Keeping your app in the stores: the 2026 deadlines

Building an app takes a few months. Keeping an app in the stores takes attention every single year. Apple and Google raise the bar annually on what you may submit and what may stay listed, and 2026 brings three moments that matter — each with a different consequence if you miss it.

Why an app is never finished

With a website you decide when to renew something. With an app there is a party between you and your user: the store. Apple and Google dictate which build tools you use, which Android or iOS version your app must target, and what must be known about the publisher. Those requirements shift a little every year.

The tricky part is that ignoring them does not always hurt right away. Your app usually keeps working on the phones where it already lives, while new users can no longer install it. If that affects your marketing or the onboarding of new staff, you tend to find out when someone complains.

Three consequences to keep apart

Keep these apart, because each one calls for a different level of urgency:

• You can no longer upload updates. The app stays listed, but you cannot ship a bug fix, a price change or a new feature. This is what the SDK and target API rules do.
• The app stays listed but becomes unavailable to part of your audience. Existing users keep it; newer devices are no longer offered the app.
• The app is removed. The heaviest outcome, which Google ties to registering and verifying developers.

Google: register your apps and verify your developer account

Google is making developer verification mandatory. In its announcement of 18 June 2026, Google states, in a 15 July 2026 update, that Play developers must register their Play apps in Play Console to meet Android developer verification and the updated Play Console requirements. 99% of apps on Play were registered automatically. For the rest: check your Play Console Home page and register the remaining apps by 30 September 2026, to avoid removal from Google Play worldwide.

On enforcement, TechRepublic reports that it starts on 30 September 2026, with a first phase in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. There, apps from registered developers install as usual on certified Android devices; Google says unregistered apps need adb or the advanced flow. According to Google, the first phase covers seven participating stores, including Google Play, Galaxy Store, GetApps and the HONOR App Market. That is easy to overlook: verification reaches beyond the Play Store alone.

What exactly is asked of you as a publisher, and which countries follow when, is on Google’s own pages: Understanding Android developer verification and the guide Register on Google Play Console. Google also describes the roll-out to all developers in a March 2026 blog post. Read those pages before you submit anything: this is not a technical job for your developer, but an administrative task for the account owner, involving company and identity details.

Who has to do this?

The person or organisation the developer account is registered to. Had your app built by an agency? Find out now whether it sits under your own Play Console account or theirs. In the first case, you have to act. In the second, it is a good moment to agree in writing who handles verification and renewals — and whether you would rather own that account yourself.

Google Play: Android 16 (API level 36) since 31 August 2026

The second deadline concerns the target API level: the Android version your app declares it is built for. According to Play Console Help, since 31 August 2026 new apps and app updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher in order to be submitted to Google Play. Wear OS and Android Automotive OS apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher, and Android TV and Android XR apps Android 14 (API level 34) or higher.

A separate rule applies to apps already in the store. They must target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher to remain available to new users on devices running an Android version higher than the app’s target. Apps targeting Android 14 (API level 34) or lower are only available on devices with an Android version equal to or lower than the app’s target API level. Google also documents this in its developer guide on Google Play’s target API level requirement.

Not going to make it? According to an overview by Median, developers can request an extension until 1 November 2026 to meet the requirements. Check the request procedure and current conditions on the Play Console Help page above before you count on it.

Apple: version 26 SDKs required since 28 April 2026

Apple works with minimum SDK requirements: the version of the development kit your build was made with. Its announcement on developer.apple.com states that apps and games uploaded to App Store Connect from 28 April 2026 must be built with the iOS 26 & iPadOS 26 SDK or later. For tvOS it is the tvOS 26 SDK or later, for visionOS the visionOS 26 SDK or later and for watchOS the watchOS 26 SDK or later. Apple keeps the current list on its Upcoming requirements page.

In practice this means builds have to be made with Xcode 26 or later, as Expo also describes. For you as the client this is mainly a planning matter: the development environment, build machines and any CI pipelines have to move along, and that takes time on top of the features you actually wanted.

One important nuance: building with a newer SDK is not the same as dropping older iPhones. The SDK determines which APIs you can use; which iOS versions your app supports is set by the deployment target. So you can build with the iOS 26 SDK and still support older iOS versions.

What this means for your planning and budget

The practical conclusion is simple: count on at least one maintenance round per year, tied to these store deadlines. That is not an extra service, it is the price of being listed. A few choices that help:

• Schedule maintenance before the deadline, not after. An update rushed through review brings more pressure and risk than a planned round.
• Write down who owns the accounts. Play Console and App Store Connect belong in your organisation’s name, with your developer as an administrator.
• Bundle mandatory work with wanted work. If the app has to be opened up for a new SDK anyway, that is the moment for the small improvements on your list.
• Follow the official channels. Play Console Help and Apple’s Upcoming requirements are leading; blogs and summaries can be out of date.

In my app development work I include this maintenance in the agreements, so you do not have to renegotiate every year for work that has to happen anyway. Already have an app and just want someone tracking the deadlines? That can run through maintenance and support. The same rhythm applies to my own apps Deskside and BamBuddy, both in the portfolio. Mandatory deadlines are not unique to apps, by the way — the web has them too, as I wrote earlier about the European Accessibility Act.

Checklist for this week

1. Sign in to Play Console and open the Home page. Are all your apps registered? If not, register them and follow the verification steps.
2. Check whose name Play Console and App Store Connect are in, and who manages the contact details and payment profiles.
3. Ask your developer what target API level your Android app has right now: 36, 35 or lower. That tells you whether you can upload an update and who can still install the app.
4. Ask which Xcode and SDK version your latest iOS build was made with. If it is not version 26, you cannot submit a new build today.
5. Put one maintenance round per year in your budget and calendar, well before the summer.
6. Not sure whether something applies to your situation? Book a free half-hour intro call and bring your store details.

The short version: an app that stands still slowly slides out of the store. A short check once a year saves you an emergency job at the worst possible moment.

Frequently asked questions

Will my app be removed straight away if I do nothing?

It depends on the requirement. The SDK and target API rules mainly stop you from uploading updates and make your app unavailable to part of the new-user audience. Worldwide removal is what Google ties to apps not registered in Play Console; those had to be registered by 30 September 2026.

Do I need verification if I don't distribute through Google Play?

According to Google the requirement starts on 30 September 2026 at seven participating stores in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, expanding globally in 2027; apps you distribute outside Play can also be registered in Play Console. Check your own case on Google's official Android developer verification pages.

Will my app still run on older iPhones if it's built with the iOS 26 SDK?

Yes, it can. The SDK determines which APIs are available; which iOS versions your app supports is set by the deployment target, which your developer configures per app.

How often should I plan maintenance?

Count on at least one round a year, tied to Apple's and Google's store deadlines. Schedule it well ahead, so a mandatory update doesn't land in your busiest weeks.