Tag Archives: Google Play

Cheer on the finalists of our Indie Games Festival

On September 4, we’re celebrating some of the best indie talent on Google Play during the Indie Games Festival finals for Europe, Japan and South Korea. This year the three festivals are virtual, so you can join us to discover the games, meet the developers who created them, cheer them on and be the first to hear who the winners are. 


In June we kicked off the Indie Games Festival – a competition to celebrate the innovation and creativity that indie developers bring to Google Play. We received thousands of submissions, showing our judges how unique and diverse our games developer community is. 


The panel of judges have now selected 20 games in each region – listed below – to go forward to the finals on September 4. Each finalist receives exclusive promotions and prizes that give their games the recognition they deserve. 


So, don’t miss out. Expect plenty of fun and some very special surprises. Sign up now to virtually attend the festivals for Europe, Japan and South Korea. The events are free to attend and will all take place in the same space, so sign up to one and you will be able to teleport to all events!  

Related Article

Grow your indie game with help from Google Play

Grow your indie game with the help from Google Play. Apply by July 1st for the Indie Games Accelerator and the Indie Games Festival.

Read Article
Blobby, the Indie Games Festival mascot, is standing up on a stage with a microphone to announce the finalists of the Europe competition. All finalist icons are on the banner.

Europe


Beat Workers by NaturalPad Games, France

Bird Alone by George Batchelor, United Kingdom

Cats in Time by Pine Studio, Croatia

Figment by Bedtime Digital Games, Denmark

Froglike: The Frog Roguelike by Jimjum Studios, Israel

Garson by Anastasiya Shabunia, Belarus

Gumslinger by Itatake, Sweden

Lyxo by Emoak, Austria

Psychofunk by Tommy Søreide Kjær, Norway

Railways by Infinity Games, Portugal

Sticky Terms by kamibox, Germany

Sweet Sins Superstars by Platonic Games, Spain

Tiny Robots Recharged by Big Loop Studios, Bulgaria

Tofu Drifter by Roach Games, Russia

Towers by JOX Development, Ukraine

Unholy Adventure by Dali Games, Poland

Warplane Inc by Nuclear Games, Russia

Watch Me Stream My Mental Breakdown by Ultaan Games, Poland

Woof: The Good Boy Story by CHPV.GAMES, Russia

Zen Symmetry by 8tbl, Russia


Sign up to attend the European finals.
Blobby, the Indie Games Festival mascot, is standing up on a stage with a microphone to announce the finalists of the Japan competition. All finalist icons are on the banner.

Japan


3D Chess: NOCCA NOCCA by Curiouspark, Inc.

5colors in Nate by NekodoraSoft

Amabie san by HARAPECORPORATION Inc.

Archer Battle Online by Takuya Fujieda

Cthulhu DreamStairs by Tenyu

ElectriarCode by ELECTRIAR LABO / Blue

Escape from the Closed Circle by Hanachiru

Heart  of Sengoku by ZEN APP

Leaving Two Tiles Dojo by ScreenPocket

Living in the Ending World by illuCalab.

MAKOTO WAKAIDO’s Case Files “Executioner’s Wedge” by HafHaf-Oden (Sukashiuma-LAB）

Mini Mini Farm by CoffeeBreak

MonohakobiPro by CGO

Mousebusters by Odencat

Numpurr Card Wars by Nukenin

Parasite Days by Zxima

Quantum Transport by ruccho

Super Glitter Rush by tiny cactus studio

Survivor's guilt by aso

Wolf Chess by baton inc.


Sign up to attend the Japanese finals.
Blobby, the Indie Games Festival mascot, is standing up on a stage with a microphone to announce the finalists of the South Korea competition. All finalist logos are on the banner.

South Korea


Angel Saga by Alchemist Games Inc.

Animal Card Royale by Banjihagames

Animal Doll Shop by Funnyeve

BattleLive: Zombie&Human by PLOTRICK

Box It Up! Inc. by team TAPE

CATS & SOUP by HIDEA

Cats are Cute: Pop Time by kkiruk studio

Detective Mio by 1N1

Dicast: Rules of Chaos by BSS COMPANY

Forest Island by Nanali Studios

Frontier of Fortune by Dotomchi Games Inc.

FUNKYGUNNER by FUNKY5

Group Project Simulator! by Studio806

Gun Tactics by Gimle Games

Hybrid Warrior: Dungeon of the Overlord by Cat Lab

Metro Blossom by The Sane Studio

Portal Dungeon by Oblique Line

Rush Hour Rally by Soen Games

The Way Home by CONCODE

Titan Slayer by Touchholic


Sign up to attend the South Korean finals. 


PS: Curious to hear who was selected for the Indie Games Accelerator? Attend the European Festival to find out!

