Google Play Application Statuses: What They Mean and What You Can Do

When working with apps in Google Play, it’s important to understand the current status of your app and what it means in practice: whether the app is visible to users, if you can upload new builds, edit metadata, or publish updates.

In this article, we’ll review all the main app statuses in Google Play, what they mean, and what actions are available in each case.

Main Application Statuses

📝 Draft

What it means
The app is created but not yet published and has never been available to users.

Features

• The app is not visible in Google Play
• No installs
• You can freely edit:
  • app listing
  • content
  • builds (AAB/APK)
  • tracks (internal / closed / open)

Typical scenarios

• Creating a new app
• Preparing for the first release

🚀 Published

What it means
The app is published and available to users in at least one track (usually Production).

Features

• The app is available in Google Play
• Users can install and update it

You can:

• release updates
• change description and screenshots
• manage tracks
• work with reviews

Important

• Even if the Production track is temporarily Closed, the app can still be considered Published if it was previously published

⏸️ Paused

What it means
The app’s publication is paused manually by the developer.

Features

• The app is not available to new users
• Existing users:
  • can continue using the app
  • do not receive updates
• The app page is hidden from search

When used

• Temporary content issues
• Preparing for major changes
• Legal or regional restrictions

🚫 Suspended by Google

What it means
Google has forcibly suspended the app for policy violations.

Features

• The app is removed from Google Play
• It cannot be installed or updated
• Users see an error when visiting the page
• Publishing new versions is prohibited

Important

• This is a serious violation
• Can affect:
  • account reputation
  • Google’s trust in the developer
  • future publications

What you can do

• File an appeal
• Fix violations (if allowed)
• In some cases, create a new app

🗑️ Removed

What it means
The developer deleted the app from Google Play.

Features:

• The app is no longer available to users
• New installs are impossible
• The app cannot be restored
• The package name (applicationId) can no longer be used

Important:

• This is irreversible
• Removal is different from Paused and Suspended

Track and Release Statuses (do not confuse)

In addition to the app status, Google Play has separate statuses for releases in tracks:

• Draft release
• In review
• Rejected
• Active
• Halted

👉 An app can be Published, but a specific release can be Rejected or In review.

Status Table

Common mistakes and nuances

• ❗ Paused ≠ Suspended
  Paused is a safe pause, Suspended is a sanction from Google.

• ❗ Removed cannot be undone
  Unlike the App Store, removal in Google Play is irreversible.

• ❗ App status and release status are different things
  People often confuse a Published app and a Draft release.

Understanding app statuses in Google Play helps you:

• safely manage releases
• avoid blocks
• respond correctly to policy issues
• build automation (CI/CD, service accounts, API)

If you work with releases, service accounts, or publication automation-always consider the app status, not just the build status.