Play Store policy changes rebut misinformation, reduce ads, and increase security

• App market owners must adapt their policies to the shifting app ecosystem.
• Google announced a slew of Play Store restrictions today, from trivial to major.
• The first policy adjustment will restrict health disinformation and prevent impersonation.

App market owners must adapt their policies to the shifting app ecosystem. Google announced a slew of Play Store restrictions today, from trivial to major. Some changes, like subscription cancellations, should be obvious to users.

If your app may be in violation of any of these policies, Google says all new and existing apps will have at least 30 days from July 27, 2022 (unless otherwise stated) to comply with the following changes.

The first policy change will affect developers who are targeting API level 32, or Android 13. With Android 13 beta 2, Google added the USE EXACT ALARM permission. The app must meet the following criteria in order to be approved for distribution on the Google Play Store.

• Your app is a clock or an alarm clock.
• Your app is a calendar app that displays event notifications.
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Google previously stated that this policy change would occur when the USE EXACT ALARM permission was announced.

The first policy adjustment will restrict health disinformation and prevent impersonation. Health misinformation violations include:

• False vaccine claims, like that they can change DNA.
• Unapproved therapy advocacy.
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• Advocating hazardous treatments like conversion therapy.

Have you ever encountered an interstitial ad that looked random or lingered too long? Google is limiting app developers’ use of them to improve user experience. Google says developers can’t offer consumers these unexpected ads.

Some believe tracking apps might be a useful parenting tool. Others may use them so their families can keep eyes on them while they’re out, especially if they’re in a dangerous place. Google is proposing improvements to reduce exploitation of these tools. Monitoring apps must also declare the metadata flag “IsMonitoringTool”

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