July 6th, 2020

Preparing Apps for Google Play Android 10 Requirements

James Montemagno
Principal Manager, Tech PM

For the Northern Hemisphere, Summer is here! Which means there are some new requirements coming to Google Play when it comes to publishing your apps. Over years there have been several updates to the requirements for publish new apps. As well as updates to Google Play. This year, it is all about updating your app to target Android 10 (API 29). Below are the important dates that all developers must hit.

Android 10 Requirement Dates:

  • August 3rd, 2020New apps must target Android 10 (API 29).
  • November 2nd, 2020All apps and app updates must target Android 10 (API 29).

Image of 4 boxes representing Android Target level APIs

Today, let us walk through upgrading your existing Android app to be fully compliant.

Compile Target

The first step is to go into your projects properties and set the Compile Target to Android 10 (API 29). This tells Visual Studio to compile your Android application against API 29 and give access APIs found in this version. This does not impact the minimum version of Android that is required by your users.

Visual Studio Android project settings showing drop down for Compile Target that is being set to API 29

If you do not have the API 29 SDK installed you will see an * by API 29. When selected, you will be prompted to install the SDK.

Target API

The next step is to verify the Target API under the Android Manifest section of the project properties. This setting notifies Google Play and Android that you are compliant with Android 10 (API 29). This property will automatically be set to Android 10, though it is best practice to verify it.

Image of Android Manifest property settings with Target API set to Android 10 (API 29)

Additionally, in this section you will find the Minimum Target that acts as a filter for Google Play for what devices can install your application.

AndroidX

When you target Android 10 (API 29), you should also consider migrating fully to AndroidX libraries. These are the replacements for the older Android Support Libraries, and both Xamarin.Forms and Xamarin.Essentials now use AndroidX when you target Android 10 (API 29). Be sure to read through the full blog post and documentation on migrating.

Learn More

There are several other policy updates to be aware of including changes to subscriptions, location access, 64-bit support, and more. You can find up to date information on requirements for Android apps on the Google Play policies website.

Author

James Montemagno
Principal Manager, Tech PM

James Montemagno is a Principal Lead Program Manager for Developer Community at Microsoft. He has been a .NET developer since 2005, working in a wide range of industries including game development, printer software, and web services. Prior to becoming a Principal Program Manager, James was a professional mobile developer and has now been crafting apps since 2011 with Xamarin. In his spare time, he is most likely cycling around Seattle or guzzling gallons of coffee at a local coffee shop. He ...

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2 comments

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  • Thomas Galliker

    “All apps and app updates must target Android 10 (API 20)” -> I guess “API 20” is a typo and should be API 29, no?