Cheer on the finalists of our Indie Games Festival

On September 4, we’re celebrating some of the best indie talent on Google Play during the Indie Games Festival finals for Europe, Japan and South Korea. This year the three festivals are virtual, so you can join us to discover the games, meet the developers who created them, cheer them on and be the first to hear who the winners are. 


In June we kicked off the Indie Games Festival – a competition to celebrate the innovation and creativity that indie developers bring to Google Play. We received thousands of submissions, showing our judges how unique and diverse our games developer community is. 


The panel of judges have now selected 20 games in each region – listed below – to go forward to the finals on September 4. Each finalist receives exclusive promotions and prizes that give their games the recognition they deserve. 


So, don’t miss out. Expect plenty of fun and some very special surprises. Sign up now to virtually attend the festivals for Europe, Japan and South Korea. The events are free to attend and will all take place in the same space, so sign up to one and you will be able to teleport to all events!  

Related Article

Grow your indie game with help from Google Play

Grow your indie game with the help from Google Play. Apply by July 1st for the Indie Games Accelerator and the Indie Games Festival.

Read Article
Blobby, the Indie Games Festival mascot, is standing up on a stage with a microphone to announce the finalists of the Europe competition. All finalist icons are on the banner.

Europe


Beat Workers by NaturalPad Games, France

Bird Alone by George Batchelor, United Kingdom

Cats in Time by Pine Studio, Croatia

Figment by Bedtime Digital Games, Denmark

Froglike: The Frog Roguelike by Jimjum Studios, Israel

Garson by Anastasiya Shabunia, Belarus

Gumslinger by Itatake, Sweden

Lyxo by Emoak, Austria

Psychofunk by Tommy Søreide Kjær, Norway

Railways by Infinity Games, Portugal

Sticky Terms by kamibox, Germany

Sweet Sins Superstars by Platonic Games, Spain

Tiny Robots Recharged by Big Loop Studios, Bulgaria

Tofu Drifter by Roach Games, Russia

Towers by JOX Development, Ukraine

Unholy Adventure by Dali Games, Poland

Warplane Inc by Nuclear Games, Russia

Watch Me Stream My Mental Breakdown by Ultaan Games, Poland

Woof: The Good Boy Story by CHPV.GAMES, Russia

Zen Symmetry by 8tbl, Russia


Sign up to attend the European finals.
Blobby, the Indie Games Festival mascot, is standing up on a stage with a microphone to announce the finalists of the Japan competition. All finalist icons are on the banner.

Japan


3D Chess: NOCCA NOCCA by Curiouspark, Inc.

5colors in Nate by NekodoraSoft

Amabie san by HARAPECORPORATION Inc.

Archer Battle Online by Takuya Fujieda

Cthulhu DreamStairs by Tenyu

ElectriarCode by ELECTRIAR LABO / Blue

Escape from the Closed Circle by Hanachiru

Heart  of Sengoku by ZEN APP

Leaving Two Tiles Dojo by ScreenPocket

Living in the Ending World by illuCalab.

MAKOTO WAKAIDO’s Case Files “Executioner’s Wedge” by HafHaf-Oden (Sukashiuma-LAB）

Mini Mini Farm by CoffeeBreak

MonohakobiPro by CGO

Mousebusters by Odencat

Numpurr Card Wars by Nukenin

Parasite Days by Zxima

Quantum Transport by ruccho

Super Glitter Rush by tiny cactus studio

Survivor's guilt by aso

Wolf Chess by baton inc.


Sign up to attend the Japanese finals.
Blobby, the Indie Games Festival mascot, is standing up on a stage with a microphone to announce the finalists of the South Korea competition. All finalist logos are on the banner.

South Korea


Angel Saga by Alchemist Games Inc.

Animal Card Royale by Banjihagames

Animal Doll Shop by Funnyeve

BattleLive: Zombie&Human by PLOTRICK

Box It Up! Inc. by team TAPE

CATS & SOUP by HIDEA

Cats are Cute: Pop Time by kkiruk studio

Detective Mio by 1N1

Dicast: Rules of Chaos by BSS COMPANY

Forest Island by Nanali Studios

Frontier of Fortune by Dotomchi Games Inc.

FUNKYGUNNER by FUNKY5

Group Project Simulator! by Studio806

Gun Tactics by Gimle Games

Hybrid Warrior: Dungeon of the Overlord by Cat Lab

Metro Blossom by The Sane Studio

Portal Dungeon by Oblique Line

Rush Hour Rally by Soen Games

The Way Home by CONCODE

Titan Slayer by Touchholic


Sign up to attend the South Korean finals. 


PS: Curious to hear who was selected for the Indie Games Accelerator? Attend the European Festival to find out!

