Google is set to remove low-quality and non-functional apps from its Play Store starting next month. The company has updated its Spam and Minimum Functionality Policy to enhance user experience by ensuring stability, responsiveness and engagement. Beginning August 31, apps that exhibit minimal functionality or content—such as text-only apps, single wallpaper apps or those that fail to install or operate correctly—will be removed from the Play Store.
The tech giant shared, “Apps that crash, do not have the basic degree of adequate utility as mobile apps, lack engaging content or exhibit other behaviour that is not consistent with a functional and engaging user experience are not allowed on Google Play.”
The upcoming cleanup is expected to affect a significant number of apps and might include some popular apps with millions of downloads.
Google has already made efforts to enhance the Play Store’s user experience. In 2023, the company blocked nearly 2.8 million apps for violating policies and putting user security at risk. The company also stated that it banned around 3,33,000 “bad” Google Play accounts that same year due to repeated serious policy breaches and concerns about fraud and malware.
The company will begin removing the apps from the Play Store starting August 31, which means developers still have a period of six weeks to make sure that their apps meet the new standards. The policy change is part of Google's ongoing effort to make Android more safe and user-friendly.
However, Google has not released a list of apps that they will be removing nor the requirement details for the apps. Earlier this year, Google removed several big Indian apps from the Play Store for not adhering to the company's in-app payments and billing policies. The list includes Jeevansathi, 99Acres, Bharat Matrimony, Shaadi.com, Naukri.com and Kuku FM among others.
However, following the Government’s intervention, Google reinstated all the delisted apps from the Play Store. “In the spirit of cooperation, we are temporarily reinstating the apps of the developers with appeals pending in the Supreme Court. Google maintains its right to implement and enforce its business model, as established in various courts,” the company said in a statement.
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