Google Play
66 post(s)
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Google Play Terms update (effective July 29, 2026): background data language + subscription charge window
Google’s updated Play Terms (July 29, 2026 version) tightens the language around background data usage and clarifies a 48-hour subscription charge window. It’s not a growth ‘feature’, but it can drive support tickets and renewal expectation mismatches.
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Google Play (US): your listing can appear in third-party store catalogs (and you must opt out if you don’t want it)
Google Play says US app and game listings (name, icon, description, screenshots, video) may be shared with enrolled third-party US Android app stores starting July 22, 2026. The download still completes through Google Play, but your catalog footprint just got wider.
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Google Play (US): your Play listing can be reused by third-party Android app stores (starting July 22, 2026)
Google Play says US app and game listings (name, icon, description, screenshots, video) may be shared with enrolled third-party US Android app stores from July 22, 2026. The practical takeaway: treat your listing like a portable promise, and decide whether to opt out.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 30 (2026)
This week’s theme: treat store exposure and review as ‘production surfaces’. Your listing is now portable across stores, your review path must be testable, and your retention loop should not rely on slow channels.
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Google Play says US app listings will be shared with third-party Android app stores (starting July 22, 2026)
A credited summary of Google Play Console Help’s notice that US Play listing assets (name, icon, description, screenshots, videos) will be made available to enrolled third-party US Android app stores. The practical takeaway: your listing becomes a portable promise, and support and trust signals matter more.
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Google Play (US): third-party app stores are about to be installable from the Play Store (MacRumors)
A court injunction is pushing Google to support alternative app stores in the US starting July 22. The practical shift is not sideloading as a niche, it is ‘rival stores’ being distributed inside the Play Store UI, with Google still collecting its service fee.
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Google Play policy update (July 15, 2026): phone verification via READ_CALL_LOG is out, and app registration is now a hard requirement
Google’s July 15 policy announcement has two practical ‘don’t get removed’ items: (1) you can no longer justify READ_CALL_LOG for account verification via phone call, and (2) you must register your Play apps in Play Console (including apps you distribute outside Play, if you want installs on certified devices). It also clarifies that User Data rules apply to third-party AI integrations.
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Google Play Terms: subscriptions can be charged 48 hours early (and Google finally spells out background data)
Android Authority highlights Google Play’s updated Terms of Service (effective July 29, 2026), including a new ‘System Services’ section, clearer background mobile data language, and a change that allows subscription renewals to be charged up to 48 hours before the next billing period.
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Google Play: age verification bills turn into product work (Play Age Signals API, Texas SB 2420)
Google Play outlines how Texas’ SB 2420 and similar laws change developer obligations, introducing the Play Age Signals API (beta) plus new Play Console workflows for ‘significant changes’ and parental approval status.
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Google Play splits fees into service + billing, and expands billing choice (June 2026)
A credited summary of Google’s June 2026 update: alternative billing and web link-out programs expand, and fees get separated into a service fee plus an optional billing fee.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 26 (2026)
This week’s theme: payments and ratings are not ‘growth hacks’, they’re trust surfaces. Google is modularising Play fees, and Apple is tightening review-prompt enforcement. Treat both as UX you can break (or improve).
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US distribution shift: Google Play may share your store listing with third-party Android app stores
Google says that for US users, developers can opt out, but otherwise Google Play will begin providing app listing(s) to third-party US Android app stores via the Play Catalog Access program. The operator risk is copy-and-asset drift: your ‘official’ listing content may show up in more places than you expect.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 25 (2026)
This week’s theme: permission UX and auction UX are both funnel surfaces now. If you treat policies as paperwork and ads as ‘just bids’, you ship friction you cannot measure until reviews or CPCs punish you.
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Google Android release notes: Play Games Services v1 is effectively over (final ‘empty’ SDK release)
A credited summary of Google’s June 11, 2026 release note: the Play Games Services v1 SDK has a final, non-functional release intended to force a migration signal. If you still rely on PGS v1, this is your ‘stop punting it’ moment.
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Google Play: Developer Program Policy update (effective May 27, 2026)
A credited summary of Google Play’s May 27, 2026 Developer Program Policy update, with a focus on the operational bits that can quietly block releases (especially child safety standards for Social and Dating apps).
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Android Studio I/O Edition: developer verification signals are moving into the editor
A credited summary of Google’s Android Studio I/O Edition update, with the growth-team takeaway: verification and distribution readiness are becoming build-time checks, not launch-day surprises (notably ahead of the September 2026 requirement for certified Android devices).
