Finally, after years of oversight, Google has taken Android app security and development matters seriously. If you’re an Android app developer, today is your day. Google has recently launched a refreshed interface for its Developer Program Policy Center with the objective of making things simpler for developers to read and understand.
Using their (in)famous Material Design scheme, Google aims to give their redundant Policy Page a fun, yet neat and visually appealing look. Content is categorized according to various colors and so you will see one color theme for each topic, such as blue for ‘Restricted Content’, green for ‘Security’ and so on.
Keeping aesthetics aside, the most important update is the scanning of apps for malware and content violations which the company has only recently taken up seriously. But all this was being done by an internal review team and the front-end developer had no idea of new policies, which led to a constant rejection of the apps during submission. So to end developer woes, Google has now decided to enhance its communication with developers and make them aware of common pitfalls to avoid rejection.
Understand Enforced Policies
Along with the regular updates, there is also an additional section known as the, ‘expanded section’ that gives developers a pretty clear set of enforced rules and policies, which if violated results in account termination or any other action that is deemed suitable. If you’ve been having problems submitting your app yet be clueless about rejections, then this is a MUST READ section. According to Google, it is here that you will find the hair-pulling secret behind your rejected submissions.
Similar to its other updates, ignoring anything given will cause your business unnecessary problems. So whether you’ve been a long time developer or are a newbie to this industry, we suggest you take out some time and go through the updated list of app submission policies. We’ve seen some radical updates about Ads Policies where ads or apps that interfere and compromises with device functionality will not be accepted. There are also additional notes on privacy requirements, data collection and much more.
We strongly urge Pakistani app developers to take a thorough look at the policies for Google Play Store. Let us know in the comments below of any new updates or changes from the Play Developer Program Policy Center that could have a significant impact on the development process.
Shukar ;-)