Google is going to make updates to the guidelines for publishing Android applications on the Google Play Store over the coming weeks. The various changes announced concern the way an application is rated, the icon design to be respected and even the architecture of applications. In total, 6 different changes are going to be made to the Google Play Policies before the end of the year. Google has also posted an infographic on its site dedicated to Android developers, which you can find below, giving an overview of the release dates of each update.
Google update: a new way of rating applications on the store
The purpose of this update is to correct the way an application’s rating is calculated. Yes, we really are talking about how the little stars you can award to an application on the Google Play Store are taken into account. Until now, the rating given to an application was calculated by taking an average of all the ratings received, giving the same weight to each one. With this update, the plan is to give more weight to the most recent ratings. That would indeed make it possible to give an assessment more in line with an application’s current state. In this way, an application’s rating would no longer be skewed by ratings relating to versions that are too old. You can already see this update in the Google Play Console. However, it will not be possible to notice the changes made on the Google Play Store until the month of August.
In response to this update, Google is encouraging Android developers, through a blog post, to take certain pieces of advice on board in order to optimise the quality of their application. It therefore recommends working primarily on three key elements in order to optimise the chances of getting “good ratings” from users and, likewise, of ranking better in the Google Play Store. The first element mentioned is the in-app user experience. The second concerns the performance and technical support of your applications. Finally, the third consists of making the best possible impression thanks to the description you put forward on the Google Play Store.
A rounded design for Android application icons
On 1 May, Google modified its guidelines relating to the design of Android application icons by adopting a more rounded design. You will therefore soon no longer be able to upload an icon that does not comply with the new guidelines in the console.
For the time being, your applications’ icons may not yet have been modified. However, Google strongly encourages you to comply with the new guidelines. Otherwise, non-compliant icons will be adapted by force. This manoeuvre is simply intended to standardise the presentation of the various applications in the store. Be careful: even though Google is seeking to round off the design of its icons, you are not being asked to do it yourself. You must, on the other hand, take into account the changes that will subsequently be made.
Indeed, the final size of the artwork to be supplied must be a 512-pixel square. Once your artwork has been submitted to the console’s back office, it will receive dynamic processing, namely: a crop on the corners and a drop shadow. You therefore need to fit your application’s logo inside a centred 384-pixel square. If you want to find out more on this subject, the Android icon design specifications are detailed here.
Change to the rules governing family policies
On 29 May 2019, the rules concerning the specifications in force for children and families changed. From now on, all new applications will have to comply with these rules. As for applications already online, you have until 1 September to fill in the new “Target audience and content” section and make sure your application is compliant. To find out more, please refer to the dedicated documentation.
64-bit architecture
From 1 August 2019, your applications available on the Google Play Store will have to include a version with a 64-bit architecture. This version will be added to the existing 32-bit version. This update had been announced in 2017. Detailed documentation is available here.
Android 9.0 mandatory
The minimum level of compatibility required for Android applications now moves to version 9.0, commonly known as Android Pie. This new standard will come into effect from 1 August 2019 for new applications. For applications already online, an update will need to be carried out before 1 November 2019. More information on this subject via the dedicated documentation.
Google Play Developers API: you will need to move to V3
From 1 December, the Google Play Developers API, used to automate workflows, billing and distribution, will no longer be available under versions 1 and 2. You will therefore have to use version 3. If you want to find out more about the version upgrade, please read the article in question.
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