Customize your users' experience with the Google Play Grouping API

If you have not set up the Grouping API before, you can follow these instructions. This will guide you through the process of downloading the Play Grouping SDK, using it in your Android project, and requesting an API token.

After you’ve integrated the SDK into your app, you must upload and roll out the updated version to your users. If you're having trouble, you can find a short list of common SDK errors here.

If you have correctly integrated the API, then when you visit the Custom Audiences page (Grow users > Custom audiences), you'll see a graphic and text about custom audiences. You may have to request access to use the feature if your current permissions restrict you from creating and managing audiences, specifically the Manage store presence permission.

If the API is working correctly and you have the required permissions, you can create audiences in Play Console:

1. Click Create audience.
2. Enter the required information:
   • Audience: Enter a unique name for your audience. Users won't see this name. You can also enter a description.
   • API tag rules: Define at least one tag rule that defines your new audience. These tags must already be created via the API.
3. Click Save.

To create a valid API tag rule:

1. Select a tag key.
2. Select an operator (each tag type has its own operators)
3. Enter or select a value depending on the selected tag type:
   • Input for the string, integer, and timestamp tags.
   • Dropdown menu for boolean tags.
4. Select a time reference only when the selected tag type is timestamp.

Consider the following information if adding multiple rules:

• You can add up to five rules.
• The Add rule button is only visible if there are less than five rules.
• The Remove button is visible if the rule has been set.

After completing Step 2 above, your newly created audience will be available as a targeting option for promotional content, and as a reporting dimension in promotional content reports.

To create an event targeting a custom audience:

1. When creating a promotional content event, scroll to the "Featuring" section and select A specific audience.
2. In the Select audience group dropdown, select Custom audience.
3. Click Select a custom audience.
4. Select the audience you want to target.
   • Note: If there are no created audiences, you can create a new audience, the newly created audience will be pre-selected, then click Apply. If there are already created audiences, you can select an audience and click Apply or you can create a new audience via the ‘Create audience’ button.
5. Click Submit event or Save as draft.

When viewing app statistics in Play Console, audiences are available as filters in the reports on the Promotional content page.

For example, to view only events that were targeted to a specific audience:

1. Open Play Console and go to the Promotional content reports page (Grow users > Store performance > Promotional content reports).
2. Click + Event to configure your report.
3. Use the filter to select Audience to show only events relevant for the selected audience.
   • Note: You can also click + Audience and then use the filter to select an additional audience to show events specific to multiple selected audiences

Create a tag called ‘level’ and make the value an integer for the game level that users have reached. Update this each time the user plays the game.

Create audiences like ‘Level 4 and under’, ‘Level 5-9’, ‘Level 10-14’, etc.

When running a major update event you can now customize the message for players that use the game at each grouping of levels, perhaps appealing to them with specific imagery and characters.

To improve player retention and engagement, you might use the Play Grouping API to target players based on their game level by:

1. Creating a tag named "level" and assigning each player a corresponding integer value.
2. Creating audiences based on specific level ranges, such as "Level 4 and under," "Level 5-9," "Level 10-14," and so on.
3. Customizing promotional messages for each audience to players at different levels. For example, you could highlight features or content that are particularly relevant to their current gameplay experience.

To re-engage players who haven't been active in your app for a while, you might use the Play Grouping API to target specific segments by:

1. Creating a tag named "last_session" and assigning each player a timestamp indicating the end of their most recent session.
2. Creating an audience of players whose "last_session" tag is older than a specific threshold (for example, 14 days, 30 days).
3. Running targeted promotions to attract these lapsed users back to your app. You can offer incentives, highlight new content, or remind them of features they may have enjoyed.

Google Play also has predefined churned and lapsed audiences metric definitions available for promotional content:

• Churned users are those who have uninstalled your app.
• Lapsed users are those who have kept the app installed but not opened it in 28 days.

Custom audiences allow you to craft your own definitions of lapsed and churned, to meet the needs of your business.

If your app offers multiple features, you could use the Play Grouping API to target users based on their feature usage by:

1. Creating boolean tags for each feature (for example, "walking," "rollerblading," "baking").
2. Defining audiences based on specific combinations of features (for example, users who have used both "walking" and "rollerblading").
3. Customizing promotional messages to highlight relevant features or content for each audience. For example, you could offer a discount on a new walking feature to users who frequently use the "rollerblading" feature.