Google introduced new Play Retailer insurance coverage policies for builders on Wednesday that purpose To deal with factors with intrusive advertvertisements, alarms, VPNs and impersonation of fashions and completely different apps. The agency said these insurance coverage policies will go into influence all by way of completely different timeframes so builders have ample time to make modifications to their apps.
The search huge is purposeing To reinforce consumer safety and app experiences by way of these insurance coverage policies, it says.
Right here’s An inventory of what Google introduced and when these insurance coverage policies will kick in:
Greater advert experiences (September 30, 2022): In-recreation advertvertisements Might be annoying and Google Desires to reinforce on that. This coverage will prohibit any full-display advertvertisements That are not closable after 15 seconds. Choose-in advertvertisements, like an advert To watch a recreation rewards, can exceed these Deadlines.
The agency is prohibiting full-display interstitial advertvertisements that seem earlier than the app’s loadverting display, Everytime You start a diploma or Through the recreationplay, too.
Event of an sudden advert displaying all by way of recreationplay. Picture Credit: Google
Impersonation (August 31, 2022): To weed out copycat apps, Google is cracking down on unaccredited apps that suggest an affiliation with authoritiess, corporations and companies. For instance, apps can’t use nationwide emblems and authorities groups to make people assume it’s an official app. Equally, builders can’t use icons To level out they’re formally affiliated with An group, artist or Tv current As quickly as they’re not accredited To take movement.
Picture Credit: Google
Well being misinformation (August 31, 2022): The agency is banning apps that argue in the direction of the extensively accepted medical consensus or provides out health suggestion Which will harm clients. It cited examples of apps advertvocating unaccredited cures, injurious practices like conversion remedy and vaccine misinformation That Can be Faraway from the Play Retailer.
Flag safe requirements (August 31, 2022): The FLAG_SECURE is a toggle for builders who Want to maintain away from content material on the display being doced by way of displayshots. Do you have to Try and take one you’ll ssuggest see a black display. That is widespreadvert amongst streaming apps. So completely different apps, with exception of accessibility devices like display readverters, are prohibited to bypass this flag in any method And look at out and doc content material on the display.
VPN Service (August 31, 2022): The agency is prohibiting apps from using Android’s VPN providers for monitoring consumer knowledge or rerouting consumer visitors to earn money by way of advertvertisements. Core VPN apps gained’t be have an effect oned, however as app researcher Mishaal Rahman famous, It’d have an effect on monitoring blockers like DuckDuckGo’s App Tracking Security. (We’ve requested DuckDuckGo for a remark.)
This new VPNService coverage change, however, might influence one factor like @DuckDuckGo’s “App Tracking Security” which mannequins up a VPN To dam trackers in completely different apps.https://t.co/qXZjbANGj5
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) July 27, 2022
Exact alarm permissions (July 31, 2023): Android provides APIs for timer and alarm apps to set off alarms at exact occasions. However, if completely different apps are using these permissions, This will disturb the telephone’s low-power modes when it’s not needed and have an effect on the battery. The stricter enforcement round exact alarm permissions purposes To assist enhance the system’s battery life.
The agency advertditionally introduced coverage modifications for advertvertisements concentrating on youngsters and stalkerware To enhance safety for apps Utilized by youngsters, influenceive Nov. 1, 2022. Google says if an app solely concentrating on youngsters serves advertvertisements, then it should solely use advertvertisements SDKs Which have self-licensed compliance with Google Play insurance coverage policies.
The mannequin new coverage modifications come days after Google enforced its coverage of declaring safety labels for apps on July 20. The agency will hope that these new insurance coverage policies will weed out video recreations and apps with intrusive advertvertisements, misinformation and privateness-violating permissions.