Meet some of the best indie game devs

Posted by Patricia Correa, Director, Global Developer Marketing

During the month of June we received thousands of submissions for two of our annual developer programs - the Indie Games Accelerator and the Indie Games Festival. These programs support the growth of small games studios on Google Play.

Every year we’re impressed with the art and creativity of the entries. This year was no exception. Many thanks to everyone who submitted their game.

Meet the Festival finalists

Today, we’re announcing the finalists of the Festivals in Europe, Japan, and South Korea… drumroll, please.

Indie Games

Europe

Beat Workers by NaturalPad Games, France

Bird Alone by George Batchelor, United Kingdom

Cats in Time by Pine Studio, Croatia

Figment by Bedtime Digital Games, Denmark

Froglike: The Frog Roguelike by Jimjum Studios, Israel

Garson by Anastasiya Shabunia, Belarus

Gumslinger by Itatake, Sweden

Lyxo by Emoak, Austria

Psychofunk by Tommy Søreide Kjær, Norway

Railways by Infinity Games, Portugal

Sticky Terms by kamibox, Germany

Sweet Sins Superstars by Platonic Games, Spain

Tiny Robots Recharged by Big Loop Studios, Bulgaria

Tofu Drifter by Roach Games, Russia

Towers by JOX Development, Ukraine

Unholy Adventure by Dali Games, Poland

Warplane Inc by Nuclear Games, Russia

Watch Me Stream My Mental Breakdown by Ultaan Games, Poland

Woof: The Good Boy Story by CHPV.GAMES, Russia

Zen Symmetry by 8tbl, Russia

Sign up to attend the European finals.

Indie Games

Japan

3D Chess: NOCCA NOCCA by Curiouspark, Inc.

5colors in Nate by NekodoraSoft

Amabie san by HARAPECORPORATION Inc.

Archer Battle Online by Takuya Fujieda

Cthulhu DreamStairs by Tenyu

ElectriarCode by ELECTRIAR LABO

Escape from the Closed Circle by Hanachiru

Heart of Sengoku by ZEN APP

Leaving Two Tiles Dojo by ScreenPocket

Living in the Ending World by illuCalab.

MAKOTO WAKAIDO’s Case Files “Executioner’s Wedge” by HafHaf-Oden（Sukashiuma-LAB）

Mini Mini Farm by CoffeeBreak

MonohakobiPro by CGO

Mousebusters by Odencat

Numpurr Card Wars by Nukenin

Parasite Days by Zxima

Quantum Transport by ruccho

Super Glitter Rush by tiny cactus studio

Survivor's guilt by aso

Wolf Chess by Baton

Sign up to attend the Japanese finals.

Indie Games

South Korea

Angel Saga by Alchemist Games Inc.

Animal Card Royale by Banjihagames

Animal Doll Shop by Funnyeve

BattleLive: Zombie&Human by PLOTRICK

Box It Up! Inc. by team TAPE

CATS & SOUP by HIDEA

Cats are Cute: Pop Time by kkiruk studio

Detective Mio by 1N1

Dicast: Rules of Chaos by BSS COMPANY

Forest Island by Nanali Studios

Frontier of Fortune by Dotomchi Games Inc.

FUNKYGUNNER by FUNKY5

Group Project Simulator! by Studio806

Gun Tactics by Gimle Games

Hybrid Warrior: Dungeon of the Overlord by Cat Lab

Metro Blossom by The Sane Studio

Portal Dungeon by Oblique Line

Rush Hour Rally by Soen Games

The Way Home by CONCODE

Titan Slayer by Touchholic

Sign up to attend the South Korean finals.

Join the adventure on September 4

This year the three Festivals are virtual, so everyone has the chance to explore the games, meet the developers who made them, cheer them on, and be the first to hear who the winners are.

Expect plenty of fun and some very special surprises. So, don’t miss out. Sign up now to virtually attend the events showcasing the finalists from Europe, Japan, and South Korea. The events are free to attend and will all take place in the same space, so sign up to one and you will be able to teleport to all events!

How about the Indie Games Accelerator?

If you’re interested in knowing which developers are joining the 2021 class of the Indie Games Accelerator, sign up to attend the European Festival, where we will also announce the selected developers.

Indie Games

Meet some of the best indie game devs

Posted by Patricia Correa, Director, Global Developer Marketing

During the month of June we received thousands of submissions for two of our annual developer programs - the Indie Games Accelerator and the Indie Games Festival. These programs support the growth of small games studios on Google Play.

Every year we’re impressed with the art and creativity of the entries. This year was no exception. Many thanks to everyone who submitted their game.

Meet the Festival finalists

Today, we’re announcing the finalists of the Festivals in Europe, Japan, and South Korea… drumroll, please.

