01 / Option
Request the Google Play extension
Runs to November 1, 2026. Open the form from the policy warning in Play Console. Google's page does not give a last day to request it, so ask now. It only buys time on Android.
Xamarin app blocked by Google Play or Xcode 26?
Xamarin stops at Android API 34 and Xcode 15. Google Play needs API 35 to reach new users and API 36 for updates, and Apple needs Xcode 26. We help Xamarin and .NET 8 teams meet these deadlines and ship again.
Nov 1, 2026 Google Play API 35
extension ends
extension ends
Nov 10, 2026 .NET 8 and .NET 9
end of support
end of support
The store and support dates, with sources.
Checked on the official pages, September 17, 2026.
Google Play [api 36]
Since August 31, 2026, new apps and app updates must target Android 16 (API level 36). Wear OS and TV apps have lower levels. Source: Google Play
Google Play [api 35]
Existing apps must target API 35 to stay available to new users on newer Android versions. Extension: November 1, 2026. Source: Google Play
Apple [xcode 26]
Since April 28, 2026, apps uploaded to App Store Connect must be built with Xcode 26 or later. They must use a version 26 SDK, such as iOS 26. Source: Apple
Xamarin [api 34 · xcode 15]
Support ended May 1, 2024 for all Xamarin SDKs, including Xamarin.Forms. Android API 34 and Xcode 15 are the final versions Xamarin targets. Source: Microsoft
.NET 8 & 9 [nov 10, 2026]
Both end support on November 10, 2026. .NET MAUI support ended sooner: .NET MAUI 8 on May 14, 2025, and .NET MAUI 9 on May 12, 2026. Source: .NET policy · MAUI policy
.NET 10 [maui 10 · supported]
.NET 10 is LTS until November 14, 2028. .NET MAUI 10 support ends May 11, 2027, so plan one upgrade a year. Source: MAUI policy · .NET policy
What this means for your app.
Xamarin apps that can't ship store updates
iOS: Xamarin stops at Xcode 15, and Apple accepts only builds from Xcode 26 or later. There is no supported way to ship an iOS update.
Android: current users keep the app, but new users on newer Android versions can't install it. Some teams raise targetSdkVersion by hand. We have not confirmed Google Play accepts that from a Xamarin build. Targeting API 35 also makes screens edge-to-edge on Android 15, so content can slide under the status bar.
The real fix is a Xamarin to .NET MAUI migration on .NET 10.
.NET 8 MAUI apps and Xcode 26
iOS is the hard block. Each .NET for iOS release needs one Xcode version, and Microsoft says other versions are not supported. The last .NET 8 iOS release needs Xcode 16.0, and none supports Xcode 26.
Android is softer. In a GitHub issue, .NET for Android maintainers say a .NET 8 app can set targetSdkVersion to 36 in the manifest. The build shows warning XA1008, and the app gets no new Android APIs. It is a bridge, not a fix.
.NET 9 MAUI apps
.NET 9 got Xcode 26 support and API 36 support, so a .NET 9 app can still meet both rules. But .NET MAUI 9 is out of support, and .NET 9 ends November 10, 2026. Plan the move to .NET 10.
Not sure where you stand? Send us your target framework and your date, and we will tell you which rules apply to your app. Late or crashing too? See how we rescue a .NET MAUI project, or the rest of what we do on the .NET MAUI experts home page.
Your options.
Four ways out. On a call we tell you which one we would pick for your app, and why.
02 / Option
Migrate Xamarin to .NET MAUI on .NET 10
.NET 10 supports Xcode 26 and API 36. We keep your XAML, view models and business logic where we can.
03 / Option
Upgrade a .NET 8 or 9 MAUI app to .NET 10
New target framework, updated packages, tests on devices. On one large app, our .NET 9 to .NET 10 upgrade merged 4 days after its first commit.
04 / Option
Retire or rebuild
Unpublish an app few people use. If the old code blocks every change, a new .NET MAUI app may be the better path.
Two apps that hit store rules, and what we did.
01 2026
A Xamarin.Forms app blocked by Google Play, rebuilt with new native bindings.
Google Play blocked an older Xamarin.Forms app for using old SDKs. We moved it to .NET MAUI and rebuilt its iOS and Android bindings for a third-party SDK, because the original binding code was lost. The release build was ready on May 18, 2026.
Xamarin.Forms → MAUI
migration
iOS + Android
bindings rebuilt from scratch
May 2026
release build ready
.NET MAUIC#Native bindingsGoogle Play
02 2026
API 36 ready 38 days early, and a rejected release fixed the same day.
The release that moved the app to Android 16 (API 36) merged 38 days before Google Play's August 31, 2026 deadline. It also fixed the .NET 10 edge-to-edge layout change. When Google Play rejected an update over photo and video permissions, we removed the unneeded permissions and merged the fixed release the same day.
38 days
early for the API 36 deadline
Same day
rejected release fixed
72 → 2,847
unit tests, Mar to Sep 2026
.NET MAUI.NET 10Android API 36Azure Pipelines
Blocked right now? Tell us your date.
Unblock my appFrom blocked to shipping.
01 ───
We reply
Send the app, its target framework and your date. We reply within one business day.
First reply
02 ───
Code triage
We build the code with current tools and find what breaks on iOS and Android.
Before any fix
03 ───
Plan with dates
We agree on the option, what ships first, and the dates.
You approve
04 ───
Ship the update
We make the changes, test on real devices and prepare store builds. If review rejects one, we fix it.
Store review
Questions about store deadlines.
Q.01
Google says they are not affected: they can still find, reinstall and use the app. New users on newer Android versions can't install an app that targets API 34 or lower. Private apps for internal use only are exempt. Read Google's FAQ.
Q.02
Not with a supported setup. Apple accepts only builds from Xcode 26 or later, and Xamarin stops at Xcode 15. The fix is a move to .NET 10. See our Xamarin to .NET MAUI migration services.
Q.03
Usually not. We keep your XAML and view models where we can. When we moved NorthStar's UWP restaurant POS to .NET MAUI, about 85% of the view models were reused.
Q.04
It adds a step: every binding must build on the new target framework. If the binding code is lost, we rebuild it, as we did for a public-sector app Google Play had blocked. See how we rebuild native bindings on .NET 10.
Q.05
It depends on the app's size. On a large app, a .NET 9 to .NET 10 upgrade merged 4 days after its first commit. A Xamarin.Forms app moved to .NET MAUI in about 9 weeks.
Tell us your
store deadline.
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