Mobile App Filing remains mandatory for China stores, WeChat/Alipay minis, and games (plus ISBN)

Analysis

By UA Ledger staff2 min read

Mobile App Filing remains mandatory for China stores, WeChat/Alipay minis, and games (plus ISBN)

MIIT’s 2023 filing notice still bars unfiled apps from distribution; Xiaomi’s 2025 filing guides continue to enforce host/name/package consistency for store listing.

As of the 20 September 2026 check, 工信部信管〔2023〕105号 remains the governing MIIT notice for Mobile Internet App filing. APP hosts inside the PRC must file; unfiled apps must not provide APP internet information services; distribution platforms — including mini programs and quick apps named in the notice — must not distribute unfiled apps. The stock deadline was 31 March 2024; from July 2024 the same notice describes ongoing (“normalised”) management. This card is therefore a continuity record: the obligation has not lapsed, even though the original bulletin is from 2023.

Xiaomi’s 移动应用程序(APP)备案信息补充指引 (page update 2025-09-18) still requires developers to supply filing information in store flows. Pass rules tie developer subject, APP host, name and package to the filing system; mismatched subjects need explanation letters and cooperation agreements; a single-player “no filing” path exists only with a disclaimer letter. That is store-level enforcement of the MIIT duty, not a replacement for it.

Commercial games still need an NPPA ISBN (publication approval) for legal monetised publishing on Apple China and domestic Android. Filing and ISBN are separate gates: filing alone does not licence a game; an ISBN alone does not satisfy MIIT app filing where the store requires both.

Operator implication

Reference table
FieldEvidence or limit
MIIT obligationStill mandatory under 工信部信管〔2023〕105号
Stock deadline (historical)2024-03-31
Xiaomi supplemental guide stamp2025-09-18
Commercial gamesFiling + ISBN dual gate
Not established on these pagesPer-store 2026 takedown counts

Download the dual-gate card. China store or mini-program UA still needs a live filing number before treating listing risk as closed.

Research checked 20 September 2026. Local draft; human editorial review pending.

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