Handle a Google Play rejection, removal, or suspension

Google has sent a policy notice, and you need to know what it means for your app. Start with the action it names: a rejected update, a removed app, and a suspended app have different routes back to publication. We’ll work through those before you send another release.

Save the enforcement email, policy reference, affected package and version, screenshots, and appeal instructions. Check both the app’s current status and Policy status in Play Console.

Follow the route for the action Google took

Action	What to do next
Rejected app or update	Correct the cited app behavior or declaration and resubmit the affected changes. If you think the decision is mistaken, read the notice’s instructions.
Removed app	Follow the notice’s steps for a compliant update and reinstatement, including any additional requirements.
Suspended app	Use the documented appeal route to seek reinstatement. A routine release may not clear the suspension.

Check and correct the reported problem

If the notice names one of these issues, start with its specific guide:

• Production access denied after closed testing. This is separate from a rejected app release.
• Invalid Data safety form.
• Photo and video permissions.
• Child Safety Standards.
• Reviewers can’t sign in or reach paid features.

Reproduce the flow Google identified. Check review login, permissions, data handling, and the claims in your listing as relevant to the issue.

Make the smallest change that fully resolves it. Test the submitted build when behavior changes; when a declaration changes, check that it accurately describes that build. For a data mismatch, compare the SDKs and backend behavior with your published answers.

Send a factual response explaining the correction and supporting evidence. Remove customer information and credentials from screenshots.

Confirm what happened after you submitted

Check that Play Console received the intended review or appeal submission. A saved edit doesn’t mean availability has been restored. After a favorable decision, verify that the app is actually available.

If you’re still blocked, check whether the notice concerns the app, an update, a declaration, or the developer account. Fixing an app won’t resolve an account-level action. Avoid sending the same unchanged material repeatedly.

If Google terminated the developer account

Use the account-termination appeal route in the notice. Google’s account appeal time limit is 180 days from termination for decisions on or after 28 January 2026. The grace period for earlier terminations ended on 27 July 2026.

For an appeal filed near the end of that window, Google describes an additional 30 days after its decision to provide new information for re-review. Read that provision alongside your decision email. This deadline concerns account termination; don’t apply it as a universal deadline for every app rejection or suspension.