[android] How to set up gradle and android studio to do release build?

I want to build android app and start signing it. For that I need to have Release version of apk. Google documentation suggests only Eclipse and ant ways to have release builds: http://developer.android.com/tools/publishing/app-signing.html#releasecompile

However I cannot find how to force gradle build release version of apk. build.gradle does not give any hints either. gradlew tasks suggests, that there is no install Release configuration, but uninstall release exists:

Install tasks
-------------
installDebug - Installs the Debug build
installTest - Installs the Test build for the Debug build
uninstallAll - Uninstall all applications.
uninstallDebug - Uninstalls the Debug build
uninstallRelease - Uninstalls the Release build
uninstallTest - Uninstalls the Test build for the Debug build

My build.gradle:

buildscript {
    repositories {
        mavenCentral()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:0.5.+'
    }
}
apply plugin: 'android'

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    compile 'com.android.support:support-v4:13.0.+'
    compile files('libs/android-support-v4.jar')
    compile project(":libraries:ActionBarSherlock")
    compile project(":libraries:CollabsibleSearchMenu")
}

android {
    compileSdkVersion 18
    buildToolsVersion "18.0.1"

    defaultConfig {
        minSdkVersion 8
        targetSdkVersion 16
    }
}

What I am missing?

This is a procedure to configure run release version

1- Change build variants to release version.

2- Open project structure.

3- Change default config to $signingConfigs.release

1. open the Build Variants pane, typically found along the lower left side of the window:

2. set debug to release
3. shift+f10 run!!

then, Android Studio will execute assembleRelease task and install xx-release.apk to your device.

To compile with release build as shown below:

To activate the installRelease task, you simply need a signingConfig. That is all.

From http://tools.android.com/tech-docs/new-build-system/user-guide#TOC-Android-tasks:

Finally, the plugin creates install/uninstall tasks for all build types (debug, release, test), as long as they can be installed (which requires signing).

Here is what you want:

Install tasks
-------------
installDebug - Installs the Debug build
installDebugTest - Installs the Test build for the Debug build
installRelease - Installs the Release build
uninstallAll - Uninstall all applications.
uninstallDebug - Uninstalls the Debug build
uninstallDebugTest - Uninstalls the Test build for the Debug build
uninstallRelease - Uninstalls the Release build   <--- release

Here is how to obtain the installRelease task:

Example build.gradle:

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }

    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:1.2.3'
    }
}

apply plugin: 'com.android.application'

android {
  compileSdkVersion 22
  buildToolsVersion '22.0.1'

  defaultConfig {
    applicationId 'demo'
    minSdkVersion 15
    targetSdkVersion 22
    versionCode 1
    versionName '1.0'
  }

  signingConfigs {
      release {
          storeFile <file>
          storePassword <password>
          keyAlias <alias>
          keyPassword <password>
      }
  }

  buildTypes {
    release {
        signingConfig signingConfigs.release
    }
  }
}

No need to update gradle for making release application in Android studio.If you were eclipse user then it will be so easy for you. If you are new then follow the steps

1: Go to the "Build" at the toolbar section. 2: Choose "Generate Signed APK..." option.

3:fill opened form and go next 4 :if you already have .keystore or .jks then choose that file enter your password and alias name and respective password. 5: Or don't have .keystore or .jks file then click on Create new... button as shown on pic 1 then fill the form.

Above process was to make build manually. If You want android studio to automatically Signing Your App

In Android Studio, you can configure your project to sign your release APK automatically during the build process:

On the project browser, right click on your app and select Open Module Settings. On the Project Structure window, select your app's module under Modules. Click on the Signing tab. Select your keystore file, enter a name for this signing configuration (as you may create more than one), and enter the required information. Figure 4. Create a signing configuration in Android Studio.

Click on the Build Types tab. Select the release build. Under Signing Config, select the signing configuration you just created. Figure 5. Select a signing configuration in Android Studio.

4:Most Important thing that make debuggable=false at gradle.

    buildTypes {
        release {
           minifyEnabled false
          proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-  android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.txt'
        debuggable false
        jniDebuggable false
        renderscriptDebuggable false
        zipAlignEnabled true
       }
     }

visit for more in info developer.android.com