Users will not find your Android app if it does not target API level 30 as of November 1, 2022. Newer Android OS users cannot see or install your app on Google Play. You can request an extension if you need more time to update your app.
Google Play set new API-level requirements to provide a safer experience, improved privacy, and higher user performance.
Every new Android version brings changes that improve the user experience, security, and overall performance of the Android platform.
In the manifest file, each app specifies a targetSdkVersion (also known as the target API level). The target API level determines your app's behavior on different Android versions.
Configuring your app to target a current API level ensures that users benefit from increased security, privacy, and performance while allowing the app to run on older Android versions (down to the specified minSdkVersion).
Google Play requires all apps to meet the target API level requirements listed below to provide a safe experience to Android and Google Play users.
Here is what it means for apps:
Published Apps
To be discoverable in Google Play, existing apps, that is, published apps that are not receiving updates, must target an API level of 30 or higher. This means that new users will be unable to find or install apps targeting a level of 29 or lower on Google Play.
Users who have already installed your app can still find, re-install, and use it through Google Play. They will also access your app even if they switch to a different Android device.
If you want new users to be able to access your app and your target API level is less than 30, it's time to update your app.
Updated Apps
A target API level of 31 is required for new updates to an existing app. After the November 1 deadline, app bundles or APKs targeting a level of 30 or lower cannot be uploaded to Play Console. Since August, this requirement has been in effect for all new apps.
