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JOE DAVIS: Welcome to the Google Play PolicyBytes.
I'm Joe, the Outreach and Policy Education Lead.
Thanks for joining us.
We're excited to have you here.
Today, we'll review the Google Play policy updates being
launched this spring 2020.
we'll talk through some examples and best practices
for compliance.
and we'll also give you some useful resources
to better understand this update with greater detail.
So what are we going to cover?
These policy updates impact resource downloads,
which is additional app resources,
like game assets, that may only be
downloaded if they are necessary for the users' use of the app.
Malware.
Malware is any code that could put a user, a user's data
or device at risk.
Manipulated behavior.
These are apps that promote or create
false or misleading information or claims
conveyed through imagery, videos, and/or text.
Impossible Functionality.
These are apps that attempt to deceive users or enable
dishonest behavior, including but not limited to apps
which are determined to be functionally impossible.
Families.
We'll require requirements of apps
that collect sensitive data from children,
discuss the Family's Ad format policy,
the Family's Ad program name change,
and the use of the Companion Device Manager.
Background Location and a reminder
of the upcoming approval process for apps
that want background access.
And Subscriptions, to ensure users
understand what is included with the subscription, the terms
of free trials or introductory offers,
and how to manage their subscription, including
cancellation.
Let's start with the update to our Resource Download policy
which is housed in the set of policies
that cover malicious behavior.
This policy ensures Google Play users
can download safe resources with clear disclosure of their file
size.
To enable that, additional app resources, like game assets,
may only be downloaded if they are necessary for the user's
use of the app, and they must be compliant with all Google Play
policies.
Also, before beginning the download,
the app should prompt users and clearly disclose
the file size of the download.
Let's take a look at this example.
In the sample screenshot on the left,
the app clearly prompts users to either download the file
or dismiss the option.
It also discloses the file size before downloading
the additional resources.
However, the sample screenshot on the right is not compliant.
The app doesn't prompt the user to download the file;
it just starts downloading it.
It also doesn't disclose any file sizes to the user.
Android and Google Play have strived
to fight against malware on our platform,
to ensure that Google Play remains a safe and trustworthy
platform for our users.
As part of this effort, we further
articulated the fundamental principle
of our existing Malware policy.
Our Malware policy is simple, and the Android ecosystem,
including the Google Play Store and the user devices
should be free from malicious behavior.
Through this fundamental principle,
we strive to provide a safe Android ecosystem for our users
and their devices.
To find out more about this update,
visit the link on your screen.
Manipulated media, a policy covered
under our set of policies that oversee deceptive behavior,
provides additional guidance for manipulated or altered media.
In principle, we don't allow apps that promote or help
create false or misleading information or claims conveyed
through imagery, videos, and/or text which
may cause harm pertaining to sensitive events, politics,
social issues, or other matters of public concern.
Common violations include apps that
help add a public figure to a politically sensitive
demonstration or event, apps using public figures or media
from a sensitive event to advertise its media altering
capability within an app store listing,
and apps that alter media quips to mimic a news broadcast.
If your app creates manipulated or altered media,
you may need to include a watermark
or disclose in the final produced media when it may not
be clear to the average person that the media has
been altered.
Please review this policy for more details.
Let's take a look at some examples.
The sample screenshot on the left
shows an app with a face swap feature that does not
promote altering public figures or sensitive events,
nor does it create realistic images
which require a watermark.
This is allowed.
The app on the right is an example of a prohibited app,
like this fake news generator, as it creates media
that could be mistaken as real, provides the option
to drop in potentially famous political figures, and more.
This is prohibited and will not be allowed on Google Play.
Impossible Functionality.
We strengthened language in our Deceptive Behavior policy
that covers impossible functionality within an app.
We will not allow apps that attempt
to deceive users or enable dishonest behavior,
including but not limited to apps which claim to provide
functionality that is impossible to perform.
Apps must provide an accurate disclosure, description,
and images and/or video of their functionality
in all parts of the metadata.
And they should perform as reasonably
expected by the user.
Let's take a look at some examples.
The app on the left is an accepted use case
which shows in the metadata and media
that the app is clearly used as a prank.
If your app is intended to be a prank app,
please make sure users are aware of this either in the title
or in the app description to ensure accurate metadata
is provided.
However, in the example on the right,
it's not allowed because the app is deceiving users
by instructing them to blow on their phone as a breathalyzer.
This is clearly impossible functionality of the phone,
and the app is not labeled as a prank.
And as such, it is not allowed.
We also made a significant policy update
on collecting sensitive user data without disclosure
for all apps that are targeting kids under the Designed
for Families program, meaning all apps that
have kids as a target audience.
Through this update, you must disclose the collection
of any personal and sensitive information
from children in your app, including through APIs and SDKs
called or used in your app.
Sensitive information from children
includes but is not limited to authentication information,
microphone and camera sensor data, device data, Android
ID, ad usage data, and advertising ID.
If your app collects personal and sensitive information
from children, it must be disclosed in the Google Play
Console.
You can refer to our Policy Center
to understand what is personal and sensitive information.
We also made an update to the Ad Format policy for the apps
targeting kids as audience, as we witness spammy behaviors
in kids' apps and apps using emotionally
manipulative tactics to lure kids
into making in-app purchases.
Ads and offers for in-app purchases
must not have deceptive content or be
designed in a way that result in inadvertent clicks
from child users.
