A business app is not finished when it is published. Both app stores now change their minimum requirements every year, and an app that was fine in 2024 can be blocked from updates, hidden from new devices or removed outright in 2026 without anyone touching the code. This post lists the rules that are actually catching Indian business apps this year, and what a sensible maintenance plan looks like.

Google Play in 2026

Target API level

Every year around 31 August, Google raises the Android version new apps and updates must target. In 2025 the bar moved to Android 15 (API level 35). In 2026 it moves again. If your app targets an older level, you cannot submit an update, and the app stops being visible to users on newer Android versions. This is the single most common reason a two-year-old app "suddenly" cannot be updated.

16 KB memory page sizes

Newer Android devices use 16 KB memory pages instead of 4 KB. Since November 2025, new apps and updates targeting Android 15 or later must support 16 KB pages, with an extension window that closed in mid-2026. Pure Dart Flutter code is fine; the problem is native libraries — payment SDKs, map SDKs, chat SDKs, image libraries — compiled before the change. Each one has to be updated to a version that supports the new page size, and some vendors never shipped one.

Developer verification and the 20-tester rule

Individual developer accounts must run a closed test with at least 20 testers for two weeks before production access, and all developers now verify identity with a D-U-N-S number or government ID. Apps published under an employee's personal account are a liability: when that person leaves, the business can lose its own app.

Account deletion and the data safety form

Any app that lets users create an account must offer in-app account deletion and a web link to request it. The data safety section must match what the app actually does, and Google increasingly cross-checks it against observed network behaviour.

Apple App Store in 2026

iOS 26 SDK and Xcode 26

Apple requires apps uploaded after its spring deadline each year to be built with the latest SDK. For 2026 that means the iOS 26 SDK in Xcode 26, which in turn needs a recent macOS. A Flutter or React Native app built on an old CI machine will be refused at upload, not at review.

Liquid Glass and the new design language

iOS 26 introduced Apple's Liquid Glass interface. Apps compiled against the new SDK pick up the new navigation bars, tab bars and sheets automatically, which can break custom layouts that assumed the old dimensions. Budget a visual pass on every screen when you move to the new SDK.

Privacy manifests and required-reason APIs

Third-party SDKs must ship a privacy manifest declaring the data they collect and the "required reason" APIs they call. If one of your dependencies lacks it, the upload is rejected with a cryptic ITMS error. The fix is updating or replacing the SDK.

Account deletion and sign-in rules

Same as Google: in-app account deletion is mandatory, and apps offering third-party sign-in must also offer Sign in with Apple or an equivalent privacy-focused option.

Why apps get removed without warning

  • No update for more than two years on a store that has started pruning stale apps
  • A store policy email went to a developer account nobody checks
  • A payment or analytics SDK that was fine at launch now violates a new policy
  • A privacy policy URL that returns 404 because the website was redesigned

What a maintenance plan has to cover

  1. Two scheduled builds a year against the current SDKs, even with no feature changes
  2. A dependency audit every quarter: 16 KB support, privacy manifests, deprecated APIs
  3. Store listing hygiene: data safety and privacy nutrition labels updated when features change
  4. Account ownership: both developer accounts owned by the company, with two named administrators
  5. Monitoring: crash reporting and a check that the privacy policy and account-deletion URLs still resolve

This is why our app development engagements include a maintenance tier rather than ending at launch. The apps in our case studies stay on both stores because someone owns this list.

Frequently asked questions

My app still works on phones. Why does the store say it needs an update?

Installed copies keep working. The store is telling you that new users on recent Android or iOS versions cannot see or install it, and that you cannot ship a fix until the app targets the current platform.

How much does yearly app maintenance cost?

For a typical Flutter business app, plan on 10 to 20 percent of the original build cost per year for compliance builds, dependency updates and store administration. Apps with many native SDKs sit at the higher end.

Can I avoid all this with a PWA?

Partly. A progressive web app has no store requirements, but it also cannot do everything a native app can. We compared the two in our PWA vs native app guide.