In an effort to curb malicious software and inappropriate adverts, Google emailed developers yesterday outlining several new policy changes and revamped Developer Policy Center. The update informs developers that they have 30 days to make sure their apps or compliant or risk a warning or their app being removed from the Google Play Store outright. Basically it means by April 1st, developers need to make sure their apps are in line with the new rules.
The updated policies outlined in the email are specific to the type of content and ads that developers have in their apps.
In our continuing effort to make Google Play the most trusted community for developers and consumers, we also took this opportunity to update a few policies in accordance with
ClintonFitch.com App
current practices. This email is to notify you of the latest changes to our policies, a few of which are highlighted below.
-
We’ve updated our Ads policy to prohibit inappropriate ads.
-
We’ve clarified our Ads policy to prohibit certain ad behaviors that interfere with device functionality.
-
We’ve introduced restrictions on apps that try to bypass system power management features under the Device and Network Abuse policy.
-
We’ve clarified our User Data policy to include a privacy policy requirement when collecting contact/phonebook data.
All of these changes are really aimed at making sure that users get the most out of the apps without any inappropriate content and that their data is kept safe. And while users won’t have to necessarily do anything on their end (except download an updated app from the Google Play Store if applicable), there is a bit of comfort in knowing that developers have to play be a stricter set of rules these days. As a developer, I welcome it.
Part of this announcement also discussed the new Developer Policy Center. The new-look site is subdivided into seven key areas where developers can more easily find information related to a particular policy. Previously this site was a bit of a challenge to navigate so this new look and feel is certainly welcome as it clearly gets you to the policies you need without having to fish too much for them.
For those of you who have downloaded the site app, yes, it is compliant – but I’m still reading through to double-check. 🙂
