Stay in your Lane! Keep Right
The best way to build policy-compliant apps in 2019
Hello Google Play Developer,
We’re writing to let you know about a recent update to our Developer Policy Center. We make updates from time to time as part of a continuous effort to make Google Play a positive experience for both developers and consumers.
This email is to inform you of recent changes we’ve made to our policies:
If you are a developer you have received this email pretty much a lot this year, why ?, well this is because Google and Apple are constantly updating their developer policies and guidelines to ;
- Keep themselves safe with the law
- Help clean the app store, improve user experience and make it inclusive for all.
- Improve on the quality of apps released by developers
- Combat fraud etc …
So after knowing this, let me share some of my tips on how you can build and serve apps that won't take all your effort and investment down the drain.
Subscribe to app store newsletters
As an app developer, you want to be the first in the know on matters concerning Apps Eco System. In developer newsletters, developer guidelines are posted and constantly you will be in the loop on new ways of doing things on the platform. If you arent subscribed you may incidentally fall against the law because of the law, and as the saying goes “Ignorance of the law has no defence ”
Stay away from ad fraud
A section of developers out there are earning revenue through pushing ads in their apps, though this is a simple monetization strategy, it comes with its own challenges, developers are duped into revenue increasing schemes such as click injection, ad clicking and programmatically looping ads to double or even triple their earnings.
This is a risky venture as it not only leads to the suspension of your ad account but also can result in termination of your publisher account.
Keep your privacy policy up to date
Since the advent of GDPR in 2017 User data and its privacy became paramount to all stakeholders and as such nowadays everyone wants to see how you hand store and share their data with other people.
In your privacy policy, Always clearly show what you collect and for what purpose you are collecting it, you must always show whether you collect children information, if you collect private data such as credit card information and you are not certified to do so then you and your app will definitely land in trouble.
Also, in your TOS(Terms of use ) show which data points from the data that you collect do you share with your partners/financers/service providers, etc.
Avoid copyrighted, illegal content
One of the most causes of App suspensions on the app store and play store is people publishing apps with content they don't fully have rights to use.
For any app idea, you conceive in your mind, first make a small background check on the internet to see whether it is not copyrighted or patented, Doing this will save you a whole lot of problems that come with pulling down your app after it has gained traction over time.
Finally, desist from unfair tactics
Treat any unofficial methods, schemes, ways, tactics of increasing revenue, downloads, good reviews as a ticket to the graveyard of your app.
Over time Google has developed AI tools to monitor any unscrupulous behaviors of any app and once the flag is raised you are out.
Stay safe Keep Right!
