Mobile App Maintenance: OS Releases, SDK Deadlines and Store Rules

Why apps need regular maintenance

A website runs on a server you control. A mobile app runs on phones you do not control, and it reaches them through stores whose rules change. Three things move under an app even when its own code stays the same:

• The operating system. New iOS and Android versions change permissions, background work and screen layouts.
• The build requirements. Both stores set a minimum SDK or target level that new uploads must meet, and raise it on a published schedule.
• The store rules. Review guidelines, privacy disclosures and account requirements are updated, and both stores check apps that are already live.

The libraries inside the app, for payments, analytics, maps or login, also release updates and retire old versions. Maintenance is the regular work of keeping up with all of this, so that the next urgent fix can actually be shipped.

Google Play: target API level deadlines

Every Android app declares a "target API level", the Android version it was built and tested for. Google raises the minimum each year. According to Google's target API level requirements for Google Play apps, checked on 29 October 2026:

• New apps and app updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher to be submitted, starting 31 August 2026. Wear OS, Android Automotive OS, Android TV and Android XR apps have lower minimums.
• Existing apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher by 31 August 2026. If they do not, they stop being discoverable to Google Play users whose devices run Android versions newer than the app's target.
• Extensions: developers can request an extension to 1 November 2026 through a form in Play Console.

Raising the target level is rarely a one-line change. Each Android version brings behaviour changes that apply once an app targets it, so the work includes testing and fixing whatever those changes break.

Apple: minimum SDK and Xcode for uploads

Apple sets the minimum tools for uploads to App Store Connect. Its upcoming requirements page lists, as of 29 October 2026:

• Since 28 April 2026, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later, using the SDK for iOS 26 or the matching SDK for the other Apple platforms.
• Since 9 September 2026, iOS and iPadOS apps uploaded must target iOS 13 or later.

The next step is already published. Apple's submitting page says that starting April 2027, iOS and iPadOS apps uploaded must be built with the iOS and iPadOS 27 SDK or later and target iOS 15 or later, with matching SDK rules for tvOS, visionOS and watchOS.

These rules apply to uploads, not to apps already on the store. The risk is timing: if a security fix is needed after the deadline and the project has not been moved to the current Xcode and SDK, that move has to happen first, under pressure.

New OS versions and behaviour changes

Apple and Google publish their new OS versions in beta months before release, along with lists of what changes for apps. Android's documentation, for example, has a page of behaviour changes for apps targeting Android 16. Testing the app on each beta, and again on the final release, finds problems before users report them. Typical work includes new permission prompts, layout changes for new screen sizes, APIs being deprecated, and third-party libraries that need updating to work with the new OS.

Crashes, ANRs and store visibility

Crash monitoring is part of maintenance, and on Google Play it affects how visible an app is. Google's Android vitals documentation says the core vitals, including the user-perceived crash rate and user-perceived ANR (App Not Responding) rate, affect an app's visibility on Google Play. When checked, the overall "bad behaviour thresholds" were 1.09% for the user-perceived crash rate and 0.47% for the user-perceived ANR rate, with a separate threshold of 8% for any single phone model.

Apple is stricter about apps that do not open at all: its App Store Improvements page says apps that crash on launch are removed immediately. Watching crash reports after every OS release and every app update is the cheapest way to avoid both problems.

Store rules, privacy forms and outdated apps

• Outdated apps on the App Store. Apple's App Store Improvements process removes apps that no longer work as intended, do not follow current guidelines, or are outdated. Developers of apps not updated in the last three years that also have very few or no downloads in a rolling 12-month period are notified, and have 90 days to submit an update before the app is removed.
• Privacy disclosures. Apple requires app privacy details, including the practices of third-party code in the app, to submit new apps and updates. Google says your Data safety form responses "must remain accurate and complete at all times" and should be updated when the app's data practices change. Adding a new analytics or advertising SDK is such a change.
• Guideline changes. Both stores update their rules regularly. Apple's App Review Guidelines apply to every update you submit, so a rule that was introduced after launch can block your next release.

Keep developer accounts active

The Apple Developer Program is a yearly membership. Apple's renewal help page says that if the membership expires, your apps are no longer available for download and you cannot submit new apps or updates, although the apps still work for people who already installed them. Make sure the account is in your business's name, that renewal is set up, and that more than one person can sign in. Our guide to publishing to the App Store and Google Play covers account set-up.

A simple yearly maintenance plan

• Every month: review crash and ANR reports, store reviews and Play Console or App Store Connect messages; update libraries with security fixes.
• Each spring and summer: test the app on the Apple and Google OS betas; check the published SDK and target level deadlines.
• Before each deadline: move the project to the required Xcode, SDK or target level, test and release an update.
• After any data change: update the App Store privacy details and the Google Play Data safety form.
• Every year: renew the Apple Developer Program, check who has access to both store accounts, and remove features or libraries nobody uses.

Budget for this from the start. Our guide to what an app costs to build covers the running costs that continue after launch.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I never update my app?

On Google Play, an app whose target API level falls behind the yearly requirement stops being discoverable to users on newer Android versions. On the App Store, apps not updated for three years with very few downloads can be flagged and removed if no update follows within 90 days.

What is the Google Play target API level requirement in 2026?

From 31 August 2026, new apps and updates must target Android 16 (API level 36) or higher, and existing apps must target Android 15 (API level 35) or higher to stay discoverable to all users. Developers could request an extension to 1 November 2026.

Which Xcode version do I need to upload an iOS app?

Since 28 April 2026, uploads must be built with Xcode 26 or later using the iOS 26 SDK. Apple has announced that from April 2027 iOS apps must be built with the iOS 27 SDK and target iOS 15 or later.

Does my app disappear if my Apple developer membership expires?

It is no longer available for download and you cannot submit updates, but it keeps working for people who already installed it. Renew the membership every year to avoid this.

How often should an app be updated?

There is no fixed rule, but at least once a year to meet the new SDK and target level requirements, plus whenever a security fix, OS change or crash spike needs it.

Need an app kept up to date? See how we approach mobile app development, see all our services, or email info@creahive.com.