Is this official Google guidance or legal advice?
No. This site summarizes public Play Console Help and Android Developers documentation into an interactive decision path. It is not affiliated with Google, does not replace Console declarations, and is not legal advice. If your counsel or live Help Center text disagrees with anything here, follow the live pages and your counsel.
Does a custom in-app contact picker let me keep READ_CONTACTS?
Usually no. Google’s restricted-permissions guidance says a custom picking experience is not automatic qualification for broad contacts access. Invite, share, and one-shot selection should use Contact Picker or Sharesheet. Keep READ_CONTACTS only when core functionality truly needs the full book and you can defend that in the Console declaration with a technical reason the system picker fails.
What about location used only for ads or analytics?
Play permissions policy does not allow requesting location solely for advertising or analytics. Prefer removing that access. If you still need location for a user-visible feature, choose the minimum scope: coarse for city-scale, location button for one-shot precise, or a declared persistent fine path for continuous core features — never “ads only” as the justification.
Do my checklist answers leave this browser?
No upload path is implemented. Radio choices and checkbox ticks stay in your tab’s memory until you copy text yourself. We do not create accounts or set analytics cookies for this tool. Cloudflare Pages may keep standard edge HTTP logs for delivery, which is separate from your answers. See the privacy page for the full local-processing promise.
How is this different from the Help Center or a blog checklist?
Help Center pages and long blog posts explain rules linearly. This tool asks which feature pattern you have, then returns one path, a ship checklist you can tick, and optional manifest snippets. It does not submit declarations, review your APK, or guarantee approval. Use it as a release prep aid beside the official docs — not instead of them.
Does the location button cover background location?
No. The location button is aimed at session-scoped, foreground, user-initiated precise access. Background location remains a separate, stricter review track. If your product needs background updates, plan that declaration and UX separately; do not assume button flags or onlyForLocationButton satisfy background requirements.