Those 14 Days of Closed Testing Are for Gathering What the Production Form Asks
Google Play production access starts from a closed test with 12 testers opted in continuously for 14 days. Here is how the count actually works, the order the tracks open in, what the application form asks, and the records worth keeping during those two weeks.
Sending user text to an external AI: what actually goes in Play's Data safety form
Classifying user input sent to an external AI as collected, shared, or ephemeral in Play's Data safety form, plus a redaction ordering bug found by running the code.
After the Google Play deadline: which dormant Android apps to raise, and which to leave at 35
Apps you have stopped updating are governed by a different bar than apps you still ship. Here is how to inventory effective targetSdk across your builds and decide which apps to raise, hold, or retire.
expo-doctor passes on API level 35. Here is what its 22 checks actually cover
I opened the expo-doctor 1.20.4 bundle and listed every check it registers. Only one looks at store requirements, and its threshold is still API level 34.
What Android 16 ignores on tablets, and why app.json gives you no way out
Targeting API level 36 means screenOrientation is ignored on displays at least 600dp wide. Here is how to check your project without a tablet, why app.json cannot express a fix, and what the opt-out property actually restores.
Bumping targetSdk to 36 surfaced a 16 KB warning. These are two different deadlines
The August 31 target API 36 requirement and the February 1, 2027 16 KB page size requirement are separate conditions. Here is how to inspect your AAB without installing the NDK, and why a LOAD misalignment and a zip boundary miss need completely different fixes.
The names you can change, and the ones you can't — the 30 minutes before your first Rork release
An app has three names, and only the display name can be changed after release. Here is how I check the identifiers Rork fills in by default, using a dependency-free script, before I hit submit.
August 31 Means Something Different Depending on Whether You Plan to Ship an Update
Two separate conditions land on Google Play's August 31 date: API 36 to submit an update, and API 35 to stay discoverable to new users. Here is how I sorted six apps, and who actually gets the extension form.
You Cannot Shorten Review, But You Can Still Choose the Moment Your App Goes Live
Review time is out of your hands. The moment your app appears in the store is not. Here is how the three App Store Connect release options, Google Play managed publishing, and eas submit fit together.
Three conditions that make Play Policy Insights report nothing on an Expo project
Google Play now ships an open-source policy auditing skill. Running it against an Expo-shaped project, one directory argument moved the result from five detected data categories to zero. Here is when the scan actually reaches your code, and where its output should not be trusted.
Version code 1 has already been used — who owns that number, app.json or EAS?
When a Play upload stops on versionCode, check where the number actually lives before bumping it. A one-command way to tell whether app.json, EAS, or build.gradle wins.
The three places I had to fix before a Rork project actually targeted API level 36
My app.json said targetSdkVersion 36. The value my build actually read was 35. Here is the script that reports the effective value, and how I split my apps between raising, leaving alone, and requesting an extension.