Posted by Mindy Brooks – Senior Director, Android Platform
App builders play an important position in shaping how individuals of all ages work together with know-how. Whether or not your app content material is particularly designed for teenagers or just attracts their consideration, there’s an added duty to make sure a protected and trusted expertise. Google is right here to help you in that work. Right this moment, we’re sharing some essential reminders and updates on how we empower builders to construct high-quality, partaking, and age-appropriate apps throughout the Android ecosystem.
Assist Decide Android Person Age with Digital IDs
Understanding a person’s age vary may be essential for offering minors with safer and extra acceptable app experiences, in addition to complying with native age-related rules. Android’s new Credential Supervisor API, now in Beta for Digital IDs, addresses this problem by serving to builders confirm a person’s age with a digital ID saved to any digital pockets software. Importantly, Android’s Credential Supervisor was constructed with each security and privateness at its core – it minimizes knowledge publicity by solely sharing info crucial with builders and asks the person for specific permission to share an age sign. We encourage you to check out the Beta API for your self and sit up for listening to your suggestions.
Whereas digital IDs are nonetheless of their early days, we’re persevering with to work with governments on additional adoption to strengthen this resolution. Android can be exploring how the API can help a spread of age assurance strategies, serving to builders to securely verify the age of their customers, particularly for customers that may’t or do not need to use a digital ID. Please take into account that ID-based options are only one device that builders can use to find out age and one of the best method will rely in your app.
Protect Younger Customers from Inappropriate Content material on Google Play
As a part of our continued dedication to making a protected and optimistic setting for youngsters throughout the Play Retailer, we just lately launched the Limit Declared Minors (RDM) setting inside the Google Play Console that permits builders to designate their app as inappropriate for minors. When enabled, Google Play customers with declared ages under 18 won’t be able to obtain or buy the app nor will they be capable to proceed subscriptions or make new purchases if the app is already put in.
Past Play’s broader youngsters security insurance policies, this new setting offers builders a further device to proactively stop minors from accessing content material that could be unsuitable for them. It additionally empowers builders to take a extra proactive position in making certain their apps attain the suitable viewers. As a reminder, this characteristic is solely one device of many to maintain your apps protected and we’re persevering with to enhance it primarily based on early suggestions. Builders stay solely liable for compliance with related legal guidelines and rules. You possibly can study extra about opting in to RDM right here.
Develop Trainer Accepted Apps and Video games on Google Play
Nice content material for teenagers can take many kinds, whether or not that’s sparking curiosity, serving to youngsters study, or simply plain enjoyable. Google Play’s Trainer Accepted program highlights high-quality apps which are reviewed and rated by academics and little one improvement specialists. Our crew of academics and specialists the world over overview and charge apps on elements like age-appropriateness, high quality of expertise, enrichment, and delight. For added transparency, we embody info within the app itemizing about why the app was rated extremely to assist dad and mom decide if the app is true for his or her little one. Apps in this system additionally should meet strict privateness and safety necessities.
Constructing a teacher-approved app not solely helps elevate app high quality for teenagers – it will possibly additionally improve your attain and engagement. All apps on this program are eligible to seem and be featured on Google Play’s Children tab the place households go to simply uncover high quality apps and video games. Please go to Google Play Academy for extra details about easy methods to design high-quality apps for teenagers.
Keep Up to date With Google Play’s Households Insurance policies
Google Play insurance policies present further protections for youngsters and households. Our Households insurance policies require that apps and video games focused to youngsters have acceptable content material, present adverts appropriate for youngsters, and meet different necessities together with ones associated to personally identifiable info. We regularly replace and strengthen these insurance policies to make sure that Google Play stays a spot the place households can discover protected and high-quality content material for his or her youngsters. This contains our new Little one Security Requirements Coverage for social and relationship apps that goes into impact in January.
Builders can showcase compliance with Play’s Households insurance policies with a particular badge on the Google Play Knowledge security part. That is one other good way you can higher assist households discover apps that meet their wants, whereas supporting Play’s dedication to supply customers extra transparency and management over their knowledge. To show the badge, please go to the “Safety practices” part of your Knowledge Security kind in your Google Play Developer Console.
Extra Assets
Defending youngsters on-line is a duty all of us share and we hope these reminders are useful as you put together for 2025. We’re grateful on your partnership in making Android and Google Play implausible platforms for pleasant, high-quality content material for teenagers and households. For extra sources:
- Watch our interactive Play Academy programs on complying with Play’s Households insurance policies, together with SDK necessities, choosing your goal age and content material settings, and extra.