Indie Games

Europe

Beat Workers by NaturalPad Games, France

Bird Alone by George Batchelor, United Kingdom

Cats in Time by Pine Studio, Croatia

Figment by Bedtime Digital Games, Denmark

Froglike: The Frog Roguelike by Jimjum Studios, Israel

Garson by Anastasiya Shabunia, Belarus

Gumslinger by Itatake, Sweden

Lyxo by Emoak, Austria

Psychofunk by Tommy Søreide Kjær, Norway

Railways by Infinity Games, Portugal

Sticky Terms by kamibox, Germany

Sweet Sins Superstars by Platonic Games, Spain

Tiny Robots Recharged by Big Loop Studios, Bulgaria

Tofu Drifter by Roach Games, Russia

Towers by JOX Development, Ukraine

Unholy Adventure by Dali Games, Poland

Warplane Inc by Nuclear Games, Russia

Watch Me Stream My Mental Breakdown by Ultaan Games, Poland

Woof: The Good Boy Story by CHPV.GAMES, Russia

Zen Symmetry by 8tbl, Russia

Sign up to attend the European finals.

Indie Games

Japan

3D Chess: NOCCA NOCCA by Curiouspark, Inc.

5colors in Nate by NekodoraSoft

Amabie san by HARAPECORPORATION Inc.

Archer Battle Online by Takuya Fujieda

Cthulhu DreamStairs by Tenyu

ElectriarCode by ELECTRIAR LABO

Escape from the Closed Circle by Hanachiru

Heart of Sengoku by ZEN APP

Leaving Two Tiles Dojo by ScreenPocket

Living in the Ending World by illuCalab.

MAKOTO WAKAIDO’s Case Files “Executioner’s Wedge” by HafHaf-Oden（Sukashiuma-LAB）

Mini Mini Farm by CoffeeBreak

MonohakobiPro by CGO

Mousebusters by Odencat

Numpurr Card Wars by Nukenin

Parasite Days by Zxima

Quantum Transport by ruccho

Super Glitter Rush by tiny cactus studio

Survivor's guilt by aso

Wolf Chess by Baton

Sign up to attend the Japanese finals.

Indie Games

South Korea

Angel Saga by Alchemist Games Inc.

Animal Card Royale by Banjihagames

Animal Doll Shop by Funnyeve

BattleLive: Zombie&Human by PLOTRICK

Box It Up! Inc. by team TAPE

CATS & SOUP by HIDEA

Cats are Cute: Pop Time by kkiruk studio

Detective Mio by 1N1

Dicast: Rules of Chaos by BSS COMPANY

Forest Island by Nanali Studios

Frontier of Fortune by Dotomchi Games Inc.

FUNKYGUNNER by FUNKY5

Group Project Simulator! by Studio806

Gun Tactics by Gimle Games

Hybrid Warrior: Dungeon of the Overlord by Cat Lab

Metro Blossom by The Sane Studio

Portal Dungeon by Oblique Line

Rush Hour Rally by Soen Games

The Way Home by CONCODE

Titan Slayer by Touchholic

Sign up to attend the South Korean finals.

Join the adventure on September 4

This year the three Festivals are virtual, so everyone has the chance to explore the games, meet the developers who made them, cheer them on, and be the first to hear who the winners are.

Expect plenty of fun and some very special surprises. So, don’t miss out. Sign up now to virtually attend the events showcasing the finalists from Europe, Japan, and South Korea. The events are free to attend and will all take place in the same space, so sign up to one and you will be able to teleport to all events!

How about the Indie Games Accelerator?

If you’re interested in knowing which developers are joining the 2021 class of the Indie Games Accelerator, sign up to attend the European Festival, where we will also announce the selected developers.

Indie Games

Quicksave: The latest from Google Play Pass

Google Play Pass helps you connect with awesome digital content: It’s your pass to hundreds of apps and games without ads and in-app purchases. We wanted to take another moment to spotlight a few of the games and developers we think you’ll enjoy.

Dive into the newest games

Tesla versus Lovecraft mobile game image of fictional depictions of enigmatic inventor Nikola Tesla fighting famed horror author H.P. Lovecraft

Tesla vs Lovecraft

An epic showdown between man vs monsters.


PRICE:$9.99Free with Google Play Pass subscription


Play as enigmatic inventor Nikola Tesla as you mow down nightmarish monsters from the mind of famed horror author H.P. Lovecraft.

Delight Games Premium Library mobile game image depicting various fictional heroes, villains, witches and monsters from the stories within the game.

Delight Games (Premium Library)

70+ interactive volumes to immerse you in new worlds.