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Google Play I/O 2026 updates: Play Shorts, Ask Play, Gemini placements, and the Engage SDK (what’s real vs hype)
A quick summary of Google Play’s I/O 2026 distribution updates, what new discovery surfaces imply for intent quality, and how to prepare your listing and onboarding.
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Android at Google I/O 2026: the themes that matter for shipping, UX, and distribution
A credited summary of Android Developers’ ‘17 Things to know’ recap from Google I/O 2026, focused on what changes app shipping velocity, UI expectations, and platform surfaces (not just developer hype).
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Google Play Billing Library v9: the small API changes, and the bigger Play discovery shift
A credited summary of RevenueCat’s breakdown of Play Billing Library 9.0 (May 19, 2026) plus the I/O-era Play changes around Gemini discovery, Ask Play, Play Shorts, and churn-reducing billing mechanics.
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Google Play at I/O 2026: more surfaces, more AI tooling, and a bigger ‘trust tax’
A credited summary of Google’s I/O 2026 Google Play update, focused on what changes the day-to-day: new discovery surfaces, Play Console ‘agentic’ workflows, reporting that shifts how you read performance, and the safety tooling that now affects revenue.
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Google System Services (May 2026): the Play changes you feel before you can name them
A credited summary of Google’s May 2026 System Services release notes (Play services v26.19 + Play Store v51.5), focused on what app teams should watch: AppFunctions groundwork, credential manager expansion, and new Store discovery surfaces like Play Collections.
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Google Play Billing v8 migration: what actually changes (and what to fix before v9)
A credited summary of RevenueCat’s practical migration guide for Play Billing Library v8: what APIs changed, what teams commonly miss, and how to avoid a last-minute scramble when v9 lands.
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Google Play’s ‘safer apps’ push: more pre-checks, more guidance, and stronger signing
Google shared a 2026 look-ahead for making it easier to publish safer apps, including earlier policy issue detection and support for post-quantum cryptography in Play App Signing.
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Google System updates (May 2026): Play Store v51.3 adds Sidekick access and expands community Q&A languages
May 2026 Google System release notes include Play Store v51.3 and Play services v26.17. The changes are small, but they touch areas that can leak into user trust, discovery, and support: notification drawer surfaces, in-store community content, and desktop sign-in warnings.
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Google System updates (April 2026): small Play Store changes that can quietly impact conversion
April 2026 Google System release notes include Play Store v51.2 and recent v51.0 tweaks: a large-screen badge, a new content-rating view, changes to inline install deep links, and the ability to give feedback on AI-generated review summaries. None are ‘big launches’, but they can change what users see (and do) on your store listing.
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Google Play: Q1 2026 updates add new discovery surfaces (Shorts, Ask Play) and more payment recovery
Google highlights Play Shorts, deeper Gemini Q&A, review search, subscription recovery extensions, and more granular Play Console reporting. Treat it as a reminder that store UX changes can move your funnel without a single bid change.
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Google Play policy announcement (April 15, 2026): contacts access, account transfers, and tighter location defaults
A skimmable summary of Google Play’s April 15, 2026 policy announcement, focused on what will trip releases: contacts access expectations, account transfer workflow, and location permission scope.
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Android Developers: Play is pushing contact picker, location button, and a real account transfer flow
Google’s Android Developers blog frames the April 2026 Play policy changes as ‘clearer choice’ plus business protection. The practical bits: move invites/sharing off READ_CONTACTS and onto Contact Picker/Sharesheet, use the location button for one-off precise location, and plan for an official account ownership transfer workflow with a cooldown.
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Google Play policy update (Apr 15, 2026): contacts access, account transfers, location, health data
Google Play’s April 15 policy announcement adds a new Contacts Permissions policy, formalises developer account transfers, and tightens expectations around location and sensitive health data. Here’s what changes, what’s just clarified, and what to sanity-check this week.
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Play policies are turning into product work (contacts picker, location button, and account transfers)
A credited summary of the Android Developers Blog post on updated Play policies, focused on the concrete implementation changes that reduce review risk and user friction.
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Updated Play policies: Contact Picker, location button, and account transfer workflow (Android Developers Blog)
A skimmable summary of Google’s Android Developers Blog post tying Play policy changes to concrete platform features (Contact Picker, location button) plus the new account transfer workflow.
