Policy
37 post(s)
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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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Apple updated the Developer Program License Agreement (again). If you ship privacy-sensitive features, skim the diffs
Apple’s March 30, 2026 update to the Apple Developer Program License Agreement adds more explicit requirements around specific frameworks (including privacy expectations). It’s the kind of ‘legal’ change that becomes a product/fire-drill if you only notice it during a release.
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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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Apple will show ‘regulated medical device’ status on App Store pages in the EEA, UK, and US
A credited summary of Apple’s March 26, 2026 update: some Health & Fitness and Medical apps must now declare regulated medical device status in App Store Connect, with new compliance cutoffs for new apps now and existing apps by early 2027.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 13 (2026)
Verification and review rules are becoming growth levers. This week: Android’s ‘advanced flow’ for unverified sideloading, and App Review guideline clarifications that can break launches if you miss them.
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Apple launches Apple Business: device management, app distribution, and local ads in Maps (coming this summer)
A credited summary of Apple’s March 24, 2026 announcement: Apple Business unifies Business Connect, Business Manager, and Business Essentials, adds built-in MDM and brand/location tools, and introduces local ads in Apple Maps (US/Canada, coming this summer).
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Android’s new ‘advanced flow’ for installing unverified apps: the 24-hour wait is the point
Google detailed an ‘advanced flow’ that lets power users sideload apps from unverified developers, but adds friction (developer mode, restart, re-auth, and a one-day waiting period) to break coercive scam patterns.
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Apple’s App Store rules collide with ‘vibe coding’: why Replit-style builders are getting blocked
A credited summary of MacRumors’ report (via The Information) on Apple slowing or blocking updates for ‘vibe coding’ apps, and what Guideline 2.5.2 implies for any app that generates runnable software inside an embedded web view.
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Apple cuts App Store commissions in mainland China: 25% standard, 12% for small business and year-2 subscriptions
Apple says it will reduce App Store commissions on the China mainland storefront from 30% to 25% (standard), and from 15% to 12% for Small Business / Mini Apps partner transactions and subscription renewals after year one, effective March 15, 2026.
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Maryland’s ‘App Store Accountability Act’ idea: why blanket age verification at the store layer is risky
R Street argues Maryland HB1179 would push app stores toward broad age verification and parental consent gates, creating privacy/security risk and likely constitutional problems.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 11 (2026)
This week: age assurance is spreading, promo-code workflows are changing, and retention UX is now getting reviewed like a store page.
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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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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 10 (2026)
This week’s highest-signal App Store + Google Play moves, plus what to do next (age assurance, ads, and release-risk).
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Google’s upcoming Android developer verification: why it matters for distribution
A credited summary of AdGuard’s explainer on Google’s planned developer verification scheme, and what it could change for independent distribution, alternative stores, and friction in the Android install path.
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Apple updates age assurance tools (Declared Age Range API) for Brazil, AU/SG, Utah and Louisiana
Apple is tightening how 18+ apps are downloaded in some regions, and expanding developer signals for age assurance and significant updates.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 09 (2026)
This week’s highest-signal App Store and Google Play moves, plus what to do next (ads, CPPs, policy, and measurement).
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Alternative iOS app stores are real now: what changes for discovery, trust, and measurement
A credited summary of TechCrunch’s roundup of alternative iOS app stores in the EU (DMA) and Japan (MSCA), plus the practical marketing implications: fragmented discovery, support/refunds, and new fee economics.
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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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Apple updates App Review Guidelines for random/anonymous chat apps
Apple clarified that random/anonymous chat apps fall under Guideline 1.2 (UGC). Here’s what that means operationally.
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iOS changes in Japan: alternative marketplaces and payments are coming
Apple outlines Japan-specific iOS changes enabling alternative marketplaces and out-of-IAP payments - with new security requirements and deadlines.
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UK CMA: proposed commitments from Apple and Google on app review, ranking, data use, and iOS interoperability
A readable summary of the UK CMA’s proposed app store commitments, what ‘fair, objective and transparent’ could mean in practice, and why devs should care.
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EU DMA: Apple Ads and Apple Maps will not be designated (for now)
The European Commission decided Apple Ads and Apple Maps won’t be designated under the Digital Markets Act. What that means (and what it doesn’t) for app teams operating in the EU.
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App Store Connect: new minimum SDK requirements start April 28, 2026
Apple announced new minimum SDK build requirements for App Store Connect submissions. Here’s the quick marketer-friendly version.
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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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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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Apple pauses Texas age assurance rollout (SB2420) after injunction, but keeps the tooling in sandbox
Apple says it will pause its previously announced Texas age assurance implementation plans after a court injunction, while leaving the Declared Age Range API + related tools available for sandbox testing.
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Apple updates the Developer Program License Agreement, adding Japan-specific iOS terms (alt distribution, payments, and offers)
Apple revised the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, including an Attachment for iOS apps in Japan that covers alternative distribution, alternative payments, out-of-app offers, and the Core Technology Commission.
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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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Apple updated the App Review Guidelines (Nov 2025): what app marketers should actually watch
Apple clarified rules around creator apps and age-gating, brand misuse in app names/icons, HTML5 ‘mini apps’, loan APR limits, and disclosing when you share personal data with third-party AI.
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Apple: App Store Connect upgrades for review + marketing (CPPs x70, keywords, offer codes)
Apple quietly shipped a bundle of App Store Connect changes that matter to growth teams: submit items independently, double CPP capacity (plus keywords), and move from promo codes to richer offer codes (promo codes for IAP end March 26, 2026).
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Google Privacy Sandbox update: Chrome is retiring several APIs (and doubling down on interoperable attribution)
Google’s Oct 2025 update retires multiple Privacy Sandbox technologies and shifts focus toward an interoperable attribution standard, plus CHIPS/FedCM and anti-fraud tooling.
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Apple: Texas SB2420 age assurance requirements (what changes for accounts, consent, and your app)
Apple outlines how Texas’ SB2420 will affect under-18 accounts (Family Sharing + parental consent) and the developer-side capabilities expected for age categories and ‘significant change’ consent flows.