Policy
61 post(s)
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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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Brazil looks next for alternative iOS app marketplaces: iOS 26.5 