As an open-source platform, Android has always been a bit of a Wild West regarding apps. Unlike Apple, which requires app makers to meet rigorous standards before apps can be published in the App Store, Android has been more lenient. Since its inception as Android Market in 2008, the Google Play Store has been a free-for-all where malware-ridden, broken, or bait-and-switch software sits alongside legitimate apps. Google is finally trying to put a stop to this with its latest update.
New Standards Effective August 31, 2024
Effective August 31, 2024, Google is updating its Spam and Minimal Functionality policy, raising the bar that apps must meet to be featured in the Play Store. These common-sense changes should have been implemented a long time ago. For instance, “Apps should provide a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience.” They should also have an actual function, not crash, and load once installed. It’s surprising it took Google this long to implement these basic standards.
What Google is Cracking Down On
Google is cracking down on:
- Apps that are designed to do nothing or have no function.
- Apps with very little content that do not provide an engaging user experience, such as single wallpaper apps.
- Apps that don’t install.
- Apps that are static without app-specific functionalities, such as text-only or PDF file apps.
It’s better late than never. When these changes go into effect, expect a drastic reduction in low-quality apps. This should make exploring the Play Store a much better experience, yielding more useful apps.
