Once built into your app, third-party SDKs can have a significant impact on its compatibility, performance, safety, security, and quality.
Changes regarding third-party SDKs
To help you ensure that any third-party software your app is using complies with Google Play’s Developer Program Policies and contributes positively to your user experience, Google Play will begin flagging known issues with popular SDKs in Play Console.
To find out which SDK your app is using, we use the dependencies file included in your app. The dependencies file lists all of the versioned libraries that the app is dependent on. Apps using the Android App Bundle provide the dependencies file by default. Apps created before August 2021 publishing with APKs include the dependencies file starting from Android Gradle Plugin 4.0.
Understanding issues with your app’s third-party SDK
If applicable, issues with SDK versions used by your app are detailed in Play Console at the top of the Production page, or on the Release overview page.
If your app is using an SDK version that may cause your app to be non-compliant with Google Play’s Developer Program Policies, new app releases using that SDK version can be rejected. Depending on the violation type, you will be directed to ensure that your SDK usage complies with our User Data policies, switch to a different version that the SDK provider recommends, or remove the SDK.
If your app is using an SDK version that is either outdated or has critical issues, you’ll receive a warning that may require further action. For example, if an SDK provider has informed us that the SDK version that your app is using is outdated, you can still release your app. However, you won’t be able to release another version of your app using an outdated version of the SDK; you’ll need to use the updated SDK version. If your app is using an SDK version that the SDK provider reported as having critical issues, you will see a warning describing the type of issue, as detailed by the SDK provider.
If you have questions about an SDK version that’s either outdated or has critical issues, we recommend that you contact the SDK provider.
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