Data Safety for Apps With No Backend: Do You Still Need the Form?
Yes, every app on Google Play needs a completed Data Safety form — there's no exemption for apps without a server. Even a fully offline app, like a local calculator or offline game, needs to explicitly state "no data collected" in the form rather than skip it.
The subtlety: many "backend-less" apps still bundle an analytics or crash-reporting SDK for the developer's own visibility, which means they do collect data despite having no user-facing backend.
The fix
Fix: "no backend" and "no data collection" are not the same claim — verify the second one against your actual dependencies, not your architecture.
The same check runs automatically when you upload your bundle to the AAB analyzer — permissions, SDK fingerprints, and version info in one pass, free.
Keep going
Run this check on your own AAB
Free analysis, exports when you need them.