Play Store: Violation of Metadata policy - FAQs
If you are an app developer it's not something you want to see, but sometimes you will get an e-mail from Google Play Support with "Publishing status: Rejected".
Your app has been rejected and wasn't published due to a policy violation. If you submitted an update, the previous version of your app is still available on Google Play.
Specifically, what can happen is that there is an issue with the "Violation of Metadata policy".
Here I've put together a few common questions and answers regarding the process of re-submitting an update:
Q: After changing the metadata, do I need to upload a new .apk file?
A: No, you can just submit and update to the metadata and it will be reprocessed. Just change the description for example, and push the "SUBMIT UPDATE" button at the bottom of the "Store listing" page. On the dashboard page of the app, you will see the hint "Processing update".
Q: How long will it take for an app to be processed for publishing on Google Play?
A: The system will usually need 0-48 hours to process updates. Once the app has been published you will see the message "Published" and "All updates are live" on the dashboard page of the app.
During the Corona virus (COVID-19) crisis processing times increased a lot, up to 7 days or more.
Q: Will submitting another update reset the processing procedure?
A: Yes, if you make a new change / submission / update to your app, then this will reset the processing procedure. So it can take up more time for your changes to be displayed on Google Play. Thus, in order to have your app to be processed as soon as possible, make sure that you don't make any new change / submission / update to your app while the previous submission is still under the system's processing.
Q: Can I contact somebody if I think there is an issue with the processing of the app update?
A: Yes, there are three ways to contact the Google Play support team:
Chat
Available in English: Monday through Friday, 12 a.m. through 12 a.m. (GMT) Chat now
Email
Fill out the contact form to email the support team, and the'll get back to you within 48 hours. Email now
Request an appeal
If your developer account has been terminated or you believe your app was rejected in error, the best way to the team is through the link in the enforcement email you received. If you can't find that message, you can also submit an appeal here: Submit appeal