Better security in Google Play – digi.no

Although most have experienced it as a problem, Google has received much criticism for its simplified approval process of apps in Google Play. The apps have mostly just been scrutinized by automated solutions until they have been made available to Android users, and this process has not always been completely flawless. Therefore malware been made available in Google Play.

Background: Removed “adware” app from Google Play

Manual Control

Yesterday, Google announced that the company already several months ago began to scrutinize apps more manually than earlier, before they are published in the app directory. That means however not that it now takes days or weeks of an app submitted to it becomes available. Google’s goal is that apps should be examined and possibly published within a few hours. This presupposes, however, that apps do not violate company policies for developers. Developers will be able to follow the publication status of the app or app update on a separate page, which also informed about why the app may have been rejected. The goal is to capture developers

For TechCrunch says Purnima Kochikar, director of business development for Google Play, that a secondary objectives of the schemes is to capture developers who violate the guidelines as early as possible in the process. This is so that it all will create the least possible friction. She claims that Google so far has not received any complaints from developers on the new scheme. She suggests that the developers simply do not have noticed the change.

Still made much of the process automatically using computers.

– We strive continuously to find out how machines can learn more. So all the machines can capture today, it is machines that take care of. And everything where we need that humans intervene, there are people who take everything.

“Age Limits”

Google also announced yesterday that the company will begin to show age recommendations along with apps and games. As of May developers must fill out a form to describe new or updated apps. Age recommendations will be based on this form. The process must be automated from Google. It should be adapted to different regional arrangements such ranking, including the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Pan-European Game Information (PEGI), Australian Classification Board, Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) and Classificação Indicativa (ClassInd). In countries that do not participate in any such scheme, a generic, age-based rating will be displayed.

The reason that several schemes are supported, is that Google acknowledges that there is no global consensus on what content appropriate for children, youth and adults.