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Google Play policy announcement (Apr 15, 2026): Contacts access, account transfer, and tighter location expectations
A quick summary of Google Play’s April 15 policy announcement, including a new Contacts Permissions policy, a new Account Transfer policy, and updated guidance around location permissions and the Android location button.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 15 (2026)
This week’s theme: distribution is getting stricter. Treat developer verification and policy shifts like release engineering, not ‘admin’, because they can break installs and updates overnight.
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RevenueCat: Google Play involuntary churn is a recoverable revenue leak (configure grace periods, holds, and in-app messages)
RevenueCat argues a large share of Google Play cancellations are payment failures, not user intent, and outlines a high-ROI recovery playbook using grace periods, account holds, and the In-App Messaging API.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 14 (2026)
The next conversion gains are coming from boring discipline: test your store promise like a product change, and treat ‘alternative billing’ as an entitlement system, not a policy footnote.
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Android developer verification is rolling out to all developers (Play Console + the new Android Developer Console)
Google is expanding developer verification and app registration ahead of user-facing install protections later this year. Here’s what changes, when, and what to do now if you ship outside Play.
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Android developer verification is becoming an on-device install check (via ‘Android Developer Verifier’)
Google’s new ‘Android Developer Verifier’ system service will check whether apps are registered to verified developers, with end-user protections starting in select countries in late 2026.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 12 (2026)
This week: Android’s ‘desktop mode’ just became real, Google Play is smoothing the path for paid games and trials, and store distribution is quietly becoming cross-device by default.
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Google Play Store v50.6 adds game trials (and Play services v26.10 introduces Wi‑Fi Sync)
A credited summary of Google’s March 2026 system services release notes, focusing on Play Store v50.6’s ‘try select premium games before purchase’ feature and Play services v26.10’s Wi‑Fi Sync across devices.
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Google Play: Game Trials + ‘buy once, play anywhere’ is a pricing UX shift (not just a gaming feature)
Google Play is rolling out free trials for paid games, cross-device ‘buy once, play anywhere’ purchases, and in-store community + AI tips. The interesting bit for marketers: it’s all friction removal around ‘should I pay?’ and ‘will it work on my devices?’
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Google Play is making PC, paid games, and trials feel more ‘store-native’
Google outlines new Play changes for games: better PC discovery and badging, ‘buy once play anywhere’ pricing (EAP), game trials on mobile listings, and wishlist/discount notifications.
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Google Play Games Level Up: Sidekick testing, pre-reg device breakdowns, and 2026 milestone checklist
Google is pushing Play Games Sidekick (an in-game overlay tied to the You tab), adding better pre-registration device insights in Play Console, and formalising the July/Nov 2026 Level Up requirements.
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Google Play is pushing PC discovery, ‘buy once play anywhere’ pricing, and Game Trials for paid games
Google says it’s expanding PC discovery inside the mobile Games tab, testing a cross-device single price for Google Play Games on PC, and introducing Game Trials (time-limited trials for paid games) that ship via your App Bundle.
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App Store A/B testing that actually compounds: a simple roadmap for PPO and Play experiments
Appalize lays out a practical testing cadence: start with screenshot order and icons, run 7–28 day tests, and treat confidence intervals as non-negotiable. The useful bit is the prioritised roadmap, plus the reminder to change one variable at a time.
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Google Play Store v50.5 adds portrait ‘official videos’ on listings (and pushes PC Games on Play)
A credited summary of Google’s March 2026 system services release notes, focusing on Play Store v50.5: portrait video support on app listings, PC Games on Play discovery, wishlist improvements, and cross-device game purchases.
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Coda: Google Play fee changes after Epic settlement, link-outs, and a Registered App Stores program (rolling out from June 30, 2026)
A vendor-written but useful cheat sheet on Google’s announced Play fee structure changes: tiered service fees, a separate billing fee in some regions, link-out rules (24h window), and an easier install flow for approved third-party app stores.
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Google Play’s new era of choice: Registered App Stores, more billing options, and lower fees (staggered rollout)
Google is rolling out alternative billing options, a ‘Registered App Stores’ install flow for sideloaded stores, and a new fee model that separates billing from service fees.
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Google Play starts enforcing battery technical quality: excessive partial wake locks can now hurt discovery
Google says apps that exceed the ‘Excessive Partial Wake Lock’ threshold in Android vitals may get a warning on their store listing and lose visibility in discovery surfaces. Enforcement started rolling out March 1, 2026.
