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Family friendly branded apps to come to Google Play Store

By Salehuddin Bin Husin - on 15 Apr 2015, 11:04am

Developed for families apps to come to Google Play Store

 Expect Google to add in a new family friendly tag soon.

We've all heard the horror stories. Parents getting massive bills because their kids unknowingly bought things using the in-app purchasing option commonly found in most mobile games. Apple was sued over this very issue in 2012, with Amazon being one of the latest big companies to be taken to court over similar issues.

Bad parenting or deceptive design debate aside, Google has taken it upon themselves to introduce a new family friendly category called 'Designed for Families' to their Google Play Store.

Or rather, they're introducing it to the developers at this point. It's not mandatory for developers to submit to the new stringent guidelines set by Google, one of which is getting a 'Everyone' or 'Everyone 10+' rating from the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board). But if they do and pass muster, their apps will be listed under the 'Designed For Families' tag that should be appearing on the Google Play Store in the coming weeks. Google's terms and conditions for eligibility is interesting in that it's trying to keep things clear and aboveboard, even going as far as imposing strict guidelines on ads. The whole list of requirements can be found here.

While being subjected to even more strict reviews on top of the ones needed to make it to the Google Play Store might not seem like such a good idea, it could potentially be very profitable for those who do manage to pass the bar. If Google enforces their regulations properly, it could generate trust from parents looking to entertain their kids with specifically curated content, without the hassle of them having to find it on the store proper. This will of course lead to more exposure for the apps themselves, direct to their target audience instead of having to fight for recognition in the general store.

Google will implement the new designation into the store once there are enough apps, though there doesn't seem to be a concrete timetable for it apart from sometime in the next few weeks.

Source: Google

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