Google Play Target API Level 35 (Android 15) Migration & Deadline Guide for 2026

Every year, Google Play establishes mandatory Target API Level deadlines. To ensure security, performance, and user privacy, apps that fail to target recent Android API levels are blocked from new updates and hidden from new store discoverability.

Key Android 15 (API 35) Requirements

Targeting API Level 35 introduces several critical technical changes that developers must address in their build configurations and native dependencies:

• 16 KB Page Size Support: Android 15 adds support for 16 KB memory page sizes. Apps containing native C/C++ code (.so libraries) must be recompiled with 16KB alignment.
• Foreground Service Type Enforcement: Every foreground service must declare an explicit foregroundServiceType in AndroidManifest.xml and request appropriate runtime permissions.
• Edge-to-Edge Display Default: Apps targeting API 35 are forced to render edge-to-edge by default. Ensure your window insets and system bars padding are configured properly.
• Private Space & Predictive Back Animations: Apps must handle the new Android 15 Private Space isolation and predictive back gesture callbacks.

How to Update Your build.gradle Configuration

Update your module-level build.gradle or build.gradle.kts to specify compileSdk 35 and targetSdk 35:

android { compileSdk = 35 defaultConfig { targetSdk = 35 } }

Handling Native 16KB Page Alignment

If your app uses third-party native libraries (NDK), inspect each .so file using ndk-build or CMake flags with -Wl,-z,max-page-size=16384 to ensure full compatibility with modern high-performance devices.