Setup guide

Connect your accounts

About 10 minutes. You'll need access to App Store Connect (Admin or Account Holder to create keys) and, for Android, Google Cloud and Play Console.

1. App Store Connect read key

This key lets AppStatus Live look at your apps: builds, App Review status, TestFlight, reviews and expiry dates. It can't change anything.

1. Open App Store Connect → Users and Access → Integrations → App Store Connect API.
2. On the Team Keys tab, click + (or Generate API Key the first time).
3. Name it, for example AppStatus Live (read), and pick the Developer role. Add Sales too if you want sales numbers in Stats.
4. Click Generate, then Download API Key. Apple lets you download the .p8 file only once, so keep it somewhere safe.
5. Note the Issuer ID (above the list) and the key's Key ID.
6. In the app, tap Connect read key, paste the Issuer ID and Key ID, and import the .p8. The app checks it right away and lists your apps.

2. App Store Connect write key (optional)

Only needed to act from your phone: reply to reviews, pause or complete phased releases, release approved versions.

1. Create a second key the same way, with the App Manager role (replies and releases) or Customer Support (replies only).
2. In the app: Settings → Add or replace keys, then the write key step.

The write key never leaves your phone, and every action asks for Face ID or your device passcode (fingerprint, face or screen lock on Android).

3. Vendor number for sales (optional)

Daily units and proceeds come from Apple's sales reports, which need your vendor number and a read key with the Sales role.

1. In App Store Connect, open Payments and Financial Reports. Your vendor number is shown at the top left (an 8-digit number).
2. In the app: Settings → Vendor number.

4. Google Play service account (optional)

Adds your Android apps: Play reviews, staged rollouts and Android vitals. Pro on iOS; free on Android.

In Google Cloud Console

1. Open Google Cloud Console and pick (or create) a project.
2. Under APIs & Services → Library, enable the Google Play Android Developer API and the Google Play Developer Reporting API.
3. Go to IAM & Admin → Service accounts → Create service account. Give it a name, skip the optional roles, and click Done.
4. Copy the service account's email, which looks like name@project.iam.gserviceaccount.com.

In Play Console

1. Open Users and permissions (the account level, not inside an app) and click Invite new users. There's no special button for service accounts: they're invited like people.
2. Paste the service account email.
3. Under Account permissions (or App permissions for specific apps), tick:
   • View app information and download bulk reports (read-only)
   • View app quality information (read-only), for vitals
   • Reply to reviews: Google requires it to read reviews through the API. AppStatus Live's server only reads them.
4. Click Invite user. Service accounts don't need to accept.

Back in Google Cloud

1. Open the service account → Keys → Add key → Create new key → JSON. A .json file downloads.
2. In the app: Settings → Connect Google Play and import that file.

For replies and rollout changes from your phone, create a second service account with Release to production… and Release apps to testing tracks, and add it under Settings → Add write account. It stays on your phone.

5. Play reports bucket (optional)

Android installs and ratings (including ratings without a written review) come from the daily reports Google stores in a Cloud Storage bucket.

1. In Play Console, open Download reports (Statistics or Reviews).
2. Click Copy Cloud Storage URI. It looks like gs://pubsite_prod_rev_01234567890123456789.
3. In the app: Settings → Google Play → Reports bucket, and paste it. The app confirms with “Using pubsite_prod_…”.

The view-only service account needs View app information and download bulk reports to read it. Google updates these reports once a day.

Troubleshooting

“Apple rejected the key”

Check the Issuer ID and Key ID match the .p8, and that the key hasn't been revoked in App Store Connect.

The feed is empty after connecting

The feed shows changes from the last 7 days. A quiet account starts empty; the first items arrive with the next build, review, rating or rollout. Current release state is always in the Releases tab.

No push alerts

Open Settings → Notifications and check Server alerts says Connected and that notifications are allowed for AppStatus Live in your phone's settings. If it shows an error, tap Try again.

Still stuck?

Email info@a2ra-ms.com. Never send a key or .p8 file by email.