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Google Play announces expanded billing choice, a Registered App Stores program, and a new fee model (March 2026)
Google says developers will get more billing options (including user-choice billing and directing users to the web), Android will introduce a Registered App Stores program to streamline sideloaded store installs, and Play will roll out lower fees split into ‘service’ + ‘billing’ components.
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Google Play’s ‘choice and openness’ update: billing options, Registered App Stores, and new fee structure
A credited summary of Google’s March 4, 2026 announcement: expanded billing choice, a new Registered App Stores program to streamline sideload installs, and a new model that separates billing fees from service fees with phased rollout timelines.
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Google Play (US): external links and alternative billing are now ‘allowed’, but the programs still govern the workflow
Google’s Play Console Help page summarises what changed for US users during the Epic injunction period: developers can link out and use non-Play billing, but only via the published programs (payments policy, alternative billing, and external content links).
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Play Integrity API library release notes: remediation prompts turn integrity failures into a UX (not just an error)
Android’s Play Integrity API release notes add more remediation dialog codes you can trigger in-app. The practical implication: integrity checks are becoming a user-facing flow, so product and support teams need copy, fallbacks, and measurement for ‘can’t pass integrity’ states.
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Google Play’s 2025 safety numbers: 1.75M blocked apps, 80k banned dev accounts, and ‘policy-by-default’ tooling
A credited summary of Google Play ecosystem safety reporting: how pre-review checks, developer verification, AI-assisted review, and integrity signals are becoming part of shipping, not just compliance.
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Google App Campaigns in 2026: what changed, what’s still a black box, and how to win anyway
Adapty’s 2026 Google App Campaigns playbook: what’s new (Web→App Connect, Shorts, AAK), how to structure campaigns, and the tracking/creative rules that actually move results.
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Your screenshots are the funnel (not the decoration): 10 practical ways to make them convert
ConsultMyApp’s checklist is a good gut-punch for anyone treating screenshots as a design task. The punchline: your first three frames have to confirm intent fast, and CPP/CSL variants exist so you do not explain everything to everyone.
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Google Play’s ‘Ask Play’ is getting smarter - what it means for ASO
Android Authority’s look at Ask Play upgrades and why store listing clarity (metadata + reviews) matters more in an AI Q&A interface.
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Phiture updates the ASO Stack for 2026: variants, vitals, and faster testing
Summary of Phiture’s ASO Stack Redux 2026 update: more visibility levers (CPP/CSL, promoted IAPs, tags), app vitals as a visibility gate, and experimentation velocity as the compounding edge.
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ASO news recap (Jan 2026): more Apple Ads inventory + Gemini ‘Ask Play’
AppTweak’s January 2026 ASO updates: expanded App Store search ads inventory, Google Play’s Ask Play, and new store assets.
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The 15% app store fee: if you’re under $1M, stop donating margin
A credited summary of RevenueCat’s practical guide to Apple’s Small Business Program and Google Play’s 15% service-fee tier, plus the subscription commission quirks teams still miss.
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Google Play Console: ‘Save for later’ lets you send only some changes to review
Google added a simple but high-impact workflow: you can hold back specific Play Console changes (like store listing edits) while still submitting urgent track fixes for review.
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Google Play custom store listings: when to personalize (and what to measure)
AppTweak’s guide to Custom Store Listings: how they differ from experiments, when to use them, and what success looks like.
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Christmas ASO timing: iOS spikes early, Android stays steady (what 2025 festive apps reveal)
A credited summary of ConsultMyApp’s Christmas 2025 data roundup: when installs peak, which holiday keywords surge, and how iOS vs Android seasonality changes what you ship (and when).
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Google Play’s 2025 ‘tools that powered your growth’ recap (what matters for 2026)
A credited summary of Google’s year-end Google Play update covering discovery surfaces, engagement tooling, safety/policy workflow changes, and Play Console features that affect shipping and growth.
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Google Play (US): external links + alternative billing rules updated under the Epic injunction
Google updated its US Play policies and launched new programs for external links and alternative billing while the Epic injunction is in effect. Here’s what app teams actually need to do.
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SORA’s Android debut: what the early Google Play surge signals (and what to copy)
ConsultMyApp uses APPlyzer data to map SORA’s fast climb in Google Play Social, plus the classic launch signals behind it: brand demand, coherent creatives, and a crisp ‘what is this?’ promise.
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Play Store keyword research in 2026: a practical workflow
AppTweak’s Play Store keyword best practices: how to expand variants, prioritize, and connect keywords to assets and performance.