Once a year, Google Play emails every developer about "target API level requirements", and once a year a wave of apps stops being available to new users because nobody acted on it. This guide explains the rule so the email makes sense — and so a website-based app, which has no reason to fall behind, never does.
Two numbers in every app
- minSdkVersion — the oldest Android version the app installs on. Lower means more devices. The builder's template supports a broad range of current devices.
- targetSdkVersion — the Android version the app declares it was tested against. It does not limit who can install; it tells the OS which modern behaviours (permission models, background limits, privacy protections) to enforce on the app. A high target means the app opts into the newest rules.
Google's requirement is about the second number. The purpose is straightforward: apps that target old versions can sidestep newer privacy and security protections, so Play insists everyone keeps up.
The rule
New apps and app updates must target an API level within one year of the latest major Android release. In practice Google announces the level and a deadline each year, with the deadline at the end of August:
| Deadline | Required target | Android version |
|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2023 | API 33 | Android 13 |
| 31 August 2024 | API 34 | Android 14 |
| 31 August 2025 | API 35 | Android 15 |
| Expected August 2026 | API 36 | Android 16 |
A one-time extension to 1 November can be requested in the console each year for apps that need it; the form takes a minute.
What happens if you miss it
- Uploads are rejected. The console refuses a bundle targeting below the requirement, so you cannot publish an update until you rebuild.
- Existing apps that don't update stay installed and available to existing users, but Play stops showing them to new users on devices running a newer Android than the app targets, after the app falls more than two years behind. The listing is effectively hidden from most new phones.
Related requirements that arrive with new targets
- Android 13+ (API 33): notification permission is a runtime prompt. The builder requests it correctly when push is enabled.
- Android 14+ (API 34): foreground service types, tighter implicit-intent rules — irrelevant to a WebView app, handled in the template.
- Android 15+ (API 35): edge-to-edge display by default (the template handles insets so your site isn't hidden under the status bar), and the 16 KB memory page size requirement for apps with native libraries, which a website-based app does not have.
Why a website-based app never needs to fall behind
Your content lives on your website; the Android package is a thin shell. When Google raises the target level, the builder's template is updated and you rebuild with the same settings — no code to migrate, no libraries to upgrade. Upload the new bundle, and the yearly requirement is met in the time it takes to click through the release form. The only discipline required is remembering to do it.
The calendar entry
Put a recurring reminder in early August: rebuild, upload to internal testing, install, check, promote to production. Google also emails the account owner; make sure that inbox is monitored. Pair it with the once-a-year check of your privacy policy and Data safety answers, since those tend to drift too.