Apple and Google’s 2026 app rules: the deadlines Thai app owners should check now

Every year Apple and Google raise the minimum requirements for apps uploaded to their stores. Apps that do not keep up may still open, but their owners cannot ship new versions, which means no bug fixes, no new features and no security patches.

Many Thai businesses commission an app once and have no maintenance contract afterwards. When an urgent update is needed, they discover the code is too old to build with current tools straight away. Several 2026 deadlines make this problem more visible.

Apple’s Upcoming Requirements page states that since 28 April 2026, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later, using an SDK for iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or the other version-26 operating systems.

9to5Mac explains that this rule covers only the SDK used to build the app; it does not force apps to support only the newest iOS, and developers still choose their minimum version. The knock-on effect is that apps built with the iOS 26 SDK get the Liquid Glass look on standard interface components by default, unless developers opt out with the UIDesignRequiresCompatibility key.

In addition, since 9 September 2026, iOS and iPadOS apps uploaded to App Store Connect must target iOS 13 or later. Earlier, Apple asked developers to answer new age rating questions by 31 January 2026 to avoid interruptions when submitting updates.

The Android Developers Blog says Google Play will require apps to target API 36 from August 2026, and API 37 from August 2027.

The change with the most direct design impact: for apps targeting API 36, on large screens with a smallest width of 600dp or more (tablets, inner displays of foldables, and desktop windowing), Android 16 ignores instructions that lock orientation or restrict aspect ratio. Apps must work in both portrait and landscape and be resizable.

Developers can still opt out temporarily, but Android’s guide states that this option will be removed at API 37. Games are exempt, and behaviour on ordinary phone screens does not change.

Apps used on in-store tablets, such as POS systems, table ordering apps and kiosks, are often designed with a locked orientation. Once updated to target API 36, their screens may rotate or stretch badly unless layouts have been prepared.

On iOS, apps rebuilt with Xcode 26 may see buttons, tab bars and navigation bars change appearance. Design teams should check that brand colours, text contrast and icons remain readable on the new translucent surfaces.

Google cites FlipaClip, whose tablet users grew 54% in the four months after it made its app adaptive. It is a platform-chosen example, but it suggests the change can be an opportunity, not only a burden.

The main lesson is that an app is not a one-off project. Yearly maintenance should be in the plan from day one, covering tool and library updates and testing on new operating system versions.

Businesses should hold access to their own Apple and Google developer accounts and their app’s source code, rather than leaving them with a single contractor. If you ever need to change teams, work can continue right away.

For apps with low usage that are hard to maintain, it may be time to ask whether a web app, which can be updated without going through the stores, would serve better.

Use this list to talk to your development team or contractor this month.

If your contractor cannot answer the first question quickly, treat that as a warning sign. It usually means nobody is watching the platform calendar for you.

• Ask which Xcode version built your latest iOS release, and which API level your Android app targets.
• Test your app on iOS 26 to see how Liquid Glass affects brand colours and readability.
• Test your Android app on a tablet or foldable emulator in both portrait and landscape.
• Confirm your business holds its developer accounts and source code.
• Set a yearly maintenance budget and plan at least one update cycle per year around new OS releases.