This article covers some of the most important recent updates to the Google Play Developer Policy, which you can also review in an online training camp video.

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https://www.bilibili.com/vide…

Important Update Reminder

We have updated our policies regarding cash games and contests effective May 5, 2021, including new requirements for countries and territories that allow the distribution of such apps and member reward activities. Please click the link below to see more information: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Py…

Updates in the background location information

In 2020, we released a new Location Information Policy that aims to improve transparency and limit access to location data, especially in the background.

Your application should not request location information in the background unless it really needs to. Before applying for access to background location information, please check yourself through the following questions:

  • Is this functionality important for the core purpose of the application?
  • Can your application provide the same experience without getting location information in the background?
  • Does this feature provide obvious value to the user?
  • Do users want the app to get their location information in the background?

Here are some tips to help your location permission request get approved:

  • Understand the location rights policy. If your application needs to use device location data controlled by location permissions, you might want to learn about the location permissions policy.
  • Check the background location access checklist to see if your code contains anything that might fetch location information. Note that you are also responsible for all data requested and used by the third-party SDKs used in your application.
  • Evaluate the requested permissions and examine alternatives to minimize the use of location information. Do not request location permission if your application can be used for its purpose without requesting any location data.
  • Review in-app disclosure statements to explain to users how your app will use location information. Be sure to display this disclosure statement before triggering functionality that requires location permission.
  • Review the privacy policy and provide a valid link to it. Does your privacy policy comply with Google Play’s user data policy? Please note that the acquisition, use, collection, and sharing of location data should be clearly stated in your privacy policy.
  • Check your product details to make sure users can reasonably guess that your app will always be using their location data.

Starting in Q1 2021, we have started to deal with all apps in the Play Store that violate the new background location access policy.

Apps targeting Android 11

From August 2021, new applications will require:

  • Use Android App Bundle format to publish.
  • Use Play Asset Delivery or Play Feature Delivery to submit a resource or Feature with a download size greater than 150MB. For new applications, extension files (OBB) will no longer be supported.
  • Aim for API level 30 (Android 11) or higher and adjust for behavior changes.

Starting November 2021, for existing applications:

  • All updates are targeted at API level 30 or higher and are adjusted for behavior changes in Android 11.
  • Existing apps that have not received the update will not be affected, and users can continue to download them from the Play Store.

Vault version 3

Google Play aims to be a healthy ecosystem that allows developers to succeed by building high-quality apps that users love. Many developers have realized that using Google Play’s one-time purchase and subscription service helps them succeed.

For these reasons, we have launched Vault Version 3. This release offers new ways to pay for your purchases, subscription promotions, in-game purchase transaction attribution, and greater shopping reliability and security.

  • Starting August 2, 2021, all new applications must use Vault version 3 or higher.
  • By November 1, 2021, all updates to existing applications must use Vault version 3 or higher.

New settlement policy announcement

As previously announced, we have updated our billing policy:

  • Google Play is dedicated to helping all developers succeed.
  • We want to make it easier for developers to innovate and grow their businesses on Play.
  • Effective July 1, 2021, we will reduce our service fees to 15% for the first $1 million of annual income.
  • All developers will be eligible for this change, regardless of their annual income.
  • For 99 per cent of the developers who make money from Play globally, their fees will be cut in half.

April 2021 policy update

All file access rights – effective May 5, 2021

Last July, we announced a partitioned storage requirement for apps targeting Android 11 and higher. The goal is to give users more control over their device storage space.

Starting May 5, 2021, developers of apps that require extensive access to files on the device, such as antivirus apps, will have to submit permission requests to the Play admin center.

News Apps – Effective May 5, 2021

Apps that declare themselves as “News” in the Google Play Administration (hereinafter referred to as “News Apps “) must meet the following conditions:

  • If your app contains primarily user-generated content, you may not declare yourself a news app.
  • News apps can use advertising and other monetization tools, as long as their primary purpose is not to sell products, services, or generate advertising revenue.