The sample app on the left is prohibited.
It uses emotionally manipulative tactics
to encourage in-app purchases from children users.
I hope this example better explains this change.
Now, let's move on to the next topic.
Other updates to our family policies include a name change.
We've renamed the Ad Network Certification program to simply
our Families Ad program.
Additionally, we now require apps
must use the Companion Device Manager, or CDM, when
requesting Bluetooth, unless your app is only
targeting device Operating System versions that
are not compatible with CDM.
As we took a closer look at Background Location usage,
we found that many of the apps that
requested background location didn't actually need it.
In fact, many of these apps could provide the same user
experience by only accessing location
when the app is visible to the user.
This is a larger update.
And you'll want to check out the resources on this Play Academy
site for more information on these specific background
location requirements, Play enforcement timelines,
and any action required by you, the developer.
Also, we updated our Subscription policy
to provide clear guidance on how to create
transparent subscription models that are easily
understood by your users.
We want developers to be successful on Google Play
by building sustainable business models.
By providing transparent descriptions
of the subscription content and services you offer in your app,
you're helping to build a safe and trustworthy ecosystem where
users are empowered to make informed
decisions about their subscription purchases.
In the upcoming content, I'll walk you
through the best practices, common violations, and examples
to help you better understand this policy.
First, let's take a look at some best practices
for subscription offers.
Make sure that you are always transparent
with your subscription offer in terms
of the price of the subscription,
the frequency of the billing cycle.
And be sure to let your users know if a subscription
is required to use the app.
We'll go through these items again with sample screenshots
shortly.
Let's look at a few examples of common violations.
First, your offer should be clear about how much
and how often a user will be charged
to access the subscription content or services
being offered.
Also, the price a user will be charged
at the time of subscribing should be easily understood
from your offer.
The price of a subscription purchase
should never be a surprise.
Lastly, the pricing, billing cycle, terms
and conditions of your offer should be in the same language
so that users can understand the offer as a whole.
Let's take a look at these sample screenshots.
Notice how the acceptable screenshot on the left
reveals exactly what users need to know before buying,
including the price a user will be charged, $9.99,
and how often the user will be charged, monthly.
However, the screenshot on the right
doesn't include any billing cycle information.
Does $9.99 mean a one-time fee, monthly, or annual fee?
We don't know.
The terms are also not clearly visible to the user.
This is not allowed.
Let's take a look at this second example.
The screenshot on the left displays the content
or services the user is getting access to
with the subscription, in this example, unlimited access
to a content library.
However, the screenshot on the right
displays the offer in a mix of English and Spanish.
Having this kind of partially localized or translated content
is not allowed.
Onto the next example, the screenshot on the left
displays the offer with a clearly visible Dismiss
button that lets the user know that they
can dismiss the offer.
The screenshot on the right, the button
is either virtually invisible or missing entirely.
This makes it appear as if the user has
no choice but to accept the offer,
even though this particular offer is not
required to access the content and services in the app.
This is prohibited.
The screenshot on the left displays the total price
for the subscription period that the user is billed for.
However, the screenshot on the right
appears the user will be charged $8 a month.
But the user is actually charged the total of $48
for six months of the service.
The user should always be displayed the total price
and the subscription period that is purchased with that price.
The price should not be displayed in any other format.
Next, we'll cover how you should cover free trials
and introductory offers.
As a Play developer, you must clearly and accurately
describe the terms of your offer,
including the duration, pricing, and description of accessible
content or services.
Be sure to let users know how and when a free trial will
convert to a paid subscription, how much the paid subscription
will cost, and how a user can cancel
if they do not want to convert to a paid subscription.
Let's take a look at some screenshots.
The screenshot on the left clearly displays the free trial
period, in this case, three days,
and the monthly subscription price after the trial ends.
The screenshot on the right does not prominently
display the free trial period and what happens when it ends.
In the example on the left, we use
the same acceptable screenshot to show a clear indication
of automatic enrollment of the user
into the monthly subscription after the free trial ends.
The screenshot on the right does not highlight prominently
that the user is automatically enrolled
into a monthly subscription after the free three-day trial
ends.
Lastly, as a developer, you must ensure that your app clearly
discloses how a user can manage or cancel their subscription.
Also, please be informed that you
may implement a more flexible refund policy with your users
directly.
It is your responsibility to notify
your users of any changes to your refund policies
and ensure that all policies comply with applicable law.
This wraps up our Subscription policy update.
Let's move on to the next topic.
All new apps or app updates published after these policy
changes are announced are immediately
subject to these latest policy updates.
Developers with existing apps currently on Google Play
will have 30 days from the issuance of this policy update
notification to bring their apps into compliance.
Some larger policy updates give developers a longer grace
period.
These include updates to our Subscription and Background
Location policies.
Check out the Policy Center for the latest
details on these grace periods and enforcement timelines.
Lastly, here are some more Google Play developer
resources to learn about these policy changes.
Please make sure you review the policy updates in greater
detail from our Policy Center, and check out
the Google Play Academy's new policy curriculum.
Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
And make sure your email is up today in the Google Play
Console, so you receive our regular updates,
including policy, tooling updates, and more.
And that's it.
Thanks for joining us today.
It's our developer community who helps keep Google Play a fun
and safe place for everyone.
So until next time, stay awesome, and have a great day.
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