Google Play illegal activities policy: fixes and checks
By The Draftbit team · Updated
Sources checked
This guide is for Google Play apps promoting or enabling illegal activities.
A prohibited transaction can be hidden behind an ordinary-looking marketplace or community. Google’s Illegal Activities policy covers apps that promote or enable unlawful activity, including the examples it gives around illegal drugs and underage substance use.
Trace what users can accomplish
Review listings, instructions, messaging, payments, and external handoffs. We’d check what the feature enables in the locations you serve, rather than assume a neutral description resolves it.
Remove or restrict the unlawful activity
Remove the offending content or functionality and repair seller or content controls. Where legality depends on location or authorization, obtain qualified advice and align the actual service with the permitted scope. Some products also face stricter store-wide rules even where local law permits them.
Test the corrected route and new submissions using harmless examples. Explain the feature changed and how Google can verify it. Link any relevant permission through the designated review process without making unsupported claims about legality.
Messages this guide can help with
Illegal activities; Illegal activities policy violation; Illegal activities rejection; Illegal activities denied
Official sources
We checked these instructions against the sources below. The console layout may change, and your review decision may call for different steps.
- Google Play: Illegal activities Checked 22 September 2026