Google Play Store Finally Raises Its App Standards, Apps Have to Actually Work

As an open-source platform, Android has ever been a Wild West of sorts regarding apps. Apple requires app makers to conscionable rigorous standards earlier apps tin beryllium published successful the App Store; for Android, not truthful much. Since its inception arsenic Android Market successful 2008, the Google Play store has been a free-for-all wherever malware-ridden, broken, oregon bait-and-switch bundle sits alongside morganatic apps. Google’s trying to enactment a halt to this with its latest update.

Effective August 31, 2024, Google is updating its Spam and Minimal Functionality policy, raising the barroom the apps indispensable conscionable to beryllium featured successful the Play Store. Although, from the looks of things, these are common-sense changes that should person been successful play a agelong clip ago. For instance, “Apps should supply a stable, responsive, and engaging idiosyncratic experience.” They should besides person an existent function, not crash, and load erstwhile installed. Geez, Google, what took truthful agelong here? The bar’s truthful debased present that lone roaches tin limbo nether it.

Other things Google is cracking down connected include:

• Apps that are designed to bash thing oregon person nary function
• Apps with precise small contented and that bash not supply an engaging idiosyncratic experience, for example, azygous wallpaper apps
• Apps that don’t install
• Apps that are static without app-specific functionalities, for example, text-only oregon PDF record app

I conjecture it’s amended precocious than never. When the changes spell into effect, expect a drastic culling of app flotsam. That should marque exploring the Play Store a overmuch amended experience, yielding utile apps.