Tag Archives: android developers

Strengthening Our App Ecosystem: Enhanced Tools for Secure & Efficient Development

Posted by Suzanne Frey – VP, Product, Trust & Growth for Android & Play

Knowing that you’re building on a safe, secure ecosystem is essential for any app developer. We continuously invest in protecting Android and Google Play, so millions of users around the world can trust the apps they download and you can build thriving businesses. And we’re dedicated to continually improving our developer tools to make world–class security even easier to implement.

Together, we’ve made Google Play one of the safest and most secure platforms for developers and users. Our partnership over the past few years includes helping you:

Today, we’re excited to share more about how we're making it easier than ever for developers to build safe apps, while also continuing to strengthen our ecosystem's protection in 2025 and beyond.

Making it easier for you to build safer apps from the start

Google Play’s policies are a critical component of ensuring a safe experience for our shared users. Play Console pre-review checks are a great way to resolve certain policy and compatibility issues before you submit your app for review. We recently added the ability to check privacy policy links and login credential requirements, and we’re launching even more pre-review checks this year to help you avoid common policy pitfalls.

To help you avoid policy complications before you submit apps for review, we’ve been notifying you earlier about certain policies relevant to your apps – starting right as you code in Android Studio. We currently notify developers through Android Studio about a few key policy areas, but this year we’ll expand to a much wider range of policies.

Providing more policy support

Acting on your feedback, we’ve improved our policy experience to give you clearer updates, more time for substantial changes, more flexible requirements while still maintaining safety standards, and more helpful information with live Q&A's. Soon, we’ll be trying a new way of communicating with you in Play Console so you get information when you need it most. This year, we’re investing in even more ways to get your feedback, help you understand our policies, navigate our Policy Center, and help to fix issues before app submission through new features in Console and Android Studio.

We’re also expanding our popular Google Play Developer Help Community, which saw 2.7 million visits last year from developers looking to find answers to policy questions, share knowledge, and connect with fellow developers. This year, we’re planning to expand the community to include more languages, such as Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese.

Protecting your business and users from scams and attacks

The Play Integrity API is an essential tool to help protect your business from abuse such as fraud, bots, cheating, and data theft. Developers are already using the APIs to make over 500M daily checks for potentially fraudulent or risky behavior. In fact, apps that use Play Integrity features to detect suspicious activity are seeing an 80% drop in unauthorized usage on average compared to other apps.

Developers are using Play Integrity API's new app access risk detection to make over 500M daily checks for potentially fraudulent or risky behavior, and apps that use the Play Integrity API are seeing 80% lower usage from unverified, untrusted sources on average.

This year, we’ll continue to enhance the Play Integrity API with stronger protection for even more users. We recently improved the technology that powers the API on all devices running Android 13 (API level 33) and above, making it faster, more reliable, and more private for users. We also launched enhanced security signals to help you decide how much you trust the environment your app is running in, which we’ll automatically roll out to all developers who use the API in May. You can opt in now to start using the improved verdicts today.

We’ll be adding new features later this year to help you deal with emerging threats, such as the ability to re-identify abusive and risky devices in a way that also preserves user privacy. We’re also building more tools to help you guide users to fix issues, like if they need a security update or they’re using a tampered version of your app.

Providing additional validation for your app

For apps in select categories, we offer badges that provide an extra layer of validation and connect users with safe, high-quality, and useful experiences. Building on the work of last year’s “Government” badge, which helps users identify official government apps, this year we introduced a “Verified” badge to help users discover VPN apps that take extra steps to demonstrate their commitment to security. We’ll continue to expand on this and add badges to more app categories in the future.

Partnering to keep kids safe

Whether your app is specifically designed for kids or simply attracts their attention, there is an added responsibility to ensure a safe and trusted experience. We want to partner with you to keep kids and teens safe online, and protect their privacy, and empower families. In addition to Google Play’s Teacher Approved program, Families policies, and tools like Restrict Declared Minors setting within the Google Play Console, we’re building tools like Credential Manager API, now in Beta for Digital IDs.

