Google has announced new Play Store policies for Android developers in an effort to crack down on full-screen ads, VPNs, and fake apps posing as genuine software.
Starting September 30, 2022, the Play Store will require developers to stop showing "full-screen interstitial ads," such as those that appear during gameplay or during an app's loading screen. Also, full screen ads that cannot be closed after 15 seconds will be banned.
The new policy will not include rewarded ads, such as in-app pop-ups that users can subscribe to to unlock in-app content, which will continue to be allowed.
Google Play Store Developer Rules
Additional revisions have been made to the company's FLAG_SECURE function, which is intended to protect sensitive data by preventing or hiding screenshots and prohibiting screen sharing and broadcasting. As of November 1, 2022, apps will no longer be able to create a solution for flagged content.
From the same date, VPNs will also be subject to more stringent restrictions. Only dedicated VPN apps will be able to "create a secure device-level tunnel to a remote server," with a few exceptions (opens in a new tab).
Access to the USE_EXACT_ALARM permission will also be refined to primarily include only apps that "require precisely timed actions" (as of July 31, 2022)
Fake Google Play Store Apps
Perhaps most interesting to consumers in general is a change that should take effect on August 31, 2022.
"We don't allow apps that mislead users by pretending to be someone else (for example, another developer, company, or entity) or another app... To ensure that Google Play remains a safe and respectful platform, we've created standards that define and ban content that is harmful or inappropriate to our users," Google said in a blog post (opens in a new tab) announcing the news.
The company recommends verifying the developer's name (displayed under the app's title in the Play Store), that the logo matches the company's logo, and that the name appears genuine and not misleading.
Other changes to the company's app store include the removal of misleading health information, better subscription management, safer ads for kids and other personal protections.