PRICE:$29.99Free with Google Play Pass subscription


Enjoy a massive new trove of choose your own adventure stories that span every possible world from fantasy to mystery, horror, adventure and even some romance.

Who is Awesome mobile game image depicting characters from four different games including Reaper from Peace Death!, Vladimir from DRAW CHILLY, Knight from OH MY GOD, LOOK AT THIS KNIGHT!, and the Cowboy from Gun Done.

WHO IS AWESOME

Fall, chase and flip your way to victory in this two-directional platformer!


PRICE:$0.99Free with Google Play Pass subscription


Chase and run your way through different lands in a single-player mini-game collection that challenges you to outthink characters from four popular games.

Starman mobile game image depicting Starman, a bright glowing individual, standing in a dark forest

Starman

Recover the light, and bring life back!


PRICE:$4.49Free with Google Play Pass subscription


Guide Starman through a breathtaking series of atmospheric architectural scenes and elaborate puzzles that are challenging, relaxing and immersive.


Explore the titles we ❤️   

Super Glitch Dash mobile game image depicting a bright, neon green and purple entry portal into a Super Glitch Dash runner track

Super Glitch Dash

The ultimate twitch runner has arrived.


PRICE:Free(No in-app purchases with Google Play Pass subscription)


Get ready to immerse yourself in this jaw-dropping, rhythm-driven runner that takes everything you love about the acclaimed original Glitch Dash to the next level.

Cytus 2 mobile game image depicting characters together against a dark background, including Paff, Ivy, Conner, Xenon, Neko and ROBO Head

Cytus II

From the makers of Cytus, experience a whole new chapter.


PRICE:$1.99Free with Google Play Pass subscription


Step into the future, where a mysterious DJ legend is at the center of this music rhythm game that puts 100+ songs from all over the world at your fingertips.

Summer Catchers mobile game image depicting characters - one female and one male - sitting in a make-shift vehicle on a desolate island beach with a white seagull and crow by their side.

Summer Catchers


Embark on an epic road trip adventure of a lifetime.


PRICE:$3.99Free with Google Play Pass subscription


Travel to distant uncharted lands full of mystery, strange creatures and exciting races as you pursue a quest to finally experience summer.

Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition mobile game image depicting the title character with her large yellow scarf flying in the wind, jumping into the nighttime sky away from a blast of red fire embers and a two-eyed tentacled monster below, towards a small town

Dandara: Trials of Fear Edition

The world of Salt is on the brink of collapse. Its only hope is Dandara.


PRICE:$5.99Free with Google Play Pass subscription


Defy gravity and discover secret mysteries in this 2D metroidvania platformer that puts you in a battle for survival against enemies bent on oppression.

No need for FOMO: Check out everything that’s been added since June 1, 2021.

Action

Lovecraft's Untold Stories

Space Marshals 3

Tesla vs Lovecraft


Adventure

Angelo and Deemon: One Hell of a Quest (Full)

Death Road to Canada

DISTRAINT 2

Heal: Pocket Edition

Pango Kumo - weather game for kids 3-6

Pango Pirate - Adventure Game for kids

Timo - Adventure Puzzle Game


Arcade

Aftermath

Bermuda Triangle

Color Ball Blast

Daggerhood

DRAW CHILLY

Super Drop Land

Whale Trail Classic

WHO IS AWESOME


Art and Design

Pango Paper Color - colouring book game for kids


Board

Draughts


Books and Reference

Dictionary.com Premium


Card

21 Smash - Best mix of Solitaire and BlackJack

Brave Hand

Castle Solitaire: Card Game


Casual

Pango Sheep: get all the sheep

Snail Bob 3


Education

The Bugs 2: What Are They Like?

Extraordinary Women

How do Animals Work?

Make It - Create Educational Games & Quizzes

May the Forces Be With You

Monopoly Junior

My Green City

My Little Pony: Story Creator


Educational

Car City: Kindergarden Toddler Learning Games

Car City Puzzle Games - Brain Teaser for Kids 2+

Car Patrol Hide & Seek: Preschool Animals Safari

Carl the Super Truck Roadworks: Dig, Drill & Build

Kiddopia

Logic Club

Pango Fox Factory - Coding Games For Kids

Pango Build City: create train tracks for children


Entertainment

Tonka: Trucks Around Town


Health and Fitness

Hydro Coach PRO - drink water


Lifestyle

Time Until | Beautiful Countdown App + Widget


Music

Pango Musical March : music game of marching band

Percuss — Rhythm Sequencer


Music and Audio

AudioLab ? Audio Editor Recorder & Ringtone Maker

Strobe Tuner Pro: Guitar Tuner, Violin, Ukulele, …


Photography

PicLab - Photo Editor

TouchRetouch


Puzzle

Amigo Pancho

Azkend 2: The World Beneath

Dream Detective

The Eyes of Ara

Grids of Thermometers

Hashi Puzzle

hocus 2

I Love Hue Too

Oculux

Pango Blocks : puzzle game for kids 4 - 8 years

Pango One Road : logical labyrinth for children

Pettson's Inventions 2

Puzzle Retreat

Rip Them Off

Starman

Twinfold

YANKAI'S DIAMOND


Racing

Dead Paradise: Car Shooter & Action Game

Dirt Trackin Sprint Cars


Roleplaying

Cyberlords - Arcology

Delight Games (Premium Library)