Strengthening the Android ecosystem

In addition to helping developers build stronger, safer apps on Google Play, we remain committed to protecting the broader Android ecosystem. Last year, our investments in stronger privacy policies, AI-powered threat detection and other security measures prevented 2.36 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play. By contrast, our most recent analysis found over 50 times more Android malware from Internet-sideloaded sources (like browsers and messaging apps) than on Google Play. This year we’re working on ways to make it even harder for malicious actors to hide or trick users into harmful installs, which will not only protect your business from fraud but also help users download your apps with confidence.

Our most recent analysis found over 50 times more Android malware from Internet-sideloaded sources than on Google Play

Meanwhile, Google Play Protect is always evolving to combat new threats and protect users from harmful apps that can lead to scams and fraud. As this is a core part of user safety, we’re doing more to keep users from being socially-engineered by scammers to turn this off. First, Google Play Protect live threat detection is expanding its protection to target malicious applications that try to impersonate financial apps. And our enhanced financial fraud protection pilot has continued to expand after a successful launch in select countries where we saw malware based financial fraud coming from Internet-sideloaded sources. We are planning to expand the pilot throughout this year to additional countries where we have seen higher levels of malware-based financial fraud.

We’re even working with other leaders across the industry to protect all users, no matter what device they use or where they download their apps. As a founding member of the App Defense Alliance, we’re working to establish and promote industry-wide security standards for mobile and web applications, as well as cloud configurations. Recently, the ADA launched Application Security Assessments (ASA) v1.0, which provides clear guidance to developers on protecting sensitive data and defending against cyber attacks to strengthen user trust.

What's next

Please keep the feedback coming! We appreciate knowing what can make our developers’ experiences more efficient while ensuring we maintain the highest standards in app safety. Thank you for your continued partnership in making Android and Google Play a safe, thriving platform for everyone.

#WeArePlay | How Memory Lane Games helps people with dementia

Posted by Robbie McLachlan – Developer Marketing

In our latest #WeArePlay film, which celebrates the people behind apps and games, we meet Bruce - a co-founder of Memory Lane Games. His company turns cherished memories into simple, engaging quizzes for people with different types of dementia. Discover how Memory Lane Games blends nostalgia and technology to spark conversations and emotional connections.


What inspired the idea behind Memory Lane Games?

The idea for Memory Lane Games came about one day at the pub when Peter was telling me how his mum, even with vascular dementia, lights up when she looks at old family photos. It got me thinking about my own mum, who treasures old photos just as much. The idea hit us – why not turn those memories into games? We wanted to help people reconnect with their past and create moments where conversations could flow naturally.

Memory Lane Games co-founders, Peter and Bruce from Isle of Man

Can you tell us of a memorable moment in the journey when you realized how powerful the game was?

We knew we were onto something meaningful when a caregiver in a memory cafe told us about a man who was pretty much non-verbal but would enjoy playing. He started humming along to one of our music trivia games, then suddenly said, "Roy Orbison is a way better singer than Elvis, but Elvis had a better manager." The caregiver was in tears—it was the first complete sentence he’d spoken in months. Moments like these remind us why we’re doing this—it’s not just about games; it’s about unlocking moments of connection and joy that dementia often takes away.

A user plays Memory Lane Games from their phone

One of the key features is having errorless fun with the games, why was that so important?

We strive for frustration-free design. With our games, there are no wrong answers—just gentle prompts to trigger memories and spark conversations about topics they are interested in. It’s not about winning or losing; it’s about rekindling connections and creating moments of happiness without any pressure or frustration. Dementia can make day-to-day tasks challenging, and the last thing anyone needs is a game that highlights what they might not remember or get right. Caregivers also like being able to redirect attention back to something familiar and fun when behaviour gets more challenging.

How has Google Play helped your journey?

