The Google Play store is like the bizarro App Store; anything goes, which is both a blessing and a curse. But now Google's released an update to its developer program policy agreement, and those lenient guidelines are going bye-bye.
Perhaps most importantly, Google's cracking down on the sea of copycat apps that currently clutter the store. "Apps must not have names or icons that appear confusingly similar to existing products," the new policy reads.
Furthermore, apps cannot "transmit viruses, worms, defects, Trojan horses, malware, or any other items that may introduce security vulnerabilities to or harm user devices, applications, or personal data." Because that needed to be spelled out?
And developers are no longer allowed to "mislead users" about what an app or game does. That also bans app pages "loaded with keywords in an attempt to manipulate ranking or relevancy in the Store's search results" and those created by bots simply for spamming purposes.
Is Google Play about to become a more consumer-friendly storefront? How do the Android users out there feel about it currently? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter.
