Google has made some slight changes to its Google Play developers policy that will see some tightened rules for app developers and the policy for posting apps to the Play Store.
The main focus of the policy update is to try and cut down on some of the needless and intrusive advertising, spoof apps, and clarifying subscription cancellations.
This means that apps with excessive advertising – you know the ones, with adverts that pop up in your notifications window (called Airpush-style advertising) – will be shut down and not be accepted in future. Apps that are “confusingly similar” or shoddy rip-offs of popular games will also be pulled (like the many Angry Birds rip-offs), and finally any subscription based services will have new clarification rules when a user cancels their subscription.
Developers have been given 30 days to comply with the changes and if this is not done then the apps that exist with these issues will be found in violation and then will be pulled by Google from the Play Store.
The information has been made clear to developers both on Google Play Store site and in an email to all registered developers which clarifies the new rules.
Overall, the new policy represents a huge leap forward for Google’s Play Store and should help streamline some of the great apps from the malicious and troublesome apps that fill the store. With Google’s approach to app building still being open (especially in comparison to Apple’s publishing rules) it seems that developers can still get a good product out to users easily, but now there will be less of a malicious aspect for the end user.
You can check out the full Google Play Developer Program Policies here>>
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