What’s been amazing is how Google Play has connected us with an incredibly active and engaged global community without any major marketing efforts on our part.

For instance, we got our first big traction in places like the Philippines and India—places we hadn’t specifically targeted. Yet here we are, with thousands of downloads in more than 100 countries. That reach wouldn’t have been possible without Google Play.

A group of senior citizen gather around a table to play a round of Memory Lane Games from a shared mobile device

What is next for Memory Lane Game?

We’re really excited about how we can use AI to take Memory Lane Games to the next level. Our goal is to use generative AI, like Google’s Gemini, to create more personalized and localized game content. For example, instead of just focusing on general memories, we want to tailor the game to a specific village the player came from, or a TV show they used to watch, or even local landmarks from their family’s hometown. AI will help us offer games that are deeply personal. Plus, with the power of AI, we can create games in multiple languages, tapping into new regions like Japan, Nigeria or Mexico.

Discover other inspiring app and game founders featured in #WeArePlay.



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Get ready for Google I/O May 20–21

Posted by the Google I/O team

Google I/O is back

Google I/O returns May 20 – 21! Join us online as we share our vision for the future of technology, along with updates across Android, AI, web, cloud, and more.

Tune in to learn how the latest AI models can help you build innovative apps and transform development workflows. We'll also share how we're making Android development even easier, and empowering you to build richer, more engaging web experiences.

Register now and tune in live

Head to the Google I/O website and register to receive updates. The livestreamed keynotes kick off on May 20th at 10 AM PT, and new this year, we’ll be streaming developer product keynotes live from Shoreline across both days!

Stay tuned for details about I/O Connect events this summer, and test your skills at solving the #GoogleIO puzzle to unlock bonus worlds and earn badges.

Helping users find trusted apps on Google Play

Posted by JJ Zou – Product Manager, and Scott Lin – Product Manager

At Google Play, we're committed to empowering you with the tools and resources you need to build successful and secure apps that users can rely on. That's why we're introducing a new way to recognize VPN apps that go above and beyond to protect their users: a "Verified" badge for consumer-facing VPN apps.

This new badge is designed to highlight apps that prioritize user privacy and safety, help users make more informed choices about the VPN apps they use, and build confidence in the apps they ultimately download. This badge complements existing features such as the Google Play Store banner for VPNs and Data Safety section declaration in the Play Store.

A screenshot of the NordVPN app page on the Google Play Store. The app has a 4.6-star rating and is verified by Google Play Protect and description mentions 6,000+ servers in 110+ locations and highlights its data safety features.

Build user trust with more transparency

Earning the VPN badge isn't just about checking a box— it's proof that your VPN app invests in app safety. This badge signifies that your app has gone above and beyond, adhering to the Play safety and security guidelines and successfully completed a Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) Level 2 validation.

The VPN badge helps your app stand out in a crowded marketplace. Once awarded, the badge is prominently displayed on your app’s details page and in search results. Additionally, we have built new surfaces to showcase verified VPN applications.

Demonstrating commitment to security and safety

We're excited to share insights from some of our partners who have already earned the VPN badge and are leading the way in building a safe and trusted Google Play ecosystem. Learn how partners like Nord, hide.me, and Aloha are using the badge and implementing best practices for user security:

Nord

Nord VPN Logo

“We’re excited that the new ‘Verified’ badge will help users easily identify VPNs that meet high standards for security and privacy. In a market where trust is key, this badge not only provides reassurance to customers, but also highlights the integrity of developers committed to delivering secure and reliable products.”


hide.me

hide.me Logo

“Privacy and user safety are fundamental to our VPN's architecture. The MASA program has been valuable in validating our security practices and maintaining high standards. This accreditation provides independent verification of our commitment to protecting user privacy.”


