Google has announced a new series of measures aimed at the Android online application store, Play Store, among which are those with which it seeks to put an end to invasive advertising and improve the experience during its use.
The regulation will come into force as of September 30 of this year and obliges the developers of these services to implement other ad formats that do not divert the attention of users or interrupt their activity.
The company has detailed on its support page which ads will be affected, which will no longer be able to be implemented in the applications that are part of the Play Store as of that date.
First of all, it has announced that full screen ads are not allowed in different formats, such as GIFs or videos, “showing up unexpectedly generally when the user has chosen to do something else”, as can be read in this text.
Ads that appear during gameplay at the beginning of a certain level or during the start of a segment of your content.
On the other hand, those from Mountain View have pointed out that it will not be possible to integrate full-screen video ads during the welcome screen, that is, at the time an application is loaded.
Finally, he stressed that full-screen advertising will not be allowed cannot be closed after 15 seconds. However, it has pointed out that ads that do not interrupt users in their actions, such as those that appear after the scoring screen in a video game; they can persist for more than that screen time.
In addition, the developer has indicated that these limitations will not apply to ads that users explicitly accept. These are the ones that the developers offer so that users can see them in exchange for unlocking a specific feature of the game or a specific section of the application you are using.
This policy will also not apply to monetization and advertising that does not interfere with the normal use of the application or game, such as video content with embedded ads or ads that are not full screen.
ELIMINATE THE IMPOSITION OF INDENTITY
Along with these measures, Google has announced changes related to Android applications that use titles, descriptions or icons similar to those of other ‘apps’ that some developers integrate into the virtual store to pass them off as the original ones.
“You must not suggest that your application is related or authorized by someone”, Google has warned developers through this writing, where it has shared screenshots of examples of identity theft.
Apps that falsely claim to be official from certain entities will also not be allowed. “Titles such as ‘Justin Bieber Official’ are not allowed without the necessary permissions or rights,” the company added.
This regulation will come into force from next August 31, some limitations with which it intends to put an end to services that impersonate other companies or illegitimate organizations.
Thereafter, developers will not be able to include icons or titles that imply a relationship with other entities, such as Twitter, YouTube or Google +.
Also from August 31, apps containing health-related claims that are misleading or contradict medical consensus will not be allowed.
Among some of the common violations are those services that defend harmful treatments for health or that include false information about vaccines.
On the last day of August, Google will also ban apps that use Android VPN services to track user data or redirect user traffic. to earn money through ads.
On the other hand, it has warned developers who include subscriptions in their ‘apps’ that, as of September 30, 2022, they must ensure that they clearly indicate how a user can manage or cancel their subscription.
These will also be required to include access to a section that allows them to easily cancel their subscription in the application itself.
Later, starting November 1 of this year, developers will have to limit the advertising content inserted in applications intended for children in order to protect your security.
Specifically, Google has indicated that only ad software development kits (SDKs) that have self-certified compliance with Google Play policies may be used.