An overview of Google Play’s requirements and restrictions for app submission

As an app developer, you must comply with several requirements before publishing your apps and games on the main platforms like Google Play.

The Developer Policy Center is the central hub where Google Play outlines all these rules. It’s divided into sections that you can easily navigate to understand your requirements across various categories.

We’ve put together an overview of these requirements below, with links to the corresponding sections in Google’s policy.

📌 Restricted content

Before submitting an app to Google Play, ensure it complies with content policies and local laws. Restricted content can take many forms, which we have outlined below.

Child endangerment

Google Play’s Child Endangerment policy bans any app that allows child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or enables exploitation, grooming, sextortion, trafficking, or sexualisation of minors.

❌ Apps that target or appeal to children cannot include adult themes like violence, harmful activities, or body-shaming cosmetic features.

✅ Social and dating apps must follow strict child safety standards. They need to:

• Clearly prohibit child sexual abuse and exploitation in their Terms of Service or community guidelines
• Offer in-app reporting mechanisms
• Act quickly to remove CSAM
• Comply with child safety laws
• Appoint a dedicated child safety contact

These rules are designed to protect children and hold developers accountable. Read more about the Child Safety Standards policy here.

Inappropriate content

Google Play’s Inappropriate Content policy bans apps that promote or include:

• Sexual content or explicit material
• Profanity or hate speech
• Gratuitous violence or violent extremism
• Bullying, harassment, or other harmful behavior

❌ Apps cannot:

• Exploit sensitive events like disasters or deaths
• Sell or promote dangerous products such as firearms or explosives
• Sell marijuana, THC products, or unregulated tobacco and alcohol products, especially when targeting or encouraging minors

Some limited exceptions apply to content with educational, documentary, scientific, or artistic (EDSA) value, but it must not be gratuitous or exploitative.

Financial services

Google Play’s Financial Services policy aims to stop deceptive or harmful financial products.

The policy:

• Bans short-term personal loans that must be repaid in 60 days or less
• Bans high-APR loans in the U.S. with an APR of 36% or more
• Requires lenders to provide proof of licensing where needed

Personal loan and earned wage access (EWA) apps must:

• Clearly disclose repayment terms, APR, fees, and privacy practices
• Avoid requesting sensitive permissions like contacts or location

Real-money gambling and illegal activity

Real-money gambling apps like daily fantasy sports and gamified loyalty programs are allowed, but only under strict rules.

Other real-money games or contests involving wagers or real-world prizes are generally not allowed, unless they are part of approved pilot programs.

✅ Gambling apps must:

• Be free to download
• Hold valid licenses in every jurisdiction where they operate
• Prevent underage access
• Display clear responsible gambling information
• Not use Google Play Billing for gambling transactions

✅ Loyalty programs are allowed if they:

• Are tied to real transactions
• Follow fixed, transparent rules
• In non-game apps, disclose odds or selection methods for chance-based rewards

Gambling ads are permitted only if they follow local laws, do not target minors, and meet responsible gambling standards.

User-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is any content users create and share inside your app that other users can see (including apps that act as browsers/clients for UGC platforms).

✅ Apps with UGC must:

• Require users to accept Terms of Use before creating or uploading UGC
• Clearly define and ban objectionable content and behaviors in their policies
• Have ongoing, effective moderation suited to the type of UGC (with stricter controls for things like DMs, augmented reality, or public feeds)
• Offer in-app tools to report and block content and users, and act on reports
• Include safeguards so monetization does not encourage bad or harmful user behavior

Health content and services

Google Play’s Health Content and Services policy bans apps that expose users to harmful or misleading health information, unsafe medical claims, or unapproved substances.

✅ Health and medical apps must:

• Provide accurate information and clear disclosures
• Include a privacy policy and use permissions responsibly
• Clearly state any required hardware or devices
• If providing regulated or research functions, give proof of approvals, affiliations, or ethics compliance when required

❌ Apps may not:

• Sell prescription drugs without a valid prescription
• Promote unapproved health products
• Spread health misinformation

Blockchain-based content

Blockchain‑based content includes tokenised digital assets stored on a blockchain. Apps that offer these must follow strict rules. In particular:

• ✅ Cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets must use certified services and operate in regulated jurisdictions
• ✅ Apps must clearly declare any tokenised assets in the Play Console

• ❌ Cryptomining on user devices is not allowed
• ❌ NFT features must avoid gambling-like mechanics and should enhance gameplay, not act as wagers or purely speculative assets

AI-generated content

AI-generated content is material created by generative AI, such as chatbots or AI-made images and videos.

✅ Apps using AI must:

• Follow all Google Play policies
• Prevent harmful or restricted content, including child exploitation and deceptive behavior
• Provide in-app reporting tools so users can flag offensive content, and use these reports to improve moderation and filters

📌 Intellectual property

Apps and developer accounts may not infringe on others’ intellectual property rights (such as trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret, or other proprietary rights), or encourage users to do so.

❌ Common violations include using:

• Cover art from music albums, video games, or books
• Marketing images from movies, TV shows, or video games
• Photos taken from a public figure’s social media
• Full reproductions or translations of books that are not in the public domain

📌 Other requirements

You’ll find below other sections from Google Play’s policy that might be of interest to you.

Targeting children

Before submitting an app that targets children to the Google Play Store, you are responsible for ensuring your app is appropriate for children and compliant with all relevant laws.

SDKs

Third-party software development kits have several requirements and restrictions. If you include an SDK in your app, you are responsible for ensuring that their third-party code and practices do not cause your app to violate Google Play Developer Program Policies.

Monetization and ads

Google Play supports a variety of monetization strategies to help developers and users, including paid distribution, in-app products, subscriptions, and ad-based models. It requires you to comply with policies on payments, subscriptions, ads, and the Families Ads Program.

Store listing and promotion

Some additional guidelines relate to app promotion, metadata, user reviews and installs, user and content ratings, and news‑related apps.

📌 Main restrictions

💡 Dive deeper and find all details in the Google Play Developer Policy Center and the full Developer Program Policy