Thursday, August 2, 2012

Google cracks down on bad apps and ads

39 min.

Some new guidelines and policies sent out to Android developers suggest an effort by Google to improve the overall user experience by calling attention to?apps that mislead or spam users. The result should be a cleaner, more consistent Android environment.

The Google Play Store has hundreds of thousands of apps, but Google's decision not to ratify each one through a submission process like Apple's means there are more than a few bad and misleading ones in there. Even apps that are useful?might turn to invasive or misleading ads in order to make a little money. Or they may pester you with notifications to upgrade or purchase costly add-ons.

Some of these practices are merely annoying, but others?are a downright pain. It's the latter group that Google wants to crush out of existence with a few new rules. The letter to developers is friendly and informative, but clearly warns about such practices as:

  • Making your app's icon or name similar to system apps (such as?Settings or?Gmail)
  • Having ads "impersonate system notifications or warnings"
  • Disclosing personal information without authorization
  • Forcing users to activate an ad in order to continue use of an app
  • Spamming the store with multiple versions of an app

Apps that fail to follow the new guidelines may be removed from the store. But as always, such apps can still be installed by "sideloading," or downloading the app directly from anywhere it's available, and not just the?Google Play Store.

The updated "Developer Content Policy" can be looked over here ? a good thing to read if you're a developer, or if you're just a conscientious user who would like to know what is permitted and what is prohibited.

??via Android Central

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/google-cracks-down-bad-apps-ads-918533

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