Enrolling in the Play Catalog Access Program

Starting on July 22, 2026, subject to the terms set forth herein and at this page, third-party US Android app stores ("app store") can access the Google Play Store’s catalog of apps ("Play Catalog"). Third-party US Android app stores will be able to offer these apps to users, and the download of these apps will be completed through Google Play on the same terms as any other download that is made directly through the Google Play Store. Google Play’s service fee will continue to apply to apps downloaded in this manner. To participate in the Play Catalog Access Program, review the requirements and complete the enrollment steps described below.

Requirements

Third-party US Android app stores participating in this program must comply with the following requirements:

1. Must have their app store available and target users in the US
2. Be registered as an organization
3. Operate as a Legitimate Marketplace
   • Open Access: Function as an open 3P marketplace for all eligible third-party developers, with clear, non-discriminatory policies. For the avoidance of doubt, app stores may curate or limit their catalog.
   • Developer Authorization: Have and maintain written authorization from developers and all license rights and permissions necessary to distribute their apps, including the content of such apps.
   • IP Compliance: Respect intellectual property rights and maintain a clear process for handling IP Disputes.
4. Provide a Transparent User Experience
   • Primary Purpose: The app store's main function must be the discovery, installation, and management of apps. The app store must be consumer-facing (with a user destination and launcher icon) that is either pre-loaded or explicitly installed by the user. An app store may have additional features beyond its main function, such as social features (friends, chat, game clip sharing), and utility features (authentication, parental controls, account and family management).
   • Clear App Info: For the apps in the app store’s catalog, display essential app details, including app name, developer name, description, version, size, permission list, applicable legal disclosures, and contact information for the developer.
   • User Control: Ensure app installations and ownership changes occur only with explicit user consent and provide clear user controls for automatic or manual updates.
   • User support: Offer direct and accessible customer support channels.
5. Ensure Ecosystem Trust & Safety
   • Security: Proactively and in good faith prevent the distribution of malware and Potentially Harmful Apps (PHAs) and prohibit illegal or fraudulent activity through robust policy enforcement.
   • Privacy & Compliance: Publish and in good faith enforce clear privacy policies, do not materially violate applicable laws and regulations (for example, COPPA, CCPA), and manage government requests appropriately.
   • User Safety: Provide parental controls and enforce policies against deceptive or disruptive practices.
6. Proper use of the Play Catalog
   • Not use the Play Catalog to distribute apps to users outside of the United States.
   • Clearly indicate to the user that Play Catalog apps come from the Google Play Store before initiating the Inline Install API.
   • Refresh the apps in your app store to the current Play Catalog snapshot daily or at a minimum weekly.
   • Offer apps and games other than those available only through Play Catalog access.
   • Not charge users additional fees for downloading, installing, or using any apps available only via Play Catalog access or otherwise monetize the installation of apps from the Play Catalog.
   • Not use the Play Catalog data in misleading ways.
   • Not share any Play Catalog data with other app stores.
   • Not share any Play Catalog data for any purpose other than operating your app store.
7. Adhere to applicable laws & regulations including but not limited to age assurance and minor protection
8. Pay Google an upfront service fee of $5,000 to perform the necessary security and policy reviews during onboarding for Play Catalog access. To maintain access to the Play Catalog, you must pay this fee on an annual basis thereafter for continued security and policy reviews.

Enroll your Android app store in the Play Catalog Access Program

To enroll in the program, you must complete the following steps:

1. Review the requirements on this page to determine if your app store meets the criteria.
2. Submit a declaration form, including accepting the Catalog Access Program Service Agreement, with necessary information about your app store to begin the onboarding process.
3. Successfully pay the upfront service fee before getting access to the Play Console for app stores.
4. Open Play Console for app stores and complete the remaining onboarding steps:

   a. Create your app store account and your app store

   i. Complete the necessary identity verification process for an organization.

   ii. Add the name and package name of your app store.

   iii. Provide a verified website that identifies your app store and provides a mechanism to distribute your US Android app store.

