News On App Stores, April 2022

App Store 

Clarifying criteria & new timing extension for App Store Improvements process

Back in 2016, the App Store Improvements process was launched to remove apps that no longer function as intended, don’t follow current review guidelines or are outdated. Over the course of the past six years, almost 2.8 million apps have been removed as part of this process.

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

Apple Informs Developers It is Removing Outdated Apps From the App Store

The Cupertino-based company mentions on the App Store Improvements page that it is removing apps that no longer function as intended, or are outdated. The iPhone-maker has given developers 30-days' time to submit an update for review, the report adds.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

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

In the next few days, prices of apps and in-app purchases on the App Store will increase in Cambodia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, and Uganda. Exhibit B of the Paid Applications Agreement will be updated to indicate that Apple collects and remits applicable taxes in these locations.

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

Small developer assistance submission requests due by May 20

Last year, Apple announced a $100 million fund to assist US small developers. Eligible developers have until May 20, 2022 to submit a request to an independent administrator to receive payment. The fund is open to all developers based in the United States who:

• Sold paid apps or in-app purchases through the App Store between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021; and

• Earned proceeds equal to or less than $1 million through the US storefront in each calendar year in which they had a developer account between 2015 to 2021.

Full content and details (external sources): Apple Developer

Google Play Store 

Google Play to Start Showing Data Safety Section With Apple's App Store-Like Privacy Labels

Google announced the release of its Data safety section in Google Play that will allow users to look at the information about how apps collect, share, and secure their data. All developers publishing their apps on Google Play are required to complete the new section with information about how their apps collect and share user data by as early as July 20.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Google Reveals to Have Blocked Over a Million Policy-Violating Apps From Being Published on Play Store in 2021

Google has revealed that it blocked as many as 1.2 million apps from being published on Google Play in 2021 as they were violating its policies. The company said that it introduced privacy-focussed features and enhancements to protect users against bad apps and developers, and improved data safety that all helped bring improvements for Android consumers. In addition to its ongoing efforts, Google has the Google Play Protect pre-installed malware protection that is claimed to scan billions of installed apps each day across billions of devices to limit malicious and unwanted software from Android phones.

Full content and details (external sources): Gadgets

Google Play Store reportedly hit 28.3 billion app downloads in Q1 2022, led by Instagram

SensorTower reports that the Google Play Store as a whole saw 28.3 billion individual app downloads during Q1 2022 alone. That’s only moderate growth compared to the same time a year before, which saw roughly 28 billion downloads. Google’s number did dwarf Apple’s, though, with the App Store generating a mere 8.6 billion downloads during the same time frame.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Google Play will hide outdated apps that don’t support the latest Android features from new users

With every release, Android introduces new system-level security and privacy features that more times than not requires support from third-party apps. Google Play will soon hide older apps for new users to encourage developers to support the latest Android functionality. Google is expanding Play’s Target Level API requirements. New apps and updates already have to “target an Android API level within one year of the latest major Android OS version release,” or they cannot be published.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Huawei App Gallery

Huawei AppGallery equipped in new BMW 7 series cars

On April 20, the world-famous automobile company – BMW launched its flagship BMW 7 series sedan cars in China. These new BMW 7 series sedan cars will be equipped with Huawei AppGallery to serve a variety of apps through a giant in-built screen. The BMW 7 series cars owners can enjoy audio-visual entertainment, news reading, and much more using Huawei AppGallery. However, this is the first cooperation of Huawei AppGallery and BMW’s latest BMW 7 series.

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral