Google makes age rating mandatory for Android apps

Google makes it mandatory for developers to attach an age rating to their apps. From May, all apps and updates must be rated before they are placed on the Play Store. In addition, Google will now check all apps whether they violate the conditions.

Google determines the age rating based on a questionnaire that developers fill out via the Developer Console. The classification is region-specific and for Europe, for example, the pegi rating will apply.

In the coming weeks, users worldwide will be presented with the age indication in apps. Apps whose developers do not complete the questionnaire are labeled ‘unrated’, meaning they will be blocked in certain regions or not available to certain users. From May, developers must complete the classification questionnaire with every new app and with app updates.

Google also announces that it started reviewing new apps by teams of experts a few months ago. They will manually check whether the apps violate the terms of the Play Store in any way. Google claims to strive for apps to nevertheless end up in the Play Store within hours of submission instead of days or weeks.

After submitting, developers would gain more insight into the status of their apps, why they might have been rejected, and how to fix issues. Google seems to be following Apple with the measures, which has had a strict regime for publishing apps since the start of the App Store in 2008.