RPG Aeon Avenger - KEMCO

RPG Grinsia

RPG Alphadia2

Space Raiders RPG

Undead Horde

Yōdanji: The Roguelike


Simulation

Casino Crime

The Little Crane That Could

Pango Build Safari : animal park for kids 3 - 8

Pig io - Pig Evolution io games

Shiny Ski Resort


Sports

Super Soccer Champs 2021


Strategy

Maze Machina

Pocket Harvest

Tactic Master - Strategy Battle & Tower Defense

Wanna Survive


Weather

Weather Forecast 14 days Pro - Meteored News

Weather XS PRO


Word

String of Words

Preparing for Google Play’s new safety section

Posted by Suzanne Frey, VP, Product, Android Security and Privacy

Today, we’re announcing additional details for the upcoming safety section in Google Play. At Google, we know that feeling safe online comes from using products that are secure by default, private by design, and give users control over their data. This new safety section will provide developers a simple way to showcase their app’s overall safety. Developers will be able to give users deeper insight into their privacy and security practices, as well as explain the data the app may collect and why — all before users install the app.

Ultimately, all Google Play store apps will be required to share information in the safety section. We want to give developers plenty of time to adapt to these changes, so we’re sharing more information about the data type definitions, user journey, and policy requirements of this new feature.



What the new safety section may look like:

Images are directional and subject to change

Users will see the new summary in an app’s store listing page. It’ll share the developer’s explanation of what data an app collects or shares and highlight safety details, such as whether:

  • The app has security practices, like data encryption
  • The app follows our Families policy
  • The app has been independently validated against a global security standard

Images are directional and subject to change

Users can tap into the summary to see details like:

  • What type of data is collected and shared, such as location, contacts, personal information (e.g., name, email address), financial information and more
  • How the data is used, such as for app functionality, personalization, and more
  • Whether data collection is optional or required in order to use an app

Images are directional and subject to change

In designing our labels, we learned developers appreciate when they can provide context about their data practices and more detail on whether their app automatically collects data versus if that collection is optional. We also learned that users care about whether their data is shared with other companies, and why.

The final design is subject to change as we continue working with developers and designing for the best blend of developer and user experiences.

Policy changes to support the safety section

Today we announced new user data policies designed to provide more user transparency and to help people make informed choices about how their data is collected, protected and used.

  • All developers must provide a privacy policy. Previously, only apps that collected personal and sensitive user data needed to share a privacy policy.
  • Developers are responsible for providing accurate and complete information in their safety section, including data used by the app’s third party libraries or SDKs.

This applies to all apps published on Google Play, including Google's own apps.

What you can expect

We want to provide developers with plenty of time and resources to get prepared.

Target Timeline. Dates subject to change.

Starting in October, developers can submit information in the Google Play Console for review. We encourage you to start early in case you have questions along the way. The new safety section will launch for apps in Google Play in Q1 2022.

We know that some developers will need more time to assess their apps and coordinate with multiple teams. So, you’ll have until April 2022 before your apps must have this section approved. Without an approved section, your new app submission or app update may be rejected.

Images are directional and subject to change

If your app’s information is not approved by the time we launch the safety section in Google Play to users in Q1 2022, then it will display “No information available.”

How to get prepared:

  • Visit the Play Console Help Center for more details about providing app privacy details in Play Console, including data type lists and examples.
  • Review how your app collects, protects and shares data. In particular, check your app’s declared permissions and the APIs and libraries that your app uses. These may require you to indicate that your app collects and shares specific types of data.
  • Join a policy webinar and send us your questions in advance. You can register for Global, India, Japan, or Korea sessions.

We’ll continue to share more guidance, including specific dates, over the next few months.

Thank you for your continued partnership in building this feature alongside us and in making Google Play a safe and trustworthy platform for everyone.

Announcing Policy Updates To Bolster Privacy and Security

Posted by Krish Vitaldevara, Director, Product Management

We are always looking to make Google Play a safer and more trustworthy experience for developers and consumers. Today, we’re announcing new policy updates to bolster user control, privacy, and security.

