Google Play Developers all received an email yesterday morning, outlining some changes that will now be applied to submissions to Google Play, they involve an update to the way ads are displayed, an update to the existing ‘Hate Speech’ policy and a clarification on gambling and rewards from apps/games.
There have been a number of changes to Google Play, but the major ones that they have highlighted are :
- Streamlined the ads policy, with guidance on interstitial ad behavior, and a new “System Interference” provision, which prohibits ads in system notifications or home screen icons, and requires user consent when an app changes specified settings on a device.
- A revised hate speech policy that provides more comprehensive coverage, while recognizing Google Play’s role as a platform for free expression.
- Clarification that the gambling policy extends to all games that offer cash or other prizes; that virtual goods and currency in games are subject to the payment processor policy, that incentives should not be provided to users to rate an app; that artificially inflating an app’s install count is prohibited, and that the Google Play Program Policy applies to all developer information or content made available on the Store.
The major customer facing one there is the ad policy, which effectively kills Airpush style ads which popup in your notification tray, a huge win for Android users.
The full list of updates is available on the Google Play Developer Policies page, but Android Police have done an excellent job listing the entire set of changes, which includes things like developers impersonating Apps, publishing your non-public contacts list and more.
If you’re a developer you really do need to check this out, Google has advised developers that they have 30 days to fix their apps or risk being subject to a warning or at worst REMOVAL from Google Play. If you’re not a developer, then relax, these changes are pretty beneficial to the end user meaning that any rogue developers can be hit a lot harder with removal from Google Play for any dodgy behaviour.
Last time I checked, Google Play isn’t the only app store for Android. There are 27 other app stores and markets for our apps where these guidelines have no affect whatsoever. Advertisers can still use push ads, etc. inside of a very large ecosystem that is infinitely more accommodating to the ad formats that are still effective and profitable regardless of the play store’s new guidelines. Probably explains why we’re see inventories of push ads increasing in certain regions. So, at the end of the day, not a lot of reason to get bent out of shape here.
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f*K google, u know how many people make a living, feed their kids, and make their lives from airpush, u just destroyed our business, our lives and our family, f*k google and its dont be evil bs, most evil company in the world
The world and Google do not owe you a living. Work out some other way to monetize your application that isn’t as offensive and annoying to users.
Why cant the user just uninstall? If its annoying they dont have to use the app.
I guess GO Launcher will need an update. Got an ad notification from it just this weekend…
Awesome news. 🙂
This is great news. Those ads were the bloody worst.