Google to Soon Remove Low-Quality Apps from Play Store

Google updated its Spam and Minimum Functionality policy last week to ensure apps in the Play Store meet required functionality standards. According to the company, starting August 31, 2024, apps must offer a “stable, engaging, [and] responsive user experience,” or risk removal from the Play Store.

In announcing the spam policy update, the search engine giant classified the apps targeted for removal into two categories: those with limited functionality and content as well as those that are broken.

For example, apps that fail to install, load, or function properly, including those that crash or are non-responsive, will be removed from the Play Store. Static apps, such as text-only or PDF-only apps, and those with minimal features like a single image or wallpaper, will also be banned.

Additionally, apps with no functionality or those designed to do nothing will be at risk of removal.

“We’re updating the Spam and Minimum Functionality policy to ensure apps meet uplifted standards for the Play catalog and engage users through quality functionality and content user experiences,” Google said on the Policy Announcement page.

According to a Google blog quoted by Android Authority, this is not Google’s first attempt to improve app management on the Play Store. In 2023, the Play Store removed 2.28 million apps for violating listing policies. The blog also noted that Google banned 333,000 “bad” Play accounts that year due to repeated severe policy violations and issues related to fraud and malware.

In addition to its effort to enhance user experience through elimination of low-quality and non-functional apps, the company also aims to boost overall security of its Play Store. In the policy update announced on July 17, the company introduced enhanced malware prevention measures.

These measures include requiring developers to remove third-party code from sources associated with malware and implementing stricter enforcement of the malware policy throughout the platform.