THERESA: Hi, I'm Theresa, Product Marketing Manager
for Android and Google Play.
Welcome to Google Play PolicyBytes,
and thank you for joining us today.
We'll cover new policies, recent updates, and key reminders.
Let's start with the new target API level and request
install package policies.
Google Play partners with developers
like you to deliver the world's most innovative and trusted
apps to billions of people.
In addition to our tools and policies,
we launch new Android OS versions
to improve privacy, security, and user experience.
People around the world have devices
that run on different Android versions,
so every app has a target API level written to their code
to tell their app how to run on these different versions.
And as people use newer devices or update their Android OS,
we want to make sure that we meet
their expectation for better security and privacy.
So we already require new apps and app updates
to target Android API level within one
year of the latest major Android OS version release.
New app and app updates that don't meet this requirement
are blocked from submission in the Play Developer Console.
Today, we're launching a new policy to further protect
users starting November 1, existing apps
need to target an API level within two years
of the latest major Android OS version
release in order for new users with devices running
more recent versions of Android OS
to discover or install those apps from Google Play.
This means that if your app has a target API level that's
older than the latest three Android OS versions,
these new users will not be able to find or install
your app from Google Play.
Your users who already installed your app from Google Play
will continue to be able to discover, re-install, and use
your app on any device running an Android OS version
that your app supports.
Most of the apps on Google Play already meet these standards,
but we know this may require substantial change
for some developers so we're giving a longer grace period.
If you need more time, you'll also
be able to request an optional six-month extension
in your Google Play Developer Console later this year.
Next, we're introducing the Request Install Package policy
to give users better protection and control over apps
that may self-update or download harmful APKs.
The Request Install Package permission
allows an app to request the installation of app packages.
In order to use this permission, the core functionality
of your app must include sending or receiving app packages
and enabling user-initiated installation of app packages.
Here are some examples of permitted functionalities--
web browsing research, communication services
that support attachments, file sharing, transfer,
or management, and enterprise device management.
Now let's talk about our recent updates
on news, user-generated content, and accessibility policies.
Starting with news, we're expanding the scope
of this policy to cover more news apps that are currently
falling outside of the policy.
Before this change, the News policy
only covered those that declared themselves as news
in the Google Play Console.
Now we're expanding the policy scope
to also include news apps that list themselves under the News
and Magazines category on the Play Store
and describe themselves as news in the app title, icon,
developer, name, or description.
We are also updating the policy to allow one method of listed
contact information instead of requiring two,
and to allow original publishers to omit listing
authors for every article.
Please note that links to social media accounts
are not sufficient forms for publisher contact information.
Next, to support diversity of content
within user-generated content platforms,
apps under the UGC category that allow
incidental sexual content on their platforms
need to implement stricter moderation mechanisms.
They must also meet all of the following requirements.
This content must be hidden by default
behind filters that require at least two user actions in order
to be completely disabled.
Children must be explicitly prohibited
from accessing your app by using age screening systems
such as a neutral age screen.
And you must have provided accurate responses
to the content rating questionnaire regarding
user-generated content.
And last, to provide more security protection for users,
we're clarifying that the accessibility API is not
designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio
recording.
To use this API, your app must be publicly declared
in your app listing as an accessibility tool.
Now let's share some key reminders.
Let's start with the Data Safety section,
which is an upcoming feature in your app's Play Store listing
where you can share how your app collects,
shares, and protects user data.
As developers have been filling out their form
in Play Console since last year, we've received some questions
and shared new updates with you, so we'd
like to take the time to clarify information today.
First, we've extended the timeline
to give developers more time to review the updates
and make changes.
We're launching this new feature in Google Play Store
later this month.
If your information isn't approved yet,
then it will show no information available.
Completed data safety forums will
be required for all new app submissions and app
updates starting July 20th.
We also have some tips and reminders
to make this a smoother process for you.
First, all apps must have a privacy policy
that's posted in the Google Play Console and within the app
itself.
Even apps that don't collect or share user data
need a privacy policy.
And second, make sure to check if your SDKs
or third-party libraries collect or handle any data.
If they do, you'll need to declare this in your form.
And third, if you'd like to work on the form offline
or submit a form for multiple apps at once,
you can download a sample CSV file,
complete it, and then import it back into your Play Console.
Please also check out our Help Center
at this link to read FAQs and find additional resources
to help you fill out your form, like our developer guide
on how to check your app's declared permissions, APIs,
and libraries.
Since March 1st, you can go into the Data Safety Form
and Console to add optional badges to showcase how
you protect user data in your Data Safety section in the Play
Store.
If you're in our Families policy,
you can choose to add this badge to show
that you're committed to following our Families policy.
If you're in our Independent Security Review Beta Program,
and your app has been independently validated
against a global security standard,
you can choose to add this badge to highlight
your additional security practices.
This is an optional program that will
expand to more developers in a couple of months.
And if your app doesn't share any data
or doesn't collect any data from third parties,
we'll highlight that for users here.
And for a full list of recent policy updates,
please visit goo.gle/playupdates.
Now let's talk about upcoming policy deadlines.
The Data Safety section will launch on Google Play
Store in late September.
All developers must have their Data Safety form approved
and include a privacy policy by July 20th.
We've been mindful to give developers
more time for policy changes that may take more work,
so developers have until July 11th
to comply with the new Request Install Package
policy and October 11th to comply
with the user-generated content policy updates.
And all apps must comply with the target API level policy
by November.
But if you need more time, you'll
soon be able to request an extension until May 2023.
To get a full view of all of our upcoming deadlines, please
visit our Policy Center.
We encourage you to review these policy updates carefully
in case any of these updates impact your apps.
I hope this helped you better understand our policies.
For free courses on all things Google Play policy,
visit our Google Play Academy at g.co/playacademy/policy.
Thank you for continuing to partner
with us to make Google Play a trustworthy platform
for everyone.
Until next time, stay safe and healthy out there.