Aloha Browser

Aloha Logo

“The certification process is well-organized and accessible to any company. If your product is developed with security as a core focus, passing the required audits should not pose any difficulty. We regularly conduct third-party audits and have been active participants in the MASA program since its inception. Additionally, it fosters discipline in your development practices, knowing that regular re-certification is required. Ultimately, it’s the end user who benefits the most—a secure and satisfied user is the ultimate goal for every app developer.”


Getting your App Badge-Ready

To take advantage of this opportunity to enhance your app's profile and attract more users, learn more about the specific criteria and start the validation process today.

To be considered for the "Verified" badge, your VPN app needs to:

    • Have at least 10,000 installs and 250 reviews
    • Be published on Google Play for at least 90 days
        • Independent security review, under ‘Additional badges’
        • Encryption in transit
    Note: This list is not exhaustive and doesn't fully represent all the criteria used to display the badge. While other factors contribute to the evaluation, fulfilling these requirements significantly increases your chances of seeing your VPN app “Verified.”

    Join us in our mission to create a safer and more transparent Google Play ecosystem. We're here to support you with the tools and resources you need to build trusted apps.

Celebrating Another Year of #WeArePlay

Posted by Robbie McLachlan – Developer Marketing

This year #WeArePlay took us on a journey across the globe, spotlighting 300 people behind apps and games on Google Play. From a founder whose app uses AI to assist visually impaired people to a game where nimble-fingered players slice flying fruits and use special combos to beat their own high score, we met founders transforming ideas into thriving businesses.

Let’s start by taking a look back at the people featured in our global film series. From a mother and son duo preserving African languages, to a founder whose app helps kids become published authors - check out the full playlist.


We also continued our global tour around the world with:

And we released global collections of 36 stories, each with a theme reflecting the diversity of the app and game community on Google Play, including:


To the global community of app and game founders, thank you for sharing your inspiring journey. As we enter 2025, we look forward to discovering even more stories of the people behind games and apps businesses on Google Play.



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#WeArePlay | Meet the people building sport apps and games

Posted by Robbie McLachlan – Developer Marketing

In a year filled with iconic sports moments—from the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris to the UEFA Euro Cup in Germany—our celebration of app and game businesses continues with nine new #WeArePlay stories. These founders are building sports apps and games that unite players, fans, and communities—from immersive sports simulations to apps that motivate runners with rewards like vouchers and free gifts.

Let’s take a look at some of my favourites.

Immerse yourself into your favourite sport with Hao, Yukun, and Mingming's simulator games

Hao, Yukun, and Mingming, founders of Feamber Games pose for a photo - Chengdu, China
Hao, Yukun and Mingming, co-founders of Feamber Games
Chengdu, China

Hao always dreamed of creating video games. After studying computer science, he joined a gaming company where he met Yukun and Mingming. Their shared passion for game design and long conversations about graphics, movie scenes, and nostalgic childhood games inspired them to start Feamber Games. Specializing in realistic 3D sports simulations like pool and archery, they’ve added competitive elements to enhance the experience. Recently, they’ve expanded into immersive games that let players build business empires and manage hotels. Now, the trio is focused on growing their global audience.

Anna’s boxing fitness app is a knockout, with tailored training and on-demand classes

Anna, founder of Boxx, sits cross-legged and smiles at the camera - London, UK
Anna, founder of Boxx
London, UK

Anna discovered her love for boxing at 11, staying dedicated to non-contact training throughout adulthood. After a career in accounting and becoming a mother, she struggled to attend classes, inspiring her to create Boxx – an app that brings boxing training to any location. Collaborating with fitness instructors, she developed personalized sessions, hybrid workouts, expert-led on-demand classes, and progress tracking. With hands-free guided audio and community features coming soon, Anna is regularly reviewing feedback to find innovative approaches to improve boxers’ experiences.

