Google keeps changing the rules

Building a mobile app isn't just building a product. It's also surviving an ecosystem that keeps changing.

And honestly, Android is probably one of the best examples of that reality.

An app is never truly done

One year, everything works perfectly. Then suddenly : new Android version, new Play Store rules, new permissions, new security constraints, new system behaviors.

And many projects find this out way too late. Because they think : "The app is done." Spoiler : a mobile app is never truly done.

The phone evolves. Usage evolves. The stores evolve. User expectations evolve. And your app has to follow.

The budget everyone forgets

The problem is that many companies plan for design, development, launch, marketing. But almost never for long-term product maintenance.

And yet, that's often where the real work begins. Google regularly changes how notifications work, file storage, location permissions, background behaviors, privacy rules, security requirements.

According to Google Play's target API level requirements, this is not a suggestion but a dated deadline. Right now new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36), and existing apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) by 31 August 2026, with an extension available to 1 November 2026 (Google Play Console Help, 2026).

The most important part is the penalty, because it is quieter than a rejection. Google's wording : apps below the required level "stop being discoverable to all Google Play users whose devices run Android OS versions newer than your app's target API level." Nothing breaks, nothing is removed, and nobody emails you — your app simply stops appearing for the newest devices, which are the ones being bought.

The invisible work that keeps the app alive

The most frustrating part ? Some updates require huge amounts of work… without adding any visible user value. But they remain indispensable.

Because an app that no longer follows the ecosystem loses visibility, becomes unstable, gets blocked from publishing, or vanishes from the store. The key difference with Apple is worth knowing : Apple removes apps only after 3 years without an update and a failure to meet a minimum download threshold, and gives 90 days' notice to submit an update first (Apple App Store Improvements, 2026). Google simply stops showing you.

Building an app isn't like printing a brochure. It's a living product. And that product has to keep evolving technically long after launch.

Maintenance that never stops

In short : mobile maintenance isn't only about fixing bugs. It is adapting the app to Android, to manufacturers, to new rules, new devices and new expectations — on a cycle that repeats roughly every 12 months and does not wait for your roadmap.

And honestly, that's often the invisible work that truly keeps an app "alive".

Is your Android app ready for the next Google changes ? Book a 30-minute call to assess the maintenance debt quietly piling up.