As of August 31, 2025, Google Play requires new apps and app updates to target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher, so in 2026 that is the level your build must target to publish an update. You set this in your build configuration as the target SDK, not as a field you type in Play Console, and Play Console enforces it when you upload: a bundle targeting too low a level is blocked from release. Special form factors have a lower floor, and following Google's yearly pattern the requirement is expected to move to Android 16 (API level 36) around August 31, 2026.
Short answer
New apps and updates must target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher to be published on Google Play. Per Google's target API level requirement, this took effect on August 31, 2025 for phones and tablets, while Wear OS, Android TV, and Android Automotive apps must target at least Android 14 (API level 34). You set the level with targetSdkVersion, or targetSdk, in your build configuration, and Play Console blocks an upload that targets too low a level. If you need more time, you can request an extension through a form in Play Console. Following the annual pattern, the requirement is expected to rise to API level 36 around August 31, 2026.
What the target API level requirement is
The target API level requirement is Google Play's rule that your app must be built to target a recent version of Android, expressed as an API level, to be published or updated. The target API level, set as targetSdkVersion in your build, tells Android which version's behaviors your app is designed for, and Google requires it to stay within roughly a year of the latest major Android release. The goal is to keep apps current with the platform's privacy and security behaviors.
This is a build requirement, not a store form you fill in. The value lives in your app's configuration and is baked into the app bundle you upload, and Play Console reads it from the bundle. Because the requirement updates every year, an app that was compliant last year can fall out of compliance without any change on your part, simply because the required level moved up. Keeping track of the current required level is therefore part of routine maintenance, not a one-time setup.
The 2026 requirement
In 2026, the operative requirement is the one that took effect on August 31, 2025: new apps and app updates for phones and tablets must target Android 15, which is API level 35, or higher. If you submit an update whose bundle targets a lower level, Play Console will not let you roll it out to the standard tracks, so meeting API level 35 is what lets you keep shipping updates through the year.
Google raises this requirement on an annual cadence, moving it up each year around late August to the API level of the previous year's Android release. Following that pattern, the requirement is expected to move to Android 16, API level 36, around August 31, 2026. Treat API level 35 as the current floor for 2026 and plan to move to API level 36 when that requirement takes effect, rather than being caught by the annual bump. Building against the newer level ahead of the deadline avoids a last-minute scramble.
Android 14 (API 34): where it still applies
Android 14, API level 34, is no longer the general requirement for new phone and tablet updates, but it still matters in two places. First, special form factors, Wear OS, Android TV, and Android Automotive, must target at least API level 34, a lower floor than the API level 35 required for phones and tablets. Second, for existing apps to remain available to new users, the app must target at least API level 34; apps targeting API level 33 or lower become available only on devices running that Android version or older.
So if you are reading older guidance that names Android 14 as the requirement, that was the level set on August 31, 2024, and it has since been superseded for standard new-app updates by API level 35. Check which case applies to you: a phone or tablet app targets API level 35, a watch or TV app targets at least API level 34, and any app that has fallen to API level 33 or below is losing reach to new users until it is updated.
Where to set the target API level
You set the target API level in your app's build configuration, not in Play Console. In a Gradle project, it is the targetSdk, historically targetSdkVersion, value in your module's build configuration, for example setting targetSdk to 35 for Android 15. Frameworks that wrap native Android, such as React Native, Flutter, or Expo, expose the same value through their own configuration, which ultimately sets the Android target SDK in the generated build.
After you set it, rebuild your app bundle so the new target is compiled in, then upload that bundle to Play Console. Play Console reads the target level from the bundle and shows it in the release and the app bundle details, and it is where the requirement is enforced: if the level is too low, you are blocked from creating the release. So the exact place to change the value is your build files, and the place you confirm and are gated on it is the upload step in Play Console.
Deadline extensions
Yes, Google offers extensions when you need more time to meet the requirement. Rather than being blocked outright the moment the deadline passes, you can request an extension through a form that appears in Play Console, which pushes your deadline out by a defined period, for example to November 1 in the 2025 cycle. This gives you a window to update an app you could not get compliant in time.
Use the extension as a short buffer, not a substitute for updating. Request it through Play Console before the deadline if you can see you will not make it, and treat the extended date as a firm target to finish the update. An extension keeps your existing app publishable a little longer, but it does not remove the requirement, so the real fix is still raising your target SDK to the required level and shipping the updated bundle.
Review and availability impact
The requirement affects you at upload and in your app's reach, rather than as a content-review decision. When you try to create a release with a bundle that targets below the required level, Play Console blocks that release, so it functions as a gate on publishing updates rather than a rejection during review. You cannot ship a standard update until the target level is compliant.
The availability impact is separate and applies to existing apps that fall behind. An app targeting below the level needed to reach new users stays installed for current users but is limited or hidden for new users on newer devices, quietly shrinking your audience over time. So missing the requirement does not usually generate a dramatic rejection notice; it stops your updates and erodes your reach. Staying current with the target level keeps both your update path and your visibility intact.
Target API levels by year
Seeing the requirements together clarifies which one applies to you. The table below compares them.
| Requirement | Target API level | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| New apps and updates, since Aug 31, 2025 | API level 35 (Android 15) or higher | Phones and tablets |
| Special form factors | API level 34 (Android 14) or higher | Wear OS, Android TV, Automotive |
| Remain available to new users | API level 34 (Android 14) or higher | Existing apps; lower means limited reach |
| Expected next requirement, around Aug 31, 2026 | API level 36 (Android 16) | Phones and tablets, following the annual pattern |
Read the table by your app type: a standard phone or tablet update targets API level 35 now, and you should plan for API level 36 when the annual bump takes effect.
Compliance checklist
Working through the steps in order gets your app compliant. The checklist below covers them.
| Step | Action | Done? |
|---|---|---|
| Check current target | Read targetSdk in your build configuration | [ ] |
| Raise the target | Set targetSdk to 35 or higher | [ ] |
| Handle behavior changes | Test against the new platform behaviors | [ ] |
| Rebuild the bundle | Produce an app bundle targeting the new level | [ ] |
| Upload to Play Console | Confirm the release is accepted | [ ] |
| Request an extension if needed | Use the Play Console form before the deadline | [ ] |
The step that most often causes problems is handling behavior changes: raising the target level opts your app into the new version's privacy and security behaviors, so test rather than only changing the number.
Test the higher target before you ship
Raising your target API level opts your app into the newer platform's behavior changes, especially around permissions and data access, which is exactly where security and compliance issues can surface. Bumping the number without checking how the app behaves under the new level can introduce problems that only appear after release.
A scanner like PTKD.com analyzes your build and reports issues such as over-broad permissions, insecure data storage, and risky third-party code by severity, mapped to OWASP MASVS, which helps when you move to a target level that tightens permission and privacy behavior. To be clear about the boundary: PTKD does not set your target SDK, submit your app, or grant an extension. It helps you catch security and permission issues as you move to the required level.
What to take away
- New apps and updates must target Android 15, API level 35, or higher to publish on Google Play, the requirement in effect since August 31, 2025.
- Set the level as targetSdk, or targetSdkVersion, in your build configuration; Play Console reads it from the bundle and blocks a release that targets too low.
- Android 14, API level 34, remains the floor for special form factors and for existing apps to stay available to new users, but is no longer the general new-app requirement.
- Extensions are available through a Play Console form if you need more time, but they only buy a short buffer, not an exemption.
- Following the annual pattern, plan for API level 36, Android 16, around August 31, 2026, and test behavior changes as you raise the target with a tool like PTKD.com.
