A suspended app disappears
The app and all its earlier versions are removed from Google Play in every region. Nobody can see the listing, and the suspended app bundle can't be used again.
Source: Play Console Help
Google Play suspensions and terminations
Google suspended our app or closed our Play developer account. What now?
Read Google's email first: it names the policy. Don't open a new developer account; Google suspends related accounts and terminates new ones. Google's action stays in place unless an appeal is granted, and it reinstates a closed account only if it made an error. Start with an $8,000 audit: in 1 to 4 weeks you learn what broke the policy, what to fix, and whether an appeal or a corrected release is the better path.
For businesses whose customers or staff depend on the Android app.Audits are $8,000, in 1 to 4 weeks.
Who this is for
This is for you if
- Google removed or suspended your app, and customers or staff can no longer download it.
- Your Play developer account was closed, or Google says it is related to one that was.
- Your app was published under a vendor's account, and that account is in trouble.
This is not for you if
- You need a standalone website with no app behind it.
- You want a way around a termination, such as a new account under another name. We won't do that.
- You need a fix this week for less than the cost of the audit.
What Google Play says
Google Play developer account terminated or app suspended: what it means
Each fact links to Google's Play Console Help and is written in our own words. This is general information; Google's email to you is the source that counts.
Strikes add up
Removals, suspensions and warnings all count against your account, and Google doesn't have to warn you before acting. Repeated or serious violations can end the account.
Source: Play Console Help
A closed account loses everything in it
Every app is removed, and the users, statistics and ratings tied to them are lost. You can't publish new apps from that account.
Source: Play Console Help
Related accounts go with it
Google permanently suspends accounts related to a terminated one, and terminates new accounts you try to open, without refunding the fee.
Source: Play Console Help
Appeals have one test
Google reinstates an account only if it made an error and your account and apps don't break its developer agreement. Appeals are answered in English and a few other languages.
Source: Play Console Help
The action stays until an appeal wins
Google emails what it did and how to appeal. Unless it says otherwise, the action stays in place until an appeal is granted.
Source: Play Console Help
What to do first
Read Google's email and the policy status page in Play Console.
Write down the exact policy named. Everything else follows from it.
Don't open a new developer account, and don't upload the app somewhere else.
Google treats that as a related account and terminates it.
Find out whose account the app lives on: yours or a vendor's.
If a vendor's account was closed, your app went with it.
Fix the cause in the app before you appeal.
A suspended app bundle can't be reused, so the fix ships as a new build.
Appeal only where Google made a mistake, and keep it short and factual.
Explain what the app does and why it meets the policy. False details get an appeal rejected.
Tell customers and staff what to use in the meantime.
Your website, the iPhone app, or a manual process.
Afterwards, keep the app in an account in your company's name, with a policy check in every release.
So one vendor's problem can't take your app down again.
What it costs
Audits are $8,000.
For one app and one codebase, in 1 to 4 weeks. Larger apps are quoted higher. The audit is paid on its own; the fix or new release it recommends is priced separately. We can't promise Google will reverse a decision. Prices are for remote work. On-site work is quoted separately and priced higher.
How the audit worksWhat you get from the audit
The policy problem, found
Which part of the app or listing breaks the policy Google named, and anything else likely to.
A fix plan
What to change, and whether an appeal or a corrected release is the better path.
An account check
Who holds the developer account, the signing keys and the code, and whether the app should move.
A fixed quote
For the fix, if you decide to go ahead.
Common questions
Why was our Google Play developer account terminated?
Google closes accounts after repeated or serious policy violations, and it can close accounts it considers related to a terminated one. The email Google sent you names the policy.
Can we just open a new Google Play account?
No. Google says new accounts opened after a termination will be terminated too, and the registration fee is not refunded.
Can we appeal?
Yes, if you believe Google made a mistake. Google reinstates an account only when it finds an error and no violation, so the appeal has to show that clearly and truthfully.
Our vendor published the app under its own account. Are we at risk?
Yes. If that account is closed, every app in it is removed, yours included. While the account is in good standing, Google can transfer apps to an account in your company's name.
How long does the audit take, and what does it cost?
1 to 4 weeks, and $8,000 for one app and one codebase. Larger apps are quoted higher.
Tell us what is going on with your app.
A short note is enough. We reply with whether we can help and what the first step costs.