As an open-source platform, Android has always been a Wild West of sorts regarding apps. Apple requires app makers to meet rigorous standards before apps can be published in the App Store; for Android, not so much. Since its inception as Android Market in 2008, the Google Play store has been a free-for-all where malware-ridden, broken, or bait-and-switch software sits alongside legitimate apps. Google’s trying to put a stop to this with its latest update.
Effective August 31, 2024, Google is updating its Spam and Minimal Functionality policy, raising the bar the apps must meet to be featured in the Play Store. Although, from the looks of things, these are common-sense changes that should have been in play a long time ago. For instance, “Apps should provide a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience.” They should also have an actual function, not crash, and load once installed. Geez, Google, what took so long here? The bar’s so low here that only roaches can limbo under it.
Other things Google is cracking down on include:
- Apps that are designed to do nothing or have no function
- Apps with very little content and that do not provide an engaging user experience, for example, single wallpaper apps
- Apps that don’t install
- Apps that are static without app-specific functionalities, for example, text-only or PDF file app
I guess it’s better late than never. When the changes go into effect, expect a drastic culling of app flotsam. That should make exploring the Play Store a much better experience, yielding useful apps.
