependencies
       run: flutter pub get

GitHub workflows include jobs that work via steps one by one.
We use GitHub-Hosted Ubuntu runner because it is the most cost-efficient way to build Android apps. You can read more about GitHub Pricing here.
If you want to build on your device or some other dedicated one, you can use Self-Hosted Runners.

So, you can push a new commit to the branch and look for the results in your repository’s Actions tab.

Press on your first workflow, in my case it’s called Build #1Next, press on “build_android”

Here you can watch for your workflow in progress and see its results. When the first workflow is finished, you should see something like this.

Congratulations, it works. Let’s build an unsigned App Bundle.

Creating Android Bundle

Build unsigned Bundle

The first step for our action is to build an Android App Bundle without signing. 
Before doing so, we should find and remove the release build type ‘signingConfig signingConfigs.debug’ at ./android/app/build.gradle. It should look like this:

   buildTypes {
       release {

       }
   }

Let’s add the following

R
- name: Build release app bundle
  run: flutter build appbundle

As a result, we have an unsigned app bundle at output every time a new commit has been pushed. Let’s test it out!

Another successful action.

Sign the Bundle

The next step is to sign the app bundle for further deployment.
Let’s look at the .yml syntax for this case.

- name: Sign App Bundle
  uses: r0adkll/sign-android-release@v1   
  id: sign_app
  with:
   releaseDirectory: build/app/outputs/bundle/release/
   signingKeyBase64: ${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_FILE_BASE64 }}
   alias: ${{ secrets.ANDROID_SIGNING_KEY_ALIAS }}         
   keyStorePassword: ${{ secrets.ANDROID_KEYSTORE_PASSWORD }}             
   
   keyPassword: ${{ secrets.ANDROID_SIGNING_KEY_PASSWORD }}

To sign an app bundle we require 4 values. To generate them, use the following command:
Note: keytool is a part of the Java package.

sudo keytool -genkey -v -keystore <your_name>.keystore -alias <your_name> -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000

As a result, we have a new file, fluttergithubactionsexample.keystore generated and we already know 3 values: 

• Alias: fluttergithubactionsexample
• keyStorePassword: password1
• keyPassword: password1

We need the keystore file encoded as base64. To create a new file with base64 encoded string use the macOS command:

base64 -i ./<your_name>.keystore -o ./keystore-base64.txt

To add new secrets to your repository, go to its webpage > Settings > Secrets and variables > Actions and add the 4 secrets by pressing New repository secret button.

Make sure you have removed all the spaces when you add them!

Once you have added the secrets, let’s try to run actions and test the signing process.

Deployment

At this current stage, we have signed app bundle and the last step is to deploy it to Play Store. 
Let’s look at the step.

- name: Upload to Play Store (Internal Testing)
  uses: r0adkll/upload-google-play@v1.0.18
  with:
         serviceAccountJsonPlainText: ${{ secrets.ANDROID_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON }} 
    packageName: com.testgroup.flutter_github_actions_android                           releaseFiles: ${{steps.sign_app.outputs.signedReleaseFile}}                         mappingFile: ./build/app/outputs/mapping/release/mapping.txt
    track: internal

We should specify the correct package name of the app. To do so you can change the applicationId value at ./android/app/build.gradle.

To deploy the Android app, you need a service account JSON. Let’s create a new service account. We should use Google Cloud Console. Choose a project if you already have one (for example, if you have set up Firebase for it previously) or create a new one. Next, press Create Service Account button, choose a name, I will call it GitHub Actions, give it Service Account User role, press Create.

You have to add a new key to the service account, the JSON will be downloaded, add its data to GitHub Secrets as ANDROID_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON

You also need to enable Google Play Android Developer API.

The next step is Google Play Console. You should have a Google Developer Account.
Navigate to > Users and permissions on the sidebar. There, at the Users tab press the Invite new users button. From there, you should enter the Service Account email. You should grab it from the Service account list for your project at Google Cloud Console. It will look like this:

Select Account Permissions and press Invite user button.

Before testing the GitHub action, you must manually add the first release to the Play Store internal testing.

Go to the app in the Play Store, choose the internal testing ring, and press the Create new release button. Here you need to drop your signed app bundle.
You can use the following workflow steps to download a signed app bundle from GitHub manually.

- name: Upload Signed App Bundle
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
  with:
    name: signed-app-bundle
    path: ${{steps.sign_app.outputs.signedReleaseFile}}

Once the workflow is finished, you can download the bundle from the artifacts.

When you upload your bundle to the Play Store Console and confirm the first rollout, you are ready to automatically deploy with the action.Add the step to yours .yml file:

- name: Upload to Play Store (Internal Testing)
  uses: r0adkll/upload-google-play@v1.0.18  
  with:
    serviceAccountJsonPlainText: ${{ secrets.ANDROID_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_JSON }}
    packageName:com.testgroup.flutter_github_actions_android        
    releaseFiles: ${{steps.sign_app.outputs.signedReleaseFile}}        
    mappingFile: ./build/app/outputs/mapping/release/mapping.txt
    track: internal

Conclusion

Using GitHub actions as a continuous delivery tool has provided a comfortable, reliable service for building and deployment of any app. Benefits worth mentioning:

• When you use a GitHub Repository, you already have a familiar environment for your CI/CD. You can have everything for your code in one place.
• With a large community of GitHub you can have nearly any use case already covered with an Action from the marketplace.
• At any moment, you can scale to your needs with Microsoft-provided servers or run all your actions on another server or your device with self-hosted runners without paying GitHub anything.

Overall, GitHub Actions helped us deliver apps in different configurations much faster on multiple platforms at a time.