The majority of the online marketing content and advertising content in this app, we can assume that this type of content is the main purpose of the app

User Data – Effective May 5, 2021

If your application handles sensitive user data, you must follow the following rules:

  • A privacy policy is explicitly stated in the specified fields within the PLAY administration center and within the app. Privacy policies and any form of in-app disclosure statements must detail how your app accesses, collects, uses, and shares user data. Your privacy policy must disclose what types of personal and sensitive data your app will access, collect, use, and share, and with whom your personal or sensitive user data will be shared.

Children and Families: Inspirational Advertising – Effective May 5, 2021

Last year, we issued a new requirement that ads can be turned off after five seconds. It should be noted that this requirement also applies to incentive advertising.

We have added an example in the “Common Violations” section that clearly illustrates and provides screenshots of the incentivizing experience that does not comply with the policy.

An AD pops up while the user is playing the game and cannot be closed for 5 seconds after the display

Children and Families: WebView – Effective May 5, 2021

If the application’s target audience includes children, the following requirements must be complied with:

  • An app cannot serve the sole purpose of providing a WebView of a site, nor should it serve the primary purpose of attracting affiliate marketing traffic to a site, which is a violation regardless of who owns the site.

The application only shows a WebView of an existing Web page

Package View – 2nd half of 2021

If an app wants to see a complete list of installed apps on the user’s device, the developer needs to request permission so that we can review whether this is beyond the data needed for the core purpose of the app.

If you intend to request this permission for an app targeting Android 11 (SDK 30) or higher, you will need to explain why your app needs this permission in the Play admin center starting in the second half of the year. We will also notify you 60 days in advance of the deadline.

The installed app catalog information retrieved from the device is the user’s personal sensitive data, and the operation related to it must comply with the “Personal Information and Sensitive Information” policy.

If the core purpose of an application is to launch, search for, or interoperate with other applications on the device, it can gain access to see other applications installed on the device, to the extent appropriate.

As shown in the figure above, the example on the left exposes the permissions that the application will use in a dramatic way. However, the game may not be satisfied with the requirement that “the core purpose is to launch, search for, or interoperate with other apps on the device”, so this is prohibited behavior. The example on the right is an antivirus security application whose core purpose requires launching, searching for, or interoperating with other applications on the device, so this may be an acceptable use case. Developers should submit a permission declaration form to the Google Play admin center to get feedback on whether the app can use this permission.

Policy enforcement grace periods for new and existing applications are shown below:

Best practices

To help you optimize your app release experience, check out the following best practices and tips:

Develop an effective plan for application review

While some parts of the application review process are certainly automated, most violations that affect your application are manually evaluated.

It’s best to plan ahead and allow at least seven days to get your app approved and released.

Use the self-tube publishing pattern

The self-managed publishing model helps you know when:

  • When the application is under review
  • When the application is approved
  • When the app will be available on Google Play

That way, you can commit your changes well before the expected release date to give yourself time to view or execute your changes.

Complaint against improper disposition

Do not panic if you receive a non-compliance email from us.

If you have read the policy and believe that we may have made an error in our decision, please contact our policy support team. We will reply to you within 2-7 working days. Please specify the reason and submit relevant documents to expedite the review, such as documents proving that you have the right to use the content in the application.

Do not submit a complaint twice as this will slow down the process!

Report Illegal Content

If you find an app that is in violation of the Google Play Developer Distribution Agreement, such as copyright and trademark issues, please notify us. Please submit an application at g.co/legal for our legal team to further investigate and protect your copyright and trademark rights.

Notify the app review team in advance

The App Review team may accept advance notice of upcoming app or product details release events.

To prevent your app from being dealt with in violation of the IP policy, be sure to use the advance notification function provided by Play Management Center when you release your app and submit an IP license statement.

Reporting inappropriate applications

If you believe that an app has violated Google Play’s Content Policy, please complete the Report of Inappropriate Apps form.

Go to the Google Play Policy Center to learn more about this update.

Thank you again for following Google Play policy updates, and we look forward to your success on Google Play!