Guaranteeing high-quality apps on Google Play

Posted by Kobi Gluck, Director of Product Administration, Google Play

Each day, Google Play helps billions of individuals all over the world uncover partaking, useful, and enriching experiences on their gadgets. Sustaining constantly excessive app high quality throughout these experiences is our high precedence, which is why we constantly put money into new instruments, options, and packages to assist builders ship one of the best apps and video games.

Beforehand, we’ve highlighted our efforts to amplify the highest-quality apps on Google Play, in addition to steer customers away from lower-quality ones. In the present day, we’re sharing an replace on this work and introducing some new insurance policies and packages to spice up app high quality throughout the platform and join individuals with experiences they’ll love, wherever they’re, on no matter gadget they’re utilizing.

Serving to current builders adjust to our up to date verification necessities

Earlier this 12 months, we introduced that every one builders should meet an expanded set of verification necessities earlier than publishing apps on Google Play, to assist customers make knowledgeable selections, stop the unfold of malware, and cut back fraud. We’ve already rolled out the necessities for builders creating new Play Console developer accounts.

In the present day, we’re sharing how builders with current accounts can full these verifications to adjust to the up to date Play Console necessities coverage. We all know that builders of various sorts and sizes have completely different priorities, and that it’d take some builders longer to confirm than others. Due to this, we’re permitting you to decide on your personal deadline by which to finish account verification.

Beginning at the moment, you’ll be able to select your most well-liked deadline in Play Console. Deadlines can be found on a first-come, first-served foundation, so select your deadline early to ensure a timeframe that works for you. Should you do not select a deadline earlier than February 29, 2024, we’ll assign one for you routinely.

Required app testing for all new private developer accounts

Builders who usually use Play’s app testing instruments earlier than publishing launch higher-quality apps and video games, which may result in increased scores and extra success on Google Play. In reality, apps that use our testing instruments have on common 3 occasions the quantity of app installs and person engagement in contrast to people who do not.

To assist builders reap these advantages, builders with newly created private Play Console accounts will quickly be required to check their apps with at the least 20 individuals for at least two weeks earlier than making use of for entry to manufacturing. It will permit builders to check their app, establish points, get suggestions, and make sure that all the things is prepared earlier than they launch. Builders who create new private developer accounts will begin seeing this requirement in Play Console within the coming days.

Elevated funding in app overview

As extra builders use new applied sciences of their cell apps, apps on Play have gotten extra subtle — however so are abuse methodologies. To make sure we proceed to supply a secure and trusted expertise, our world overview groups now spend extra time assessing new apps to verify they supply a priceless person expertise that doesn’t deceive or defraud customers, both through the app or off-Play exercise, and complies with our insurance policies.

Whereas we don’t anticipate important adjustments to our total app overview timelines, it could take us longer to overview a small portion of apps, akin to apps designed for youngsters or that request sure gadget permissions. These deeper critiques assist make sure that customers are partaking in secure and trusted experiences by way of Google Play.

Connecting customers to nice, reliable apps

Given the worldwide attain and regional range of the Android ecosystem, it’s necessary that each Play person can simply uncover one of the best content material for his or her wants and never be restricted to a single advice. To proceed offering nice content material for customers that rewards developer funding in high quality, we’ve already begun:

• Offering customers with info on whether or not an app might not carry out as properly on their gadget, together with telephones, giant screens, and wearables and
• Surfacing extra high-quality native and regional content material

Subsequent 12 months, we’ll add new signifiers to app listings to assist customers discover what they’re searching for, beginning with a badge figuring out official authorities apps.

All of those adjustments are designed to assist join individuals with secure, high-quality, helpful, and related experiences they’ll love, wherever they’re and on no matter gadget they’re utilizing. Thanks to your ongoing funding within the high quality of your person experiences. We stay up for persevering with to give you the platform that helps you supercharge your progress and success.