Get active and track your progress with Yi Hern, Dana, and Pearl's running app

Yi Hern, founder of JomRun, smiling at the camera - Cyberjava, Malaysia
Yi Hern, co-founder of JomRun
Cyberjaya, Malaysia

After creating a successful augmented reality game, childhood friends Yi Hern, Dana, and Pearl decided to inspire people to stay active. Combining Yi Hern's engineering skills, Dana's visual arts expertise, and Pearl's scientific background, they developed JomRun – Let’s Run. The app allows runners to track their progress, earn rewards like vouchers and free gifts, and easily join marathons. With teams in Malaysia and Singapore, and plans to introduce new features, the trio is gearing up to expand across Southeast Asia.

Ohjun and Jaeho’s volleyball game get high scores from players worldwide

Ohjun and Jaeho, co-founders of SUNCYAN - Seoul, South Korea
Ohjun and Jaeho, co-founders of SUNCYAN
Seoul, South Korea

Ohjun and Jaeho, childhood friends from an online game development community, combined their love for game building and volleyball to create The Spike - Volleyball Story. After a successful test release on Google Play, the game gained popularity in South Korea, inspiring them to improve it and reach a global audience. They added new features like story and tournament modes, plus a complete UX overhaul, all to recreate the excitement of real-life volleyball. Now, they’re focused on creating even more thrilling sports games.




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Notes from Google Play: The next phase of Play

Posted by Sam Bright – VP & GM, Google Play + Developer Ecosystem

Hello everyone,

Thank you for making this year another incredible one! Your innovative experiences continue to inspire us and bring joy to billions. We recently celebrated some of your amazing work in our Best of 2024 awards, showcasing moments of delight across phones, large-screen devices, watches, and PCs.

This year, we shared our vision for the next phase of Play where Play leans into being more than a store and becomes a dynamic platform that connects people with your content, when and where they need it most. To help people discover all you have to offer, truly engage with your experiences, and keep them coming back for more, we’re making Play:

    • A destination for discovery: Helping people find their new favorite apps and games and the content within
    • The best place for gaming: So people can play more of the games they love across more surfaces, with exclusive rewards available only through Play Points, and
    • Go beyond the store: Where people can get relevant content from installed apps directly on their home screen through our new Collections experience

Check out the video above, or keep reading for some of the key features we've launched this year to help you succeed at every stage of your app’s lifecycle.

New tools and features built in 2024

Launch with confidence

Launching a new app or update is a critical moment and we want to make this process as smooth and successful as possible.

    • The new quality panel gives you a centralized view of your app's quality so you can proactively find and address issues like crashes and ANRs, and see recommendations related to user experience.
    • And with SDK Console, we’re connecting you with SDK owners who can alert you in Android Studio and Play Console when new versions may address quality issues or help your app or game comply with Play policies.
Quality Panel in Google Play
Features like quality panel help you proactively find and address issues before you launch, helping you have a smooth and successful experience

Accelerate your growth and deepen your engagement with users

We've made Google Play even more content-forward with a visually engaging design that helps people discover the best of what you have to offer, wherever they are.

    • We integrated Gemini models to make it easier for everyone to find what they're looking for with AI-generated app review summaries, FAQs, and app highlights, providing key information at a glance.
    • Seamless app discovery helps users enjoy amazing experiences across their devices. Now, when people search for apps on their phone, they'll easily discover and install relevant apps for their TV, watch, and more.
    • Enhanced custom store listings give you even more ways to tailor your content. And now, with the ability to segment by search keyword, you can connect with users who are actively searching for the specific benefits your app offers. Play Console will even give you keyword suggestions.
    • Deep links help you create seamless web-to-app journeys to take users directly to the content they want, right inside your app. And now, we’ve made it even easier for you to manage and experiment with these deep links in Play Console, where you can make quick changes without waiting to publish a new app release.
App highlights in Google Play
App highlights is one of our latest AI-powered features making it easier for users to discover their next favorite apps.

Optimize revenue with Google Play Commerce

We're continuing to make it easier and more convenient for over 2.5 billion users in over 190 markets to have seamless and secure purchase experiences.

