Alex Musil, Product lead for Google Play
Android developer summit this year, we Shared some new features, has been building in the development of our platform to provide help for you, including trust and safety improvements, improve the quality of your application and to improve profit tools, and some for the updating of the game, and exciting new application certificate of marketing.
You can read on, or catch the highlights of the update in this video:
Meet the needs of developers with better business models
We released important changes to ensure that all types of businesses can succeed on Google Play. There are multiple projects that are designed to support our app ecosystem, where 99% of developers are eligible for 15% service rates or less.
We recently announced that, effective January 1, 2022, the service fee for all subscription services on Google Play will be reduced from 30% to 15%. In addition, we are making changes to the Play Media Experience program so that e-books and music streaming on demand are now available for as little as a 10% service fee.
For more information about service rates, you can refer to our FAQ.
Improvements in trust and security
Earlier this year, we shared details about an upcoming data security section in the Play Store that will let users know what kind of data your app collects and shares, and how it can be used. We provide you with a way to demonstrate privacy and security policies that not only build trust, but also help users make informed decisions when installing and using applications.
Starting in February 2022, users will be able to view the new data security section in the Play Store. Your app must complete this section and be approved by April 2022, but we recommend that you fill out the required data security form at the Play Administration center now. You can watch this video for more information, including a guide to filling out the form.
We regularly update our policies to make Google Play more secure and trustworthy. You can check out our policy center or watch this video for the latest announcements.
Another way we’re protecting you and your users is by introducing new developer tools to help you protect your apps and games from abuse and attack to ensure your users get the experience you expect. The new Play Integrity API enables you to determine if you are interacting with a legitimate app binary, installed through Google Play, and running on a legitimate Android device supported by Google Play services. If not, you can decide how to take appropriate steps to mitigate attacks and reduce the risk to your application.
We will be rolling out the Play Integrity API to all developers in the coming months. You can watch the video for more details or join the early Access program.
More ways to improve application quality
We have released several updates to help you improve the performance of your applications.
First, we’ve made improvements to Android Vitals to make it easier for you to get alerts and fix new problems. Your recent data will be more visible so you can spot problems in time. We also added trends, filters, and app version information to help you quickly identify the source of the problem.
We also recently launched a new tool, Reach and Devices, in the Play Administration center to help you understand which features or updates will help you get the most users on Google Play. By understanding users and problem distribution, you can make more targeted decisions about what to build, publish, and test so that your application reaches the widest possible audience.
In addition, we are also improving the way users evaluate the quality of your application. One of the main ways users evaluate apps is by looking at ratings and reviews. To this end, starting in November, mobile phone users will be able to view exclusive scores for the country/region where they are registered. In early 2022, users will also be able to see exclusive ratings for their devices, including tablets, Chromebooks and wearables. You can now preview location-specific and device-specific ratings in the Play Administration. We recommend that you review these ratings to improve your app as needed before the new ratings in the Play Store take effect.
Help you make more money from your application
To help you monetize your apps and games, we will continue to optimize the platform to keep up with trends, including updating the Billing Library. The Google Play Billing Library 3, announced in June 2020, includes new payment methods for users, the ability to redeem subscriptions using promo codes, in-game purchase attribution, and improvements to purchase reliability and security. You are reminded that all updates to existing applications must use Billing Library 3 or higher. You can check the release notes for further updates to Billing Library 3 and later (minor updates to your code are required).
We are also very excited to launch a new feature of Billing Library: In-app Messaging. Currently, subscribers who fail to make a payment often don’t notice it or go through a lot of twists and turns before they make a payment. To this end, we have introduced a new API that can detect if a user has failed to make a payment and immediately display a message in the app, allowing the user to complete the payment immediately without leaving the app and going to the Play Store. Best of all, this integration is very simple and requires only one line of code. Our Early Access partners generally reported a 99 percent increase in subscriptions and spending from users who saw messages. We will provide in-app messaging in the next version of Billing Library, so stay tuned for more information.
Silky gaming experience
You can now get a sneak peek at an updated API for Google Play Game Services that dramatically simplifies login implementation. The new SDK can support single line operation.
We also simplified user setup by combining Google Play Games installation and profile creation into one step. This allows users to get back to the game faster even if they don’t have Play Games installed. We also simplified the process of selecting automatic login, providing a smoother experience for returning users.
Not only that, but Google Play Game Services will no longer require such installs starting in 2022, as the need to install Google Play Games apps is causing some users resistance. With this change, 2 billion people will be able to log into games supported by Google Play Game Services with zero barriers. More information is coming soon and you can also sign up for early Access on our developer website.
Industry-recognized app marketing certification
It’s also important that we release Google Play product details certification. This new program helps app marketers demonstrate their expertise in best practices on the Play Product details page.
To earn the certification, app marketers can take online training to help you better introduce your app or game on Google Play. You will learn key skills that will help you drive your business through high quality merchandise details in line with policy. After the training, you can get a certificate recognized by the industry by taking and passing the exam.
We encourage you to take advantage of these new features and programs to grow your business on Google Play. Please continue to share your feedback with us so we can build tools tailored to your needs to power your business. Thank you for being a part of the Google Play community and stay tuned for more updates.