How to remove an app from the Play store?

android google-play publish

61,269

Solution 1

as gtumca-MAC said, unpublish your app and it will be removed.

For For publishing your app for testers only, try hockeyapp. It is a complete platform for publishing betas and has lot of other features as well.

Solution 2

There is no such functionality to remove an application from Developer's Console. You can remove it from Google Play Store by pressing Unpublish button.

Although, in the new Developer Console you can leave a feedback, and Google developers are reacting to those feedbacks.

I left a feedback and you can do the same: There are people (including me) added apps which they want to to remove from All Applications list. Could you please add a button to hide (or delete) the application from All Applications? Thanks.

Go to https://play.google.com/apps/publish/v2 and click "Give us feedback" orange button on the top right corner.

Solution 3

Unpublishing an App is only possible if you fulfill all the requirements from the app's form.

So it is required to:

check and remove all translation languages
add graphics in different resolutions which were not required when the app was first published
fulfill all other requirements of the form

This procedure is not customer friendly but it works ;-)

61,269

Author by

android developer

Really like to develop Android apps & libraries on my spare time. Github website: https://github.com/AndroidDeveloperLB/ My spare time apps: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=AndroidDeveloperLB

Updated on July 09, 2022

Comments

android developer almost 2 years

I have some test apps that I never intend to publish to the official Play store (aka Android Market), via this website. I need to remove them and use new ones instead, as I've also forgotten where I've put the signing key of the test apps.

So, how do I remove the old test apps from the account?

I just can't understand why they have this strict behavior. They said that if the key is not found, the app becomes an orphan. Why couldn't they just check in the server if the app was deleted and notify the user that the app won't get any updates, and give him an alternative for the app via the same publisher.

For example: "Dear user of App1, this app was removed from the market by the publisher, here're other apps by the publisher that might replace App1 (or: "here's App2 which the publisher intended to replace App1")".

Speaking of test apps, is there a way to do small publishing of the app, so that only specific accounts will be able to download the app from the market?
Todd Davies almost 12 years

I think 'unpublish' removes it from the store, but the app is still present in the developer console (though it is unpublished).
android developer almost 12 years

correct , i don't remember that i've ever published it , since currently it's not published . i can't find anywhere an option to delete it.
android developer almost 12 years

it's not published . all i can see there is re-activate and de-activate . i can also choose to update the apk , but since i don't have the keystore i can't upload the file .
android developer almost 12 years

but it didn't help me at all - i can't delete it . do you mean that i need to publish & unpublish the app ?
binW almost 12 years

@androiddeveloper check the answer to this question stackoverflow.com/questions/11074972/…
android developer almost 12 years

i see , so that's why i can't delete ? well , since i cannot find the keystore , is it possible to use a different one? if not , why? i ask this since i do not want to have a mess on this website.
binW almost 12 years

No it is not possible to use a different keystore. Key store is a certificate and when you sign your app with your keystore, you are branding it with it. That is how Google knows that its YOU who created a new version and not someone else. It is very similar to signing a check. Even if someone gets hold of your checkbook, they cant withdraw funds unless they know your signature. Hope you got the concept.
android developer almost 12 years

so i'm stuck with an app that stays there forever without anything to do with it? at least they should allow us to hide it. they could also notify the users that the app was removed from the market and give them a chance to check for an alternative made by the developer , no?
android developer over 11 years

where is the "feedback" feature in the new design?
ViliusK over 11 years

Updated last sentence: Go to play.google.com/apps/publish/v2 and click "Give us feedback" orange button on the top right corner.
android developer over 11 years

thanks . i've sent the feedback . hopefully they will approve it.
ViliusK over 11 years

they there improving All Applications screen like I've been asking. I hope I was not alone, who asked. :)
Bilbo Baggins almost 11 years

I have unpublished my app several days ago. But still I can see the download page.
Lisa Anne over 9 years

Hi Peter, I am not sure I understand, this might be possibly what a lot of developers have been looking for, please could you explain a bit more? Thanks!! LISA
Chris over 8 years

Unpublish app is grayed out and unclickable for me.
Oliver Metz about 6 years

Go to Store presence -> Pricing & distribution -> App Availability. You'll find the UNPUBLISH button there.