Giving users more transparency into data privacy and security

We’re sharing our new policy for the upcoming safety section in Google Play alongside additional information, like data definitions. Learn more.

Improving advertising privacy and security

We’ve long offered users meaningful controls with advertising ID, like being able to reset their identifier at any time or opt out of allowing the identifier to be used for ads personalization. We’re continuing to add more controls this year.

As we pre-announced to developers on June 2, we’re making a technical change as part of Google Play services update in late 2021. When users opt out of interest-based advertising or ads personalization, their advertising ID will be removed and replaced with a string of zeros. As a reminder, this Google Play services change will be a phased rollout, affecting apps running on Android 12 devices starting late 2021 and expanding to all apps running on devices that support Google Play in early 2022. Also, apps updating their target API level to Android 12 will need to declare a new Google Play services permission in the manifest file in order to use advertising ID.

We will also test a new feature that notifies developers and ad/analytics service providers of user opt-out preferences to help developers implement user choice and add to existing policy restrictions on how advertising ID can be used. When a user deletes their advertising ID, developers will receive a notification so they can promptly erase advertising IDs that are no longer in use.

In addition, we’re prohibiting linking persistent device identifiers to personal and sensitive user data or resettable device identifiers. This policy adds an additional layer of privacy protection when users reset their device identifiers or uninstall apps.

And last, we’re offering a developer preview of app set ID for essential use cases such as analytics or fraud prevention. App set ID is a unique ID that, on a given device, allows you to correlate usage or actions across a set of apps owned by your organization. You cannot use app set ID for ads personalization or ads measurement. It will also automatically reset if all the developers’ apps on the device are uninstalled or none of the apps have accessed the ID in 13 months.

Enhancing protection for kids

As we introduce app set ID for analytics and fraud prevention, we are also making changes to further enhance privacy for kids. If an app is primarily directed to children, it cannot transmit identifiers like advertising ID. If an app’s audience is both kids and adults, then it needs to avoid transmitting these identifiers for kids.

Over the next several months, we’ll share more information for a smooth transition.

Strengthening security

Security is fundamental to enabling privacy across our platform. We’re announcing a few policy updates to help keep user data secure.

First, Google Play remains a safer ecosystem when developers actively maintain their apps. So, we will close dormant accounts if the account is inactive or abandoned after a year. This includes accounts where the developer has never uploaded an app or accessed Google Play Console in a year.

We will continue supporting developers with actively growing apps. We won’t close accounts with apps that have 1000+ installs or have in-app purchases in the last 90 days. Developers whose accounts are closed can create new ones in the future, but they won’t be able to reactivate old accounts, apps, or data.

Second, it’s important for users to have an accessible experience that is secure. So, we’re adding new requirements on how AccessibilityService API and IsAccessibilityTool can be used. These tools help build accessible experiences, which often require access to user data and device functionality. Now, all apps that use the AccessibilityService API will need to disclose data access and purpose in Google Play Console and get approval. Learn more.

Reminder on Payments policy

As we shared earlier in July, after careful consideration of feedback from both large and small developers, we are giving developers an option to request a 6-month extension until March 31, 2022 to comply with our Payments policy.

For more resources

Thank you for helping us make Google Play an even more trustworthy platform for everyone.

Allowing developers to apply for more time to comply with Play Payments Policy

Posted by Purnima Kochikar, VP Play Partnerships

Every day we work with developers to help make Google Play a safe, secure and seamless experience for everyone, and to ensure that developers can build sustainable businesses. Last September, we clarified our Payments Policy to be more explicit about when developers should use Google Play’s billing system. While most developers already complied with this policy, we understood that some existing apps currently using an alternative billing system may need to make changes to their apps, and we gave one year for them to make these updates.

Many of our partners have been making steady progress toward the September 30 deadline. However, we continue to hear from developers all over the world that the past year has been particularly difficult, especially for those with engineering teams in regions that continue to be hard hit by the effects of the global pandemic, making it tougher than usual for them to make the technical updates related to this policy.

After carefully considering feedback from both large and small developers, we are giving developers an option to request a 6-month extension, which will give them until March 31, 2022 to comply with our Payments policy. Starting on July 22nd, developers can appeal for an extension through the Help Center and we will review each request and get back to requests as soon as possible.

Check out the Help Center and the Policy Center for details, timelines, and frequently asked questions. You can also check out Play Academy or watch the PolicyBytes video for additional information.

Create your summer reading list with Google Play Books

Every summer my family spends a week at a lake house, boating, barbecuing and reading books. My wife and I each choose a few books to share in our family library and read them at the same time on our devices. It gives us a chance to introduce each other to new genres and authors. I typically read thrillers and sci-fi, while my wife prefers a  mix of literary fiction and celebrity memoirs. 

