Google Play Store going the Apple Way
Most of the Android developers were not happy with Google’s review system as they knew how lenient Google’s Play Store requirements were and it was a child’s play to submit your app on the Play Store, and the developers when they switched on iOS platforms, they had a really tough time in getting through app approval process by App Store.
Seems like, now Google will start reviewing Apps before making them live on the Play Store, like their counterparts Apple’s App Store mechanism and this will now be a cause of concern for most of the Android developers who did not follow the norms of mobile app development due to Google’s initial leniency.
What’s with Google’s App Submissions?
I guess Google had this thing in contention but they were waiting for a billion users of Android applications and now they have the user base to govern the rules of the games. They have been too lenient to developers in allowing them to publish their apps without a long process. They have now stated that Human reviewers will get a hands-on experience of the app before it goes live and in the process the quality of Android apps is maintained, moreover cleaning the mess created by the leniency till now.
What this means for Android App Developers?
If this was not enough, Google announced a new age-based ratings system which will rate your app and the age limit for certain apps and games on the Play Store. According to Purnima Kochikar, Director of Business Development for Google Play, Google has been working to implement the new app review system for over half a year.
Google doesn’t want to hinder Android app development and in turn delaying the App publishing process. And in the process, it seems that Google has been successful as this new system has been live for a couple of months and the results are encouraging for Google. Moreover, there is no complaint yet from the Android app developers regarding Google’s new app submission policy, this also means that they have no other choice but to improve their quality and raise the bar. They have actually started doing this since a couple months and developers haven’t noticed the change.
Google’s new Age-based restrictions
This age-based restrictions are beginning from May and it is in turn good for kids as there are so many apps and games that has nudity and stuff which kids should not be allowed to get their hands on. There would be ratings for an app or a game like “Everyone(E)”, “Teen(T)”,”Mature” etc.Google Play’s parental controls feature will be updated to allow blocking of these new rating categories.
With all these changes, do you think there will be any negative effect in Android App development? You can mention it in the comments below and we would answer you back with reasons.
Nisarg is the Business Development Manager at Nimblechapps, a top mobile game development company and has been with the organisation since its inception in 2014. He likes to update his knowledge on changing trends in technology and marketing and pens his thoughts regarding the same on various blogs and LinkedIn.