Google Play location permission policy and the location button

Who is concerned

Teams that ship apps reading the device location and that target, or plan to target, Android 17 (API level 37) or higher.

The policy asks every app for the minimum location scope its core functionality needs.

What changes

• Apps targeting Android 17 (API 37+) must use the Android location button for one-time or infrequent location requests.
• If your app only needs precise location for one-time, user-initiated actions, you must use the location button and declare the onlyForLocationButton flag in the manifest.
• You may request ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION only if neither the location button (apps targeting Android 17 or higher) nor ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION can support the feature. Using it requires a Play Console declaration.
• Always request the minimum scope: coarse if precise location is not required, foreground if background is not required. Google may reject apps that request background location without strong justification.
• Never request location solely for advertising or analytics, and stop accessing location data once it is no longer needed for core functionality.

What to do

• List every place your app reads location and note whether the need is one-time and user initiated, continuous or in the background.
• Replace one-time precise requests by the Android location button when you target Android 17 or higher.
• Switch to coarse location wherever precise location is not needed.
• Prepare the Play Console declaration for any remaining use of ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION.
• Check foreground service location access: it must continue a direct, user-initiated action and stop immediately after.

What happens after the date

The date is the mandatory date of a policy that Google announced on April 15, 2026 and clarified on October 29, 2026. The requirements in Google’s policy preview are written for apps targeting Android 17 (API 37+), and Google’s target API level page lists no Android 17 deadline on the verification date.