Google Play Submission Checklist 2026: Verify Before You Submit
Sixteen checks across four groups — binary, Data Safety and privacy, store presence, declarations and rollout. Print this, work it top to bottom against the exact build you're submitting, and most first-try rejections disappear.
Binary
- Signed AAB (not APK) uploaded to the right track
- versionCode higher than every previous upload on that track
- Package name matches the app entry — it can never change
- targetSdk meets Play's current minimum API requirement
Data Safety & privacy
- Every permission mapped to a declared data type (or deliberately unchecked with a reason)
- SDK fingerprints confirmed: analytics, auth, crash, ads, maps, payments
- Privacy policy URL live in an incognito window, set in store settings AND Data Safety
- Policy text agrees with the form on collection, purposes, and sharing
Store presence
- Short description ≤ 80 characters, no unprovable superlatives
- Full description ≤ 4,000 characters, features match the binary
- ≥ 2 phone screenshots at valid dimensions; 512×512 icon; 1024×500 feature graphic
- Release notes describe real changes in this version
Declarations & rollout
- Target audience and age rating completed (including ads/children answers)
- Content rating questionnaire finished for all categories
- Internal → closed → production rollout order with matching versionCodes
- Policy status inbox read — no outstanding warnings before submit
Automate the mechanical half
The binary group is verifiable by machine: run the build through the AAB analyzer, generate the Data Safety CSV and privacy policy, and confirm the readiness score. Spend your judgment on the declarations group — that's the part only you can answer. Full flow in the publishing guide.
Keep going
Work the checklist against your build
Upload the AAB, verify every group.