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GOOGLE PLAY RELEASE GUIDE · REVIEWED OCT 2026

Does your Data safety declaration match what the app and SDKs do?

Check whether SDK behavior, the Data safety form, and your privacy policy agree.

Data safety changes may come from your own code or from SDK updates. Google Play expects developers to disclose their actual collection, use and sharing practices, including relevant third-party SDK behavior. The goal is not to guess what an SDK collects; it is to assemble evidence and compare it with declarations.

What matters

  • Developers are responsible for an accurate and current Data safety section, including behavior introduced by integrated SDKs.
  • Data safety disclosures and the privacy policy should be consistent with the product’s real data-handling behavior.
  • A missing SDK inventory means you have an information gap. It is not evidence that no data is collected.

Step-by-step investigation

1. Inventory current dependenciesList SDKs, their versions, and relevant data flows in the previous and candidate releases.
2. Find collection or sharing changesReview SDK release notes, vendor guidance and observed app behavior. Record the evidence source for each claim.
3. Compare Play declarationsFor each verified data practice, review the corresponding Data safety answers, purposes, sharing disclosures, and any relevant conditions.
4. Check the privacy policyVerify the publicly accessible policy accurately explains data handling and matches the current product.
5. Flag unknowns and verifyIf an SDK’s practices are not established, keep the finding unknown and investigate before deciding a declaration is accurate.

A worked example (synthetic)

Example: analytics SDK added

The candidate release includes a newly enabled analytics SDK and verified telemetry collection, but the supplied Data safety snapshot says no collection. This would be a contradiction in the provided evidence that needs investigation. The tool cannot inspect SDK network traffic itself.

Compare the previous and candidate releases

Keep a record of what you actually know. In the free browser tool, enter a verified previous-release snapshot and candidate-release snapshot. Run the comparison to inspect changed fields and export a report. Unknown information should stay unknown.

Use the release comparison tool

No account or real release required to try a sample. Your entered snapshots are processed in your browser.

Open free comparison tool →

What this guide cannot verify

Do not enter real user data, secret tokens, or full private SDK configuration. Automated field comparison is not a privacy audit and does not replace legal or technical review.

Official documentation

Editorial note: Content checked against the linked official sources on October 28, 2026. This independent guide is informational, not legal advice or a guarantee of Google Play approval.