Google announces policy changes to improve quality of apps in Play Store

Google yesterday announced some policy changes related to Play Store app review process to improve the overall quality of apps available for consumers. These changes will also bring improvements to app submission process for developers.

Recently, Google made changes to SMS and Call Log permissions to better protect sensitive user data. It restricted access to select use cases, such as when an app has been chosen by the user to be their default text message app. Google mentioned that as a result of this change, access to SMS and call logs by apps has decreased by more than 98%.

Google today announced that it will be taking more time (more days) to review apps by developers that don’t yet have a good track record on Play Store. If you are a new developer, expect delays in getting your app approval from Google. Google will be now doing thorough checks before approving your apps to go live in the store. This change will ensure only secure apps are available in Play Store for consumers.

Google is also announcing following changes for developers:

• More detailed communication. We are revising the emails we send for policy rejections and appeals to better explain with more details, including why a decision was made, how you can modify your app to comply, and how to appeal.
• Evaluations and appeals. We will include appeal instructions in all enforcement emails and the appeal form with details can also be found in our Help Center. We will also be reviewing and improving our appeals process.
• Growing the team. Humans, not bots, already review every sensitive decision but we are improving our communication so responses are more personalized — and we are expanding our team to help accelerate the appeals process.

Source: Google