No Kotlin? No Problem. How I shipped Android Apps using React & Capacitor
Source: Dev.to
The False Start: PWABuilder
At first I tried the shortest shortcut possible: using PWABuilder to package my existing Progressive Web App into an APK. It sounded perfect on paper, but in reality it felt pointless. While it technically worked, I had zero control over the native experience. It was just a website pretending to be an app, with limited access to device features and a shaky user experience. I realized that if I wanted to be on the Store, I needed something more robust.
The Solution: React + Capacitor
That’s when I found Capacitor. If you are a React developer, this tool is a superpower. Unlike PWABuilder, Capacitor lets you keep your standard web development workflow while providing a runtime that bridges the web world with the native world.
My workflow looked like this:
- Build the UI in React (just like I do for the web).
- Use Capacitor to wrap the build output.
- Generate the Android project folder and open it in Android Studio, then hit the Build button.
Suddenly I had access to native plugins, a real file structure, and a performant app that didn’t feel like a cheap wrapper.
The Boss Battle: Google Play Console
Coding the app was actually the easy part. The real challenge was the Google Play Console. If you are an indie developer, be prepared for a bureaucratic nightmare:
- Verification Process – getting stricter every year.
- Privacy Policies – you can’t ignore them anymore.
- Testing Tracks – you need 12 testers for 14 days before you can even think about production (if you have a personal account created after Nov 2023) – annoying AF…
It took some time, but finally seeing that green “Approved” status was one of my biggest wins this year.
The Result
Both apps are now live. They aren’t perfect, but they are shipped.
Takeaway: If you’re a web developer afraid of mobile stores, just do it. Don’t waste time on shortcuts like basic PWA wrappers if you want a real store presence. Go with Capacitor (or React Native), leverage your JavaScript skills, and push through the Google Play verification. It’s worth it.