How to Check Your Android App’s Target SDK and Update to API 36

Check the app module’s Gradle file for targetSdk or targetSdkVersion. To target Android 16, install its SDK, set compileSdk = 36 and targetSdk = 36, then review Android 16’s target-specific behavior changes and test before release. These settings do different jobs: changing targetSdk affects runtime behavior; it does not by itself add compile-time API access.

How to check your Android app’s target SDK

1. In Android Studio, open the app module’s build.gradle or build.gradle.kts file. Look in defaultConfig for targetSdk or targetSdkVersion. Note compileSdk and minSdk there as well.

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2. If this project sets SDK levels in its manifest instead, inspect the <uses-sdk> element for android:targetSdkVersion. Gradle configuration is the usual place to check and update module SDK values.

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What minSdk, compileSdk, and targetSdk mean

• minSdk sets the oldest Android platform version on which the app can run.

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• compileSdk selects the Android API definitions available to the compiler. Raising it can make newer APIs available to your source code, subject to the API’s own runtime requirements.

• targetSdk declares the Android API level the app is designed and tested for. Android uses it to determine runtime behavior, including whether target-gated behavior changes apply.

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The values need not all match: an app can compile against a newer SDK while retaining an older target level. Raising targetSdk alone does not grant new compile-time API access. Android describes target SDK as both setting runtime behavior and attesting which Android version the app has been tested against (Android Developers: Configure your build).

How to update targetSdk to API 36

1. Install the Android 16 SDK. In Android Studio, open Tools > SDK Manager and install the Android 16 SDK if it is not present. Android’s Android 16 setup instructions recommend Android Studio Meerkat | 2024.3.1 or higher (Set up the Android 16 SDK).

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2. Check Android Gradle Plugin compatibility. The Android 16 setup guidance says that if the project uses an Android Gradle Plugin (AGP) version below 8.9.0-rc01, use the Android Gradle Plugin Upgrade Assistant to upgrade to at least that version before proceeding. Confirm current stable tooling guidance when making the change, since compatibility recommendations can change.

3. Update the app module’s build configuration. Set compileSdk = 36 and, inside defaultConfig, set targetSdk = 36. The assignments are the same in Groovy and Kotlin DSL; the surrounding file syntax may differ. Keep the existing minSdk unless the app’s supported-device requirements call for a separate change.

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4. Review and test Android 16 behavior changes. Check changes gated by target SDK, including privacy and permission implications, and test the app and its libraries on an Android 16 device or emulator. Android’s Android 16 behavior changes documentation describes platform changes. Compatibility framework toggles can help isolate individual changes before switching the target.

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5. Run release checks and publish. Build the app, run its normal regression checks, and complete the usual signed Android App Bundle or APK release workflow after compatibility work and testing. Android’s Android 16 migration guide covers the migration process.

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Can Android Studio help with the target SDK update?

Yes. Android Studio’s SDK Upgrade Assistant can guide a targetSdkVersion upgrade and is available in Android Studio Giraffe and higher (SDK Upgrade Assistant). It supports the configuration migration, but it does not replace reviewing target-specific behavior changes or testing the app and its dependencies.

Compatibility testing versus targeting API 36

These are distinct stages. You can test and fix problems that appear on Android 16 without changing targetSdkVersion or compileSdkVersion; Android’s migration guidance says many compatibility adjustments can be published that way. Raising targetSdk to 36 is a separate choice: it opts the app into Android 16 behavior gated by the target level. The first stage checks that the app works on the platform; the second changes the target-level behavior the app declares and may be necessary for Google Play submission.

Google Play target API requirements as of August 31, 2026

Google Play distinguishes submission requirements from whether an existing app remains available to new users. As of August 31, 2026, the published requirements are:

Google Play also documents an exception for permanently private apps restricted to users in a specific organization and intended for internal distribution. Read the policy’s full scope and exceptions on the Google Play target API level requirement page, and recheck it before a release because thresholds can change. The existing-app availability rule is not the same as a requirement for every existing app to target API 36.

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