Guaranteeing high-quality apps on Google Play

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

On daily basis, Google Play helps billions of individuals world wide uncover participating, useful, and enriching experiences on their units. Sustaining constantly excessive app high quality throughout these experiences is our prime precedence, which is why we constantly spend money on new instruments, options, and applications to assist builders ship the most effective 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. At this time, we’re sharing an replace on this work and introducing some new insurance policies and applications to spice up app high quality throughout the platform and join folks 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 yr, we introduced that each one builders should meet an expanded set of verification necessities earlier than publishing apps on Google Play, to assist customers make knowledgeable decisions, stop the unfold of malware, and cut back fraud. We’ve already rolled out the necessities for builders creating new Play Console developer accounts.

At this time, 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 varieties and sizes have totally 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 as we speak, 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. If you happen to do not select a deadline earlier than February 29, 2024, we’ll assign one for you mechanically.

Required app testing for all new private developer accounts

Builders who often 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. The truth is, apps that use our testing instruments have on common 3 instances the quantity of app installs and consumer engagement in contrast to those 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 no less than 20 folks for at least two weeks earlier than making use of for entry to manufacturing. This may permit builders to check their app, determine points, get suggestions, and be sure that the whole lot 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 evaluation

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

Whereas we don’t anticipate important adjustments to our total app evaluation timelines, it might take us longer to evaluation a small portion of apps, equivalent to apps designed for kids or that request sure gadget permissions. These deeper opinions assist be sure that customers are participating in protected and trusted experiences by way of Google Play.

Connecting customers to nice, reliable apps

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

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

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

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