Update my app API to Android 13

Read the description here in below given screenshots from Google Play Console.

you just confirmed yourself, that only updates are affected...

Taifun

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Yes, I said updates only

Exactly, and many users don't seem to realize this and are panicking about Google's pathetic information policy (as I've said elsewhere).

There is a separate policy than this one that affects every app, specifically:

Existing apps that don't target an API level within two years of the latest major Android version release will not be available to all users.

Currently, existing apps [...] must target API level 31 or above by August 31, 2023 [...]. Otherwise, they will stop being discoverable to all Google Play users whose devices run Android OS versions newer than your app’s target API level...

From Target API level requirements for Google Play apps - Play Console Help

So basically, if you don't update your app after two years Google will stop showing it to anyone with a newer device than the target SDK dictates, effectively soft-delisting it from the Play Store, unless developers put in the effort to update to the latest SDK regularly.

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Just like I said before:

"We are planning to do a release around Aug 26 with the SDK 33 related changes."

I am just guessing here, but when the new changes that include the SDK 33 changes is released, all we will need to do is create a new bundle to upload to Google Play .. correct?

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Correct.

I targeted one of my apps to SDK 33 yesterday. Still, Google's warning isn't going away (at least not yet). :upside_down_face:

I don't care about emails from Google. I do NOT want to see any more warnings or errors in the Google Play console once I've made a correct update.

What should be the problem with that? :upside_down_face: :question:

And that has always been the case up until now. If you fixed a problem in the Play Console, the warning / error message disappeared.

I don't need advice on how to behave. I would like to make others aware that they should be prepared for such things (caused by Google's bad information policy).

I usually give advice.

Incidentally, everything necessary (and more) on this has already been said. So spare us/me further superfluous comments.

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As Google becomes more and more draconian it may become necessary to move to another platform for app distribution. There are literally dozens available and none have such long and restrictive conditions. I suggest you investigate other possibilies and dump Playstore.

Amazon App store might be a good choice as it doesn't have such restrictions

If you want to make money or want to make your apps available to the widest possible audience, the Amazon App Store is almost irrelevant. After the "Amazon Underground" started temporarily and idiotically many years ago, the Amazon App Store could not recover from it either.

People's wallets are involved. They need it dumbed down a bit.

This is the message I received:
We've detected that your app is targeting an old version of Android. To provide users with a safe and secure experience, Google Play requires all apps to meet target API level requirements.

From August 31, 2023, if your target API level is not within 1 year of the latest Android release, you won't be able to update your app.

To continue making updates to your app, ensure your app targets Android 13 (API level 33).

View detailsArchive

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This is from their details page:

Summary

Status

  • You won't be able to release app updates (5 days away)

Date sent

Aug 10, 2023

Deadline

Aug 30, 2023

Violation

App must target Android 13 (API level 33) or higher

How to fix

Your highest non-compliant target API level is Android 12 (API level 31).

To ensure that you can continue to make updates to your app you must:

  1. Update your app to target Android 13 (API level 33) or higher.
  2. Publish a new version of your app to production. Before you do this, you can test your app using internal, closed, or open testing.

O.K., do we have proof now? Well, there's enough for me.

Yeah, those of us who intend to keep updating our apps are not going to be helped by this fact.

SDK 33 is ready in test server, I don't know when will you received updates, but as per previous update, it will be done on AUG,26,2023.
Hope you can soon Target SDK33 within few days