    • This year, we've helped over half a billion people be ready to make purchases by proactively encouraging them to set up payment and authentication methods in advance. With new secure biometric authentication options like fingerprint and facial recognition, checkout is now faster and more secure.
    • Our extensive payment method library, which includes over 300 local forms of payment in more than 65 markets, continues to grow. This year, we added CashApp (US), Blik Banking (Poland), Pix (Brazil), and MoMo (Vietnam).
    • Expanded payment options give more ways for users to pay for content. Parents with Google Family setup can now approve their child's in-app purchases from any OS, not just on Android devices.
    • And new subscription platform improvements, like flexible payment plans for long-term subscriptions, give users more options throughout the purchase experience, which helps drive higher conversions and new subscribers.
Installment subscriptions in Google Play
Flexible payment plans give users more options throughout the purchase experience, helping drive higher conversions and new subscribers for your app

Reinforcing trust, safety, and security

We continue to invest in more ways to protect users, your business, and the ecosystem. This includes actively combating bad actors who try to deceive users or spread malware, and giving you tools to combat abuse.

    • Google Play Protect scans 200 billion apps daily. When it finds a potentially harmful app, we let people know and may even disable particularly dangerous apps.
    • Easier automatic app updates help ensure users have the latest features and improved security. Users with limited Wi-Fi access have the option to get their app updates over mobile data, and within their data budgets. We also launched a new tool that empowers you to prompt users for timely updates.

These are just the highlights. To see how we're continuously improving the experience, check out our quarterly roundup of programs and launches on The Latest.

Investing in our app and game community

We’re continuing to help app and game businesses of all sizes reach their full potential.

    • This year, we’ve doubled the size of our global Indie Games Accelerator program and selected 60 game studios from around the world to participate in a 10-week program of masterclasses, workshops, and access to industry experts.
    • Ten studios from across Latin America were selected to receive a share of $2 million in equity-free funding and hands-on guidance from the Google Play team as part of our Indie Games Fund.
    • And the ChangGoo initiative in Korea has nurtured a thriving startup ecosystem, supporting over 500 startups and attracting over KRW 147.6 billion in investments.

And with another year of #WeArePlay, we shared and celebrated the stories of 300 app and game businesses from all over the world. Take a look back at just a few of the inspiring founders we’ve featured.

Looking ahead

I’m excited about the future of Google Play as a dynamic platform that connects users with your amazing content, wherever they are.

Next year, we're going to continue helping you maximize your investments on Play by:

    • Leaning into content-rich and interactive experiences for apps both within and beyond the Play store,
    • Building on our gaming destination to make it even more personalized, engaging, and part of daily routines, and,
    • Simplifying the payment and checkout experience for your apps and content.

Thanks again for your continued partnership and the innovation you’ve put into your apps and games. From our team to yours, happy holidays and best wishes for an amazing 2025!

Sam Bright 
VP & GM, Google Play + Developer Ecosystem

#WeArePlay | Tentang Anak connects parents to experts across Indonesia

Posted by Robbie McLachlan, Developer Marketing

In our latest film for #WeArePlay, which celebrates the people behind apps and games, we meet Mesty and Garri - the husband and wife duo who created Tentang Anak. Their app helps parents across Indonesia navigate their parenting journey with confidence: with a focus on child health, growth tracking, and providing accessible expert consultations.


What inspired you to create Tentang Anak?

Mesty: I saw so much misinformation about child health and parenting, especially in Indonesia where there’s a huge gap between the number of pediatricians and children. I wanted to provide parents with reliable, accessible information that could help them raise healthy, well-rounded children, allowing them to feel confident and calm in their parenting journey.

Garri: For me, it was about seeing the need for a one-stop solution for parents. Everything was scattered—pregnancy, growth tracking, expert advice—and I realized we could create something that brings it all together in one place. I wanted to build a platform that supported parents, especially in remote areas, with everything they need to raise their kids with confidence.


