How to remove an app from the App Store and Google Play
Both stores separate taking an app off sale from deleting it. On the App Store, Remove App From Sale in App Store Connect takes the app off the store in all countries or regions within 24 hours; people who already downloaded it keep getting updates and can redownload it while your agreement stays active. On Google Play, Unpublish stops new users from finding and downloading the app, while existing users keep using and updating it. Deleting goes further on both: Apple removes the app from your App Store Connect list, and Google permanently deletes it after seven days. Both have conditions and costs, set out below.
Remove from sale, unpublish and delete
From App Store Connect Help «Manage availability for your app on the App Store» and «Remove an app», and Play Console Help 9859350 and 16483176, read 28 September 2026.
| App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Take off the store | Remove App From Sale, in all countries or regions within 24 hours | Unpublish, under Advanced settings, App availability |
| Existing users | keep updates; can redownload from purchase history while the agreement is active | can still use the app and receive updates |
| Delete | Remove App, by the Account Holder or an Admin, after removing it from sale | Delete app, by the account owner: unpublished, fewer than 1000 active devices |
| Undo | Restore App, only if no other developer now uses the name | recover within seven days, then deleted permanently |
| What you lose | the app name; the SKU and, after a build, the bundle ID cannot be reused | user data and metrics; the package name if the app ever had installs |
App Store: remove from sale or from some countries
In App Store Connect, open the app, click Pricing and Availability, scroll to the bottom and click Remove App From Sale, then confirm. Apple says the app is removed from the App Store in all countries or regions within 24 hours. To pull it from only some of the 175 countries or regions, use Manage Availability in the same section and deselect them; changes take effect immediately but may take up to 24 hours to be visible to all users. In both cases, people who downloaded the app keep receiving updates, and it can be redownloaded from a customer’s purchase history as long as the necessary contract remains active. The Account Holder, an Admin or an App Manager can do this.
App Store: removing the app from your account
Removing an app clears it from your main view in App Store Connect. First remove it from sale in all countries or regions, even if it was never released, and remove its In-App Purchases from sale. Apple blocks removal while the app is Ready for Review, Waiting for Review, In Review, Metadata Rejected or Rejected, while it is being transferred, or while it is in an app bundle. Then the Account Holder or an Admin opens App Information and clicks Remove App under Additional Information. Apple’s warning matters: you lose ownership of the app name, the SKU cannot be reused in the same organization, and if you uploaded a build, the bundle ID cannot be reused. Restore App brings it back only if no other developer account uses the name.
Google Play: unpublish
Unpublishing hides the app from new users: existing users can still use it and receive updates, but new users will not find it or download it on Google Play. Before you can unpublish, you must have accepted the latest Developer Distribution Agreement, the app must have no outstanding errors, such as a missing content rating questionnaire or target audience details, and managed publishing must be off. Then open the app in Play Console, go to Test and release, Setup, Advanced settings, and on the App Availability tab select Unpublish. If you only need to stop an update rather than the app, a staged rollout can be halted instead.
Google Play: delete permanently
Self-service deletion is limited. The account owner can delete an app only if it is unpublished, has no changes in review, is not rejected, blocked or suspended, and is installed on fewer than 1000 active devices, meaning devices turned on at least once in the past 30 days. Paid apps and apps with in-app purchases or subscriptions qualify only with zero lifetime installs; otherwise you contact support. On the App availability tab, click Delete app and enter the package name and your account’s registration transaction ID. You lose access to all user data and metrics, you can recover the app within seven days, and a deleted app cannot be transferred. A package name with zero lifetime installs is freed for anyone; with any installs, it can never be reused. If you would rather hand the app over, see how to transfer an app.
Where Censuus fits
Removing an app ends one chapter; for the next app, getting people to it comes first. Censuus ranks apps by the visits they draw and by sponsorship, and adding your app is free on the List my app form. Sponsorship raises placement and adds a followed link to your website; details are on the sponsor page. For the full plan, see how to market an app. We do not promise downloads or store rankings.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to remove an app from the App Store?
Apple says an app removed from sale is gone from the App Store in all countries or regions within 24 hours.
Can people still use my app after I remove it?
Yes. On the App Store they keep receiving updates and can redownload it from purchase history while your agreement is active; on Google Play, unpublishing still lets existing users use and update the app.
Can I delete an app from Google Play Console?
Only if it is unpublished, installed on fewer than 1000 active devices and not rejected, blocked or suspended. Monetized apps qualify only with zero lifetime installs; otherwise contact support.
Can I reuse my app name after removing an app?
On the App Store, removing an app loses ownership of its name, and it can be restored only if no other developer account uses the name.
Guides for app developers
- How to transfer an app to another developer account
- App Store phased release and Google Play staged rollouts
- How to market an app: a stage-by-stage plan
- How to localize your App Store and Google Play listing
- How long app review takes on the App Store and Google Play
- The app account deletion requirement on the App Store and Google Play
Put your app in the ranking
Censuus ranks apps by the visits they draw and by sponsorship, no bots. Listing is free; sponsorship raises placement.