Metis first publish attempt failed

2023-11-16 · 2 min read

Note: This article was completed by AI (Claude Sonnet 4.6) from my initial notes and thoughts.

Metis got rejected on the very first Play Store submission.

The reason: the location permission request flow didn't meet policy. Google Play requires that before calling requestPermissions(), the app must explain to the user why the permission is needed and how it will be used. Metis uses location to tag journal entries with a place, but the app was jumping straight to the system permission dialog with no prior explanation at all.

The correct flow

The fix is simple: show a rationale dialog before the very first requestPermissions() call. Not just after a prior denial — before the first ask.

if (ContextCompat.checkSelfPermission(
        context, Manifest.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
    ) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED) {
    onPermissionGranted()
} else {
    // Always explain before asking, even on the first request
    showRationaleDialog(
        message = "Metis uses your location to record where you wrote this journal entry.",
        onConfirm = { requestLocationPermission() }
    )
}

One sentence explaining why the app needs location is enough. The point is that the user knows what they're agreeing to before the system dialog appears.

Play's requirements

A few other location permission requirements worth knowing:

• Only request when actually needed — not at app launch.
• If the feature only needs approximate location, use ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION instead of precise.
• Background location (ACCESS_BACKGROUND_LOCATION) requires a separate justification and has a much higher review bar.

Metis only needs location when the user actively creates a new entry. Requesting it at that moment, with the rationale dialog first, was enough — second submission passed.