Google removed the Indexing API approval form and all instructions on how to request approval from its documentation on Oct. 16. The move leaves job board operators and developers with no documented process to gain access beyond the default testing quota.

The change follows a September report that job board operators had waited months for responses to their approval requests, with no timelines given in Google's documents. Google's changelog says it updated the quota page "to reflect the current quota limits and process" and to "remove an outdated form." The changelog does not say whether the approval requirement itself has changed.

What did Google remove?

Before the Oct. 16 update, the quota page stated that the API "provides initial default quota for testing, and it requires additional approval for usage and resource provisioning."

Also removed:

• A section titled "Request quota and approval" that linked to the form and stated "the quota may increase or decrease based on the document quality."
• The quickstart no longer lists "Request approval and quota" as an initial set-up action.
• The usage page dropped three identical notes stating the API has a default quota "for testing," plus instructions on how to request approval and quota.

Both the quota page and usage page changes are dated Oct. 16, yet the changelog mentions only the quota page.

This is not the first time Google has adjusted the language around testing. In September 2024, its changelog said the aim was "to better explain that the default quota is for initial setup and testing."

What stays in the documentation?

The quota page still lists the default limits:

• 200 publish requests per day per project, counting both updates and removals.
• 180 metadata requests per minute per project.
• 380 requests per minute across all endpoints.
• The daily limit resets at midnight Pacific Time.

The API remains limited to pages with JobPosting or BroadcastEvent embedded in a VideoObject. The usage page still says Google's spam policies apply to submissions and tells developers not to get around submission limits, "such as by using multiple accounts."

Google's job posting guide, last updated Sept. 8, still recommends the Indexing API over sitemaps for job posting URLs, with a sitemap for full-site coverage. The quickstart itself removed the paragraph comparing the two.

What does this change for developers and job boards?

The practical question for practitioners is straightforward: how do you now get approved, and what happens to pending applications? The updated documentation gives no answer.

The docs no longer explain how to submit an application to use the API. They also say nothing about what will happen to previously submitted applications under review, or whether a project that never received approval can now use its default quota for live job postings or livestreams.

For job board owners who reported months of silence on their requests in September, the removal of the form removes even the paper trail of an application process.

What to watch next

Developers can check their project's current quota in the Google API Console, where the quota page still directs them. Watch that page and the changelog for any new method to request a higher quota — because for now, none exists in the documentation.