On this page (5 sections)
In force now
| Platform | Requirement | Effective | Who is affected | Official source | Help page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | Target API level 36 (Android 16) for new apps and updates (Wear OS / Automotive: 35; TV / XR: 34). Extension to 1 Nov 2026 on request. | 31 Aug 2026 | Every Android app shipping an update | Play Console Help — Target API level requirements for Google Play apps | Target API Level 36 Fix |
| Google Play | Play Billing Library 8 or later for new apps and updates. Extension to 1 Nov 2026 on request. | 31 Aug 2026 | Apps with in-app products or subscriptions | Android Developers — Play Billing Library deprecation FAQ | Play Billing Library 8 Upgrade |
| Google Play | 16 KB page size support for apps targeting Android 15+ (new apps and updates). | 1 Nov 2025 | Apps with native code (own or SDK), which with API 36 now means every update | Android Developers — Support 16 KB page sizes | 16 KB Page Size Fix |
| Android (all certified devices) | Android developer verification: verified identity/organisation and registered packages and signing keys. Regional enforcement in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand; Play developers must register remaining apps to avoid global removal. | 30 Sep 2026 | All developers distributing on certified devices | Android Developers — Android developer verification | Android Developer Verification |
| Google Play | Families Policy Requirements expanded to prohibit anonymous chat apps from targeting children; Child Safety Standards and Age-Restricted Content policies expanded to anonymous and random chat apps. | 26 Aug 2026 | Anonymous / random chat apps and apps targeting children | Play Console Help — Policy Deadlines | App Content Declarations |
| App Store | Apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 and the iOS 26 / iPadOS 26 / tvOS 26 / visionOS 26 / watchOS 26 SDK. | 28 Apr 2026 | Every Apple platform upload | Apple Developer — Upcoming requirements (SDK, privacy, age rating, trader status) | Legacy App Update & Modernization |
| App Store | Responses to the updated age-rating questions required to submit updates without interruption. | 31 Jan 2026 | All apps | Apple Developer — Upcoming requirements (SDK, privacy, age rating, trader status) | Metadata Rejection (2.3) |
| App Store (EU) | DSA trader status required; apps without it are removed from the App Store in the EU (updates required it since 16 Oct 2024). | 17 Feb 2025 | Apps distributed in the EU | Apple Developer — Upcoming requirements (SDK, privacy, age rating, trader status) | App Store Rejection Help |
| App Store | Receipt-signing SHA-1 intermediate certificate expired; on-device receipt validation must support SHA-256 or use AppTransaction / Transaction APIs. | 24 Jan 2025 | Apps validating receipts on device | Apple Developer — Upcoming requirements (SDK, privacy, age rating, trader status) | IAP / Payment Rejection (3.1) |
| App Store | Approved reasons required for listed “required reason” APIs used by app code and third-party SDKs; listed SDKs need privacy manifests and signatures. | 1 May 2024 | Apps using listed APIs / SDKs | Apple Developer — Third-party SDK requirements (privacy manifests and signatures) | Privacy manifest entry |
Dated and upcoming
| Platform | Requirement | Date | Who is affected | Official source | Help page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | Extension window for target API 36 and Play Billing Library 8 closes. | 1 Nov 2026 | Apps that requested the extension | Play Console Help — Target API level requirements for Google Play apps | Target API Level 36 Fix |
| Google Play | Permissions policy: apps that don’t need broad access must use the Android Contact Picker; the location button becomes the recommended minimum scope for precise location. | 27 Jan 2027 | Apps reading contacts or precise location | Play Console Help — Policy Deadlines | Sensitive Permissions & Declarations |
| Google Play | SMS and Call Log policy will no longer permit account verification via phone call as a use case for READ_CALL_LOG (use the Digital Credentials API or SMS Retriever API). | 27 Jan 2027 | Apps verifying accounts by phone call | Play Console Help — Policy Deadlines | Sensitive Permissions & Declarations |
| Google Play | Geofencing is removed as an approved foreground service use case (use the Geofence API instead). | 27 Jan 2027 | Apps running geofencing foreground services | Play Console Help — Policy Deadlines | Sensitive Permissions & Declarations |
| Google Play | Hard stop: updates that do not support 16 KB page sizes cannot be released. | 1 Feb 2027 | Every app with native code | Android Developers — Support 16 KB page sizes | 16 KB Page Size Fix |
| Android (all certified devices) | Android developer verification expands to all certified Android devices globally. | 2027 | All developers | Android Developers — Android developer verification | Android Developer Verification |
| Google Play | Play Billing Library 9 or later required for new apps and updates (extension to 1 Nov 2027). | 31 Aug 2027 | Apps with in-app products or subscriptions | Android Developers — Play Billing Library deprecation FAQ | Play Billing Library 8 Upgrade |
| Google Play | Next annual target API level step (API 37) — Google publishes the exact requirement in its yearly update; treat August 2027 as the planning date. | expected Aug 2027 (not yet published) | Every Android app | Play Console Help — Target API level requirements for Google Play apps | Target API Level 36 Fix |
How to use this page
- Requirements marked “extension on request” are requested per app from the Policy status page in Play Console; the extension defers the block, not the requirement.
- Every row links the primary Google or Apple page we verified it against. If a source and this page ever disagree, the source wins — and we would like to hear about it at [email protected].
- Deadlines from community threads, blog posts or vendor emails are not listed until they appear in Google’s or Apple’s own documentation. Google’s own Policy Deadlines page is the upstream source for the Play policy rows.
- The Last verified date in the sidebar is updated only after a re-check of every row.
- To find out which of the Android rows your project fails today, paste its build configuration into the update readiness checker. It is text-only, keeps nothing, and is explicit about the requirements a configuration file cannot settle.
Planning the next release around these dates
For most existing apps the work bundles naturally: raising the target API level forces a toolchain upgrade, which is the moment to move the Billing Library and rebuild native libraries 16 KB-aligned; on iOS, the Xcode 26 requirement forces the same kind of upgrade, which is the moment to complete privacy manifests. The legacy app update page describes that combined project by framework.
How App Rejection Fix can help
This page is a calendar; turning it into a plan for one specific app is the part that takes judgement. That is what the free initial review does here.
- Work out which rows actually apply to your app — framework, native dependencies, monetisation model, distribution channels and the date of the last release all change the answer.
- Put them in the order they bite, so a release is not blocked twice by work that could have been done once.
- Say which requirements can be deferred with an extension request from the Policy status page, and what the extension does and does not buy you.
- Estimate the side-effects: edge-to-edge and orientation changes at API 36, purchase-flow changes in Play Billing 8, deployment-target and dependency churn from Xcode 26.
- Scope and carry out the work — toolchain upgrade, native library rebuild, billing migration, privacy manifests, device testing and the release itself — if you want us to.
The initial review is free. Implementation work, if you want us to do it, is scoped and quoted separately. We never promise that Google or Apple will approve a submission — that decision is theirs.