   b. Add app store details

   Provide the name, descriptions, icon, and screenshots to help us understand your app store.

   c. Submit policy declarations

   i. Complete the following standard declarations for your app store (note this is not for the apps in your app store): Privacy Policy, Health apps, Government apps, Advertising ID, App access (log-in credentials), Ads, Financial features.

   ii. Additionally, complete the following declaration about your app store’s policies and processes:

   1. Publicly accessible Trust & Safety policies: In addition to providing a publicly accessible link to your app store’s trust and safety policy, provide links to each of the policy areas similar to those of Play Policies (if applicable): Restricted Content Policy, Impersonation, Intellectual Property, Privacy, Deception and Device Abuse, Ads, Use of SDKs In Apps, Spam, Functionality, and User Experience, Malware, Mobile Unwanted Software (MUwS).
   2. Attest that you have a developer agreement or sufficient rights and authorization for content you distribute and a privacy policy with third-party developers and provide the publicly accessible links if available.
   3. Attest that your app store has a terms of service for users using your app store and provide the publicly accessible link if available.
   4. Publicly accessible links to your app store’s support processes:
      1. For users to get direct customer support;
      2. For users to understand parental controls including your app store’s mechanism for parents to control app downloads, especially in jurisdictions where mandated by law;
      3. To kick off IP dispute processes (e.g. US: DMCA process, Worldwide: General IP processes);
      4. To submit and action government and legal requests; and
      5. To remove illegal content including but not limited to potentially harmful apps, fraudulent activity, or child endangerment.

   d. Upload your app store APK and send for review

   Note: We will not be requiring you to send the APKs of the apps in your app store, so this review will be limited to our ability to browse the store and determine if we see obvious harmful content in your store.

   1. Create a release in Releases and upload your app store’s APK.
   2. Submit your app store for review.
5. Once your app store’s participation is approved (and the Play Catalog Access Program is live), you will be able to access the Play Catalog.

   a. Accessing the daily export snapshot

   i. Play Catalog data will be refreshed daily and will be available from Google Cloud Storage. You can access reports using Google Cloud Storage on your browser or programmatically using gsutil. You can also use other tools to programmatically access your Cloud Storage bucket. We recommend building systems that don't depend on the exports being updated at a specific time.

   ii. You can copy your Google Cloud Storage URI by clicking the Copy Cloud Storage URI button in Advanced Settings > Catalog access.

   iii. Process the daily export snapshot according to the defined schema.

   (Optional) If you need Play Catalog updates more frequently than the daily export, you can integrate with the catalog access intra-day APIs in addition to processing the daily snapshots.
6. Integrate with the Inline Install API .

7. When your app store is updated, submit all updated versions and APKs of your app store for review, in a timely manner to maintain access to the Play Catalog. This must be submitted to Google prior to being served to users but you do not need to wait for the outcome of the review before updating your app store.

If you have any additional questions, you can contact our support team here.

Frequently asked questions

What does "clear, non-discriminatory policies" mean?

Your app store must have publicly accessible Trust & Safety policies. In addition to providing a publicly accessible link to your app store’s trust and safety policies, provide links to each of the policy areas similar to those of Play Policies (if applicable): Restricted Content Policy , Impersonation, Intellectual Property, Privacy, Deception and Device Abuse, Ads, Use of SDKs In Apps, Spam, Functionality, and User Experience, Malware, Mobile Unwanted Software (MUwS).

What does "management of apps" mean for the primary purpose requirement?

Your app store must include active app management features such as:

• Download and install apps: Allow users to browse, find, download, and install apps from your Android app store onto their devices.
• Uninstall seamlessly: Give users the option to remove an app from the exact same page they used to download it.
• Keep apps updated: Successfully deliver updates to any apps downloaded through your app store whenever new versions are available on the device.

How is Play determining if my app store is distributing malware and potentially harmful apps (PHAs)?

Your app store must not have more than 1% of malware distribution (install attempts) over a 30-day rolling window, across all devices, globally.