Google Play tobacco and alcohol policy: fixes and checks
By The Draftbit team · Updated
Sources checked
This guide is for Google Play apps selling or promoting tobacco, nicotine products, or alcohol-related activities.
Google reviews both sales and the behavior your app encourages. This policy restricts tobacco/nicotine sales and promotion, underage use, and illegal or inappropriate consumption, including favorable portrayals of excessive drinking.
Check products and promotions together
Inspect catalogs, banners, affiliate links, challenges, and notifications. We’d include vaping and nicotine products instead of checking only traditional cigarettes. A gambling-style drinking challenge can create a content issue without selling alcohol.
Assess the narrow exceptions
Google describes limited tobacco sales in food/grocery delivery apps in certain regions with age safeguards, and possible sales of nicotine-cessation aids with age safeguards. Verify the actual product, region, and safeguards rather than treating these as general sales permission.
Remove prohibited products or encouragement and test the remaining catalog and access controls. Give Google the changed listings and the specific basis for any exception. A generic adult checkbox doesn’t demonstrate an ID check at delivery where that safeguard is relevant.
Messages this guide can help with
Tobacco and alcohol; Tobacco and alcohol policy violation; Tobacco and alcohol rejection; Tobacco and alcohol 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: Tobacco and alcohol Checked 22 September 2026