Google offers a developer program for Android devices called the Google Play Developer Program. Like the Apple programs, it is not necessary to have a Google Play Developer Program account to develop Android applications. Unlike the iOS program, you can deploy to your personal devices without an active Google Play Developer Program account. You will only need a Google Play Developer account if you intend to sell your app on the Google Play Store. At the time of writing this, Google charges a one-time fee of $25 for a developer program account for an individual or a business.
Note
If you do not intend to develop Android applications, you may skip this walkthrough for now and come back to it whenever you're ready.
Let's walk through the process of subscribing to a Google Play Developer Program account now:
Open your browser and go to https://play.google.com/apps/publish/signup/.
Sign in with your Google account and click the Continue button.
Review the Google Play Developer distribution agreement. If you agree to the terms select the checkbox and click the Continue to payment button.
Enter your payment information and click Accept and continue.
Once your payment has been accepted, you will need to create your Developer Profile. Enter your name, e-mail address, website (if applicable), and phone number and click the Complete registration button.
Once you have completed the registration, you will be redirected to the Google Play Developer Console. We will discuss the Developer Console in more detail in Chapter 8, Deployment.