Guides

Everything you need to know about Google Play.

15 in-depth guides on compliance, submission, listings, monetization, and audience targeting. Updated for 2026 policies. Free to read.

Compliance

7 guides

Compliance

Target API Level Requirement: Why Your AAB Needs Android 15 (API 35)

Google now rejects every new submission below API 35. Here is what the rule means, how to update your gradle file, and what's coming for Android 16 in August 2026.

7 min read

Compliance

The 12-Tester, 14-Day Rule for Personal Developer Accounts

If you signed up after November 2023, you cannot skip the closed-testing requirement. Here's exactly how to set it up, recruit testers, and survive the wait.

11 min read

Compliance

Data Safety Form: A Plain-English Walkthrough

The form that gets the most apps rejected. Every question explained, every option translated from policy-speak, with examples from real apps.

14 min read

Compliance

Content Rating (IARC): Every Question, Decoded

The IARC questionnaire's wording is technical and unforgiving. Here's what each question really asks and how to answer accurately without inflating your rating.

10 min read

Compliance

Privacy Policy Requirements for Google Play in 2026

Where the URL must live, what it must contain, why reviewers reject yours, and how to generate one that matches your Data Safety answers.

9 min read

Compliance

In-App Account Deletion: The Rule That Sneaks Up On Most Devs

If your app lets users create accounts, they must be able to delete them from inside the app — not via support email. Here is how to comply without rebuilding your auth.

7 min read

Compliance

Justifying Sensitive Permissions: Background Location, SMS, Contacts

Permissions that trigger extra Google review and how to justify each one — in your manifest, your in-app prompts, and your store listing.

8 min read

Submission

2 guides

Submission

Google Play Console Setup: A First-Time Developer's Walkthrough

Every screen you'll encounter setting up a Play Console account, from the $25 fee to verifying your identity, with the right answers for each section.

9 min read

Submission

AAB vs APK: Why Google Forces You to Use Bundles

What an Android App Bundle is, why it's smaller than an APK, what gets stripped per device, and what to do if your build pipeline still produces APKs.

6 min read

Listing & ASO

3 guides

Listing & ASO

Writing a Store Listing That Converts: Real Examples

Title, short description, full description, screenshots — every element of a Play Store listing, with side-by-side examples of high and low performers.

12 min read

Listing & ASO

Play Store Screenshot Sizes: Every Required Dimension

Phone, 7-inch tablet, 10-inch tablet, Wear OS, Android TV. The exact sizes, the aspect-ratio rules, and the file-size limits — plus what to do if you only have phone screenshots.

7 min read

Listing & ASO

The 1024×500 Feature Graphic: Designing Yours Right

The banner at the top of every Play Store listing. Composition rules, safe zones, what to avoid, and how to generate one from your icon if you don't have a designer.

6 min read

Monetization

2 guides

Monetization

Google Play Service Fees in 2026: The 15%, 30%, and New 20%/10% Rules

Google is restructuring fees in June 2026. Here's the current system, what's changing, and what it means for your take-home revenue.

8 min read

Monetization

Alternative Billing on Google Play: When It Saves You 4–5%

Google now allows alternative billing systems in some markets, with a fee discount. Here's who qualifies, how it works, and whether it's worth the integration cost.

9 min read

Audience

1 guides

Audience

Families Policy: What Changes When Your App Is For Kids

Stricter ad rules, certified SDKs only, parental consent flows. A guide for developers whose apps target users under 13.

10 min read