News On App Stores, October 2021

App Store 

New “Report a Problem” link on product pages

App Store product pages on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS Monterey display a “Report a Problem“ link, so users can more easily report concerns with content they’ve purchased or downloaded.

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

Account deletion within apps required starting January 31

The updates to App Store Review Guideline 5.1.1 last June provided users with greater control over their personal data, stating that all apps that allow for account creation must also allow users to initiate deletion of their account from within the app. This requirement applies to all app submissions starting January 31, 2022.

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

New metrics now available in App Analytics

App Analytics in App Store Connect helps you see how people discover and engage with your app. Now you can view powerful new transaction metrics, including redownloads, total downloads, proceeds, pre-orders, and updates. Each metric can be displayed by territory, source type, device, and more, helping you understand what drives your app's growth and success.

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

Upcoming tax and price changes for apps and in-app purchases

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

App Store Review Guideline updates now available

There are three updates to the App Store Review Guidelines that are meant to support new features in upcoming OS releases, better protect customers, and help your apps go through the review process as smoothly as possible.

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

Google Play Store 

Google Play starts letting developers fill out ‘Data safety’ info, section launching in February

Back in May, Google announced a new Play Store requirement to have Android apps detail how they collect and use personal information. The Google Play “Data safety” section will go live in February as developers will soon be able to fill out the necessary information. The “Data safety” form will appear in the Google Play Console. It will be fully available for “everyone within a couple of weeks,” while the company has provided additional guidance in the Help Center, developer guide, and Play Academy course.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Google dropping Play Store subscription fee from 30% to 15% on day one for all Android devs

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Google releases ‘Private Compute Services’ as an updatable app in the Play Store

Google announced the “Private Compute Core” at I/O in May as an effective rebrand of “Device Personalization Services,” now called “Android System Intelligence.” The Private Compute Core is where features like Live Caption, Now Playing, and Smart Reply operate in a network isolated manner from the rest of Android and apps. This is important for sensitive always-listening audio and language processing, as well as notification-reading capabilities.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Google starts rolling out Play Store Material You redesign, but it only scratches the surface

Google’s Material You rollout continues with the Play Store over the last 24 hours, but this redesign is not too visually encompassing yet and availability is quite limited. 

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Huawei App Gallery

Huawei AppGallery will bring new financial services and better privacy protection

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral