Adaptwise

Guides · 2026-10-07

Targeting API 36 by November 1: what changes on tablets and foldables

Google Play requires new apps and app updates to target Android 16 (API level 36). The deadline was August 31, 2026, and teams that requested an extension have until November 1, 2026. After that, you can't ship updates until your app targets API 36.

Raising targetSdkVersion is usually a one-line change. What it switches on is not. Three Android 16 behavior changes apply as soon as you target API 36, and the biggest one shows up on tablets and foldables.

1. Orientation and resizability locks are ignored on large screens

For apps targeting API 36, orientation, resizability and aspect-ratio restrictions no longer apply on displays with a smallest width of 600dp or more. That covers tablets, unfolded foldables and desktop windows. Your app fills the window, whatever its aspect ratio or the orientation you asked for, and the system no longer pillarboxes it (black bars at the sides).

On those screens, Android ignores:

What tends to break: layouts designed only for a portrait phone get stretched, components and animations end up off-screen, and rotating more often re-creates activities, which loses state you weren't saving.

Exceptions: games (declared with android:appCategory), screens narrower than 600dp, and users who choose the app's default behavior in the device's aspect-ratio settings.

Temporary opt-out: you can add the android.window.PROPERTY_COMPAT_ALLOW_RESTRICTED_RESIZABILITY property to an activity, or to the whole application, to keep the old behavior for now. Treat it as a bridge. Google has said that for apps targeting API 37, the opt-out goes away.

2. You can't opt out of edge-to-edge anymore

Android 15 made apps draw edge-to-edge but let you opt out with windowOptOutEdgeToEdgeEnforcement. For apps targeting API 36 running on Android 16, that attribute is disabled. If you relied on it, check that toolbars, bottom bars and buttons respect the system bar insets and don't sit under the status or navigation bar.

3. Back navigation changes

For apps targeting API 36 on Android 16 devices, the predictive back animations are on by default, onBackPressed() is no longer called, and KEYCODE_BACK is no longer dispatched. If your app intercepts back, move to the supported back navigation APIs, or set android:enableOnBackInvokedCallback="false" as a temporary opt-out.

A test plan you can run this week

  1. Raise targetSdkVersion to 36 on a branch.
  2. Large screens: run on a tablet emulator and a foldable emulator (unfolded). Rotate, resize in split screen, and walk through your main flows. Look for stretched layouts, clipped content and lost state after rotation.
  3. Before you have a device: turn on the UNIVERSAL_RESIZABLE_BY_DEFAULT compatibility flag to preview the large-screen behavior.
  4. Edge-to-edge: check every screen's top and bottom on Android 16.
  5. Back: test every screen that handled back on its own.
  6. Fix or opt out deliberately: fix what you can now; use the temporary opt-out only for screens you'll fix before API 37.

The long-term fix is an adaptive layout: drive your UI from window size classes rather than the device type or orientation, and keep state across configuration changes. Google's large-screen guidance covers the patterns.

While you're in the release branch: 16 KB pages

The next Play deadline is close behind. From February 1, 2027, Google Play blocks updates that don't support 16 KB memory pages, which affects any app with native code. You can check an APK or App Bundle for free, in your browser, at adaptwise.io.

Sources

Checked against Google's documentation on October 7, 2026. Adaptwise is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.