Google Play's target API-level requirements
If you are like us, you will have received an email similar to us:
Google PLay's API lever 33 targetSdk deadline email
As you can see, we have a lot of developed Android Apps that need their target APIs changed.
To help make Target API level deadlines clearer, we are unifying the dates to August 31 every year.
Starting August 31, 2023:
New Android apps must target Android 13 (API level 33) or higher; except for Wear OS apps, which must target Android 11 (API level 30) or up to Android 13 (API level 33).
Existing apps must target API level 31 or above to remain available to users on devices running Android OS higher than your app's target API level. Apps that target API level 30 or below (target API level 29 or below for Wear OS), will only be available on devices running Android OS same or lower than your apps’ target API level.
How to Target API Level 33?
To target API level 33 follow the following steps:
- Open your Android Project.
- Open android/app/build.gradle.
- Locate the line "targetSdkVersion" and replace it with "targetSdkVersion: 33".
And that's it!
How do I ensure all apps are updated?
If you have already updated all your apps to API level 33 and still face the error on your dashboard, complete the following steps to find all the apps that are non-compliant:
Open "Policy Status"
Open the "Policy Status" for the apps which are still in error.
Google Play API 33 Target SDK Policy center
View Details
Click on "View Details"
Google Play API 33 Target SDK Warning
View Affected app bundles and APKs
Click on the "View Affected app bundles" button, and observe all the apps in error:
All affected Apps- Apps not targetting API lever 33
As you can see, 2 apps in Closed beta haven't been updated for a long time. It is easy to miss older tracks that have not been used for long.
The solution is to update these older tracks with a newer version of your app that targets API level 33 as well.
Conclusion
Google updates the target requirements of all apps in Playstore every year so make sure all the apps are utilizing the updated security practices. To comply with these requirements, it is imperative to update the targetSdkVersion of your Android app each year.
