Posted by Krish Vitaldevara, Director, Product Administration
Google Play helps our developer neighborhood distribute the world’s most progressive and trusted apps to billions of individuals. That is an ongoing course of and we’re at all times engaged on methods to enhance app security throughout the ecosystem.
Along with the Google Play options and insurance policies which can be central to offering a secure expertise for customers, every Android OS replace brings privateness, safety, and person expertise enhancements. To make sure customers understand the total advantages of those advances—and to take care of the trusted expertise folks anticipate on Google Play—we collaborate with builders to make sure their apps work seamlessly on newer Android variations.
We presently require new apps and app updates to focus on an Android API stage inside one yr of the most recent main Android OS model launch. New apps and app updates that don’t meet this requirement can’t be printed on Google Play. For precise timelines, please check with this Assist Heart article.
Present goal API Degree necessities for brand spanking new apps and app updates
Immediately, as a part of Google Play’s newest coverage updates, we’re taking further steps to guard customers from putting in apps that will not have the most recent privateness and safety features by increasing our goal stage API necessities.
Beginning on November 1, 2022, present apps that don’t goal an API stage inside two years of the most recent main Android launch model won’t be out there for discovery or set up for brand spanking new customers with gadgets operating Android OS variations greater than apps’ goal API stage. As new Android OS variations launch sooner or later, the requirement window will modify accordingly.
Goal API Degree necessities for present apps, beginning November 1
The rationale behind that is easy. Customers with the most recent gadgets or those that are totally caught up on Android updates anticipate to comprehend the total potential of all of the privateness and safety protections Android has to supply. Increasing our goal stage API necessities will defend customers from putting in older apps that will not have these protections in place.
The excellent news is that the overwhelming majority of apps on Google Play already abide by these requirements. For different apps, we all know this can require further consideration, which is why we’re notifying builders nicely upfront and offering sources for individuals who want them.
We encourage you to:
- Overview our technical information on migrating your app to fulfill Google Play’s goal API stage necessities.
- Overview our Assist Heart article on the goal API stage necessities by Android OS.
- Request an non-compulsory 6 month extension for those who want extra time for migration. The shape shall be out there in your Developer Play Console later this yr.
Present customers of older apps who’ve beforehand put in the app from Google Play will proceed to have the ability to uncover, re-install, and use the app on any gadget operating any Android OS model that the app helps.
This strengthened Goal Degree API coverage is simply one of many coverage updates we introduced in the present day to increase person protections and enhance person experiences on Google Play. We’ll proceed to share updates about this necessary work that may assist increase the bar for app privateness and safety throughout the board, making Google Play and Android a safer place for everybody.
