Google has announced a significant policy change for Android app developers: starting August 31, 2025, all new apps and updates submitted to the Play Store must target Android 15 (API level 35). This mandate ensures that apps are optimized for the latest platform capabilities, security improvements, and performance enhancements.
Additionally, ongoing apps that do not update may be required to target at least Android 14 (API level 34) shortly after, consolidating app compatibility on recent Android versions.
This policy benefits end-users by encouraging developers to:
Adopt new privacy and security features introduced in Android 15, such as restricted access to sensitive data and more granular permission controls.
Utilize enhanced APIs for better app responsiveness and battery usage.
Ensure apps behave consistently with the latest UI and system behavior guidelines.
For developers, this means updating software development kits (SDKs), testing apps on the latest Android builds, and possibly modifying code to comply with new restrictions or capabilities. Google provides ample notice and transition tools to ease this process.
Ultimately, the update drives the Android ecosystem forward by maintaining a baseline of modern standards and keeping apps secure, performant, and reliable.