This year, we used the Google Play Books Android app’s new features to discover and organize our vacation reading list. Here’s how we’re using Google Play Books for our very informal summer book club: 



Customize your bookshelves

One top request from Play Books readers was for customizable shelves.  With custom shelves, you can organize and sort your books into themed collections.  We made a shelf for our must-read ebooks for “Summer 2021.”  You can also designate your “All-time favorites'' so you always  have a list of recommendations ready. Create a “Family listening” shelf for the audiobooks you’re saving for a family road trip. Custom shelves make it easy to find the right book at the right time.


Use filters to find your ideal read

Readers also told us that they wanted an easy way to find titles for specific reading needs. Now you can browse by filters like language (to find titles written in a specific language), price range (to see books in your budget) and price drop (to see discounted books).


Find deals on the books you want to read

Customized discount notifications in the Android app now help you find more deals. If you sample or wishlist a book, you’ll receive an email if that title is discounted in the future (just make sure you’re opted in to marketing emails from Google Play). Take advantage of this feature by wishlisting the titles that interest you when you come across them in the Play Books app.  

With custom shelves, store filtering and deal alerts, you have even more ways to find your next great read on Google Play Books. To get you started, here’s our “Summer 2021” shelf:

A custom shelf featuring six books: The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, Later by Stephen King, What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster, The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark, and Billie Eilish: In Her Own Words by Billie Eilish.

Hopefully that gives you a little inspiration in creating your own. Here's to a well-read summer.

Plan for success on Google Play with Reach and devices

Posted by Lauren Mytton, Product Manager, Google Play

Google Play has over 2.5B monthly active users, distributed across the world, using many different devices. How do you make the most of this opportunity?

The concept of quality reach

The foundations for your game’s (or app’s) success on Google Play are its reach and its quality:

  • Reach: Can a player access your game?
  • Quality: Does the player experience good quality when playing your game?

To unlock the opportunity for any single user on Google Play, you need both: every user must be able to access your game, AND have a good technical experience when playing it.

This is the ideal state of quality reach.

Why quality reach is foundational to your game’s success

When you have quality reach, your game development, marketing budgets, and growth strategy can be lined up to reinforce each other, because you acquire users for whom your game performs well, and your engagement and retention strategies have higher ROI for users with good experiences.

If you have poor quality reach, you can inadvertently acquire users whom you will not be able to engage and retain. Any spend to acquire these users is likely to be wasted. But the bigger problem is that poor quality reach makes it harder for you to acquire users for whom your game does perform well, since Android vitals and user ratings may affect your game’s discoverability and conversion in the Play store.

Another scenario to keep an eye on is missed reach. Unlike poor quality reach, it may not hurt your ability to acquire users who can access and enjoy your game. However it still limits your game’s scale and possibly also its ROI.

How you achieve quality reach

There are three types of decisions that determine your quality reach:

  • Devices: the device specs you build for and target
  • Geographies: the countries, languages or localization you offer
  • Testing and optimization: what you plan for and prioritize during development and pre-launch

You make these decisions when you develop and publish a game for the first time, and you continue to make them with every new release over the lifecycle of your game. You also need to think about these decisions outside your release cycle, since the Play ecosystem is constantly changing, which means your quality reach will also change over time, even if you do nothing.

However these decisions can be very hard. They require you to answer, or predict the answers to, two questions:

  1. Where are my users?
  2. Where are my issues?

These questions are challenging because of the scale and diversity of users on Google Play, both technically and geographically. Not only that, but these decisions may be made at different points in time, across both business and technical teams. How do you get them to line up?

How Reach and devices can help

We’re launching a new tool in Play Console called Reach and devices to help with these challenges. Reach and devices is a data and insights tool that helps you to plan for quality reach, by helping you understand or predict the distribution of your users and your issues across the Google Play ecosystem.

Reach and devices takes data about your app and its peers and presents it in new ways, to help you answer these questions. It also makes it easier to get all the relevant teams in your organisation on the same page.

Key features:

  • Distribution and trends of user and issue metrics, starting with install base, crash rate and ANR rate (more metrics to come)
  • Metric breakdowns by key attributes including Android version, RAM, SoC, OpenGL ES version, Vulkan version and screen metrics (with more to come)
  • Peer data so you can spot opportunities in your current game, or even plan your next game
  • Country-level filtering for more precise launch and expansion planning
  • Export all data for bespoke analysis

We’ve received great feedback during closed beta from developers who have found it useful in a variety of ways:

  • Deciding what device specs to support
  • Spotting optimization opportunities
  • Assessing the ROI of addressing issues
  • Narrowing down the root cause of technical issues

Get started

Visit g.co/play/reachanddevices for more information or go straight to Play Console to check it out.