A child has their height measured against a wall-mounted height chart. Mesty holds the measuring bar, while a hand holding a smartphone appears to be taking a picture.

How does Tentang Anak ensure that the expert advice is both accurate and accessible to parents in remote areas of Indonesia?

Mesty: We make sure to partner with a team of highly qualified pediatricians, psychologists, and child development experts to ensure our advice is accurate and up-to-date.

Garri: Exactly, staying current with the latest research and best practices is crucial. Misinformation can have a huge impact, especially when it comes to child health. Parents often turn to social media or unverified sources for answers, which can lead to confusion or even harm. By partnering with qualified experts and constantly updating our content, we make sure that parents get accurate, reliable, and timely advice. This is especially important in remote areas where access to healthcare professionals can be limited.


A hand holds a smartphone displaying a webpage with various colorful sections and icons.

How has Google Play supported Tentang Anak?

Garri: Google Play has provided us with the tools and support to optimize our app's performance and engagement. From using Google’s analytics and A/B testing to improve the user experience, to the seamless distribution through the Play Store, Google has been a key partner in scaling Tentang Anak and making sure parents across Indonesia can access the app.

What is next for Tentang Anak?

Mesty: We’re focused on expanding our reach across Indonesia, ensuring that more parents, especially in remote areas, have access to the support and resources they need. We’re also enhancing our app with more interactive features to keep parents engaged and informed.

Garri: At the same time, we’re expanding our offerings with products for children, including children's books, vitamins, and skincare. Our goal is to make Tentang Anak the go-to platform and brand for all things parenting in Indonesia, and we’re excited to see how we can grow and help even more families.


Discover more global #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.



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#WeArePlay | Tentang Anak connects parents to experts across Indonesia

Posted by Robbie McLachlan, Developer Marketing

In our latest film for #WeArePlay, which celebrates the people behind apps and games, we meet Mesty and Garri - the husband and wife duo who created Tentang Anak. Their app helps parents across Indonesia navigate their parenting journey with confidence: with a focus on child health, growth tracking, and providing accessible expert consultations.


What inspired you to create Tentang Anak?

Mesty: I saw so much misinformation about child health and parenting, especially in Indonesia where there’s a huge gap between the number of pediatricians and children. I wanted to provide parents with reliable, accessible information that could help them raise healthy, well-rounded children, allowing them to feel confident and calm in their parenting journey.

Garri: For me, it was about seeing the need for a one-stop solution for parents. Everything was scattered—pregnancy, growth tracking, expert advice—and I realized we could create something that brings it all together in one place. I wanted to build a platform that supported parents, especially in remote areas, with everything they need to raise their kids with confidence.


A child has their height measured against a wall-mounted height chart. Mesty holds the measuring bar, while a hand holding a smartphone appears to be taking a picture.

How does Tentang Anak ensure that the expert advice is both accurate and accessible to parents in remote areas of Indonesia?

Mesty: We make sure to partner with a team of highly qualified pediatricians, psychologists, and child development experts to ensure our advice is accurate and up-to-date.

Garri: Exactly, staying current with the latest research and best practices is crucial. Misinformation can have a huge impact, especially when it comes to child health. Parents often turn to social media or unverified sources for answers, which can lead to confusion or even harm. By partnering with qualified experts and constantly updating our content, we make sure that parents get accurate, reliable, and timely advice. This is especially important in remote areas where access to healthcare professionals can be limited.


A hand holds a smartphone displaying a webpage with various colorful sections and icons.

How has Google Play supported Tentang Anak?

Garri: Google Play has provided us with the tools and support to optimize our app's performance and engagement. From using Google’s analytics and A/B testing to improve the user experience, to the seamless distribution through the Play Store, Google has been a key partner in scaling Tentang Anak and making sure parents across Indonesia can access the app.

What is next for Tentang Anak?

Mesty: We’re focused on expanding our reach across Indonesia, ensuring that more parents, especially in remote areas, have access to the support and resources they need. We’re also enhancing our app with more interactive features to keep parents engaged and informed.

