Restricting Android App Access to Phones Only (Excluding Tablets)

When developing a mobile app, sometimes your user interface and overall experience are designed specifically for smartphones. In such cases, you may want to block Android tablets and other large-screen devices from installing your app. This article will walk you through how to limit tablet access to your Android app, using both AndroidManifest.xml configuration and advanced filtering via the Google Play Console.

✅ Why Restrict Your Android App to Phones?

There are several valid reasons for excluding tablets from your app’s distribution:

• UI/UX designed specifically for phone screen ratios (e.g., portrait-only apps).
• Performance optimizations targeted to phones, not larger devices.
• Business use cases focused on on-the-go usage (e.g., scanning apps, mobile utilities).
• Avoiding stretched or broken layouts on large tablets.

Whatever your reason, Android provides tools to control which devices can access your app.

🧩 Step 1: Limit Screen Sizes in AndroidManifest.xml

One of the easiest ways to restrict access to tablets is by configuring the <supports-screens> element in your manifest:

<manifest ... >
    <supports-screens
        android:smallScreens="true"
        android:normalScreens="true"
        android:largeScreens="false"
        android:xlargeScreens="false"/>
</manifest>

Explanation:

• smallScreens and normalScreens are typically found on phones.
• largeScreens and xlargeScreens are found on most tablets.
• By setting false on large and xlarge, you hint to the system and Play Store that you don’t support tablets.

📝 Tip: This will not completely block tablets but will significantly reduce your app’s visibility on them in the Play Store.

📏 Optional: Lock Aspect Ratio for Larger Devices

If you want to support installation on tablets but maintain a phone-like layout (e.g., center-cropped UI with black bars), you can use ConstraintLayout with a fixed aspect ratio:

<androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:background="@android:color/black">

    <FrameLayout
        android:id="@+id/content_wrapper"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="0dp"
        app:layout_constraintDimensionRatio="9:16"
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
        app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" />

</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

This creates a letterboxed layout that simulates the phone UI even on tablets — while still allowing installations.

📱 Step 2: Use Google Play Console to Exclude Tablets

Once your APK or AAB is uploaded, go to:

Play Console → Release → Device Catalog

Here you can:

• View all compatible devices
• Manually exclude tablet models
• Filter by screen size, RAM, manufacturer, etc.

Exclude Tablets Automatically:

1. Go to Device Catalog.
2. Filter by Form Factor: Tablet.
3. Select all.
4. Click Exclude Devices.

This will prevent your app from appearing in the Play Store on those tablets.

🛠️ Step 3 (Optional): Require Phone-Specific Features

If you want to go a step further, you can require features usually missing on tablets:

<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.telephony" android:required="true" />

This will exclude Wi-Fi-only tablets and devices without SIM card support.

Be cautious: this may also exclude dual-SIM tablets or hybrid devices.

📋 Conclusion

If your Android app is intended only for smartphones, limiting tablet access helps ensure a consistent user experience. By combining manifest declarations and device filtering in the Play Console, you can effectively restrict your app to phones, protect your UX, and avoid unexpected layout issues on tablets.