Garri: At the same time, we’re expanding our offerings with products for children, including children's books, vitamins, and skincare. Our goal is to make Tentang Anak the go-to platform and brand for all things parenting in Indonesia, and we’re excited to see how we can grow and help even more families.


Discover more global #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.



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Making the Play Integrity API faster, more resilient, and more private

Posted by Prabhat Sharma – Director, Trust and Safety, Play, Android, and Chrome

At Google Play, we’re committed to providing a safe and secure environment for your business to thrive. That’s why we continually invest in reinforcing user trust, protecting your business, and safeguarding the ecosystem. This includes actively combating bad actors who try to deceive users or spread malware, and giving you tools to combat abuse.

Our tools like the Play Integrity API helps protect your business from revenue loss and enhance user safety. You can use the Play Integrity API to detect suspicious activity and decide how to respond to abuse, such as fraud, bots, cheating, or data theft. In fact, apps that use Play Integrity features have seen 80% less unauthorized usage on average compared to other apps. Today, we’re sharing how we’re enhancing the Play Integrity API for everyone.

Play integrity verdicts are becoming faster, less spoofable, and more privacy-friendly

Starting today, we’re changing the technology that powers the Play Integrity API on all devices running Android 13 (API level 33) and above to make it faster, more reliable, and more private for users. Developers already using Play Integrity API can opt-in to start using the new verdicts today; all API integrations will automatically transition to the new verdicts in May 2025. The improved verdicts will require, and make greater use of, hardware-backed security signals using Android Platform Key Attestation, making it significantly harder and more costly for attackers to bypass. We’ll also be adjusting verdicts when we detect security threats across Android SDK versions, such as when there is evidence of excessive activity or key compromise, without requiring any developer work. And now, Play Integrity API will have the same level of reliability and support across all Android form factors.

The transition to the new verdicts will reduce the device signals that need to be collected and evaluated on Google servers by ~90% and our testing indicates verdict latency can improve by up to ~80%.

You can now check whether a device has a recent security update

Play Integrity API offers enhanced security signals, like the optional “meets-strong-integrity” and “meets-basic-integrity” responses in the device recognition verdict, to help you decide how much you trust the environment your app is running in. Now, we’re updating the “meets-strong-integrity” response to require a security update within the last year on devices running Android 13 and above. This update gives apps with higher security needs, like banking and finance apps, governments, and enterprise apps, more ways to tailor their level of protection for sensitive features, like transferring money. When the strong label isn’t available for the user, we recommend that you have a fallback option. Learn more about our recommended API practices.

We’re also making it easier for you to adjust your app's behavior based on the user’s Android SDK version with a new device attributes field. For example, your app could respond differently to the legacy “meets-strong-integrity” definition on devices running Android 12 and lower than to the enhanced definition on devices running Android 13 and higher. The FAQ includes some example code for using the new device attributes field.

We’re standardizing all optional verdict signals so it’s consistent for you to use

We’re simplifying and standardizing all verdict content across apps, games, SDKs, and more, so that what you see will be more consistent and predictable. For apps installed by Google Play, you can get enhanced verdicts with optional signals such as the improved “meets-strong-integrity” device verdict and the recently launched app access risk verdict (which helps you detect and and respond to apps that can capture the screen or control the device, so you can protect your users from scams or malicious activity). For apps installed out of Google Play and all other API requests, you’ll receive a verdict with information about the device, account license, and app, but without the extra security signals.

Developers can start using the improved verdicts today and they’ll go live for all integrations in May 2025

Starting today, all new integrations will automatically receive the improved verdicts. Developers who already use the Play Integrity API can opt-in to the new verdicts now, or wait until it automatically updates for them in May 2025. For more information, see the Play Integrity API documentation. With these ongoing enhancements, the Play Integrity API is becoming an even more essential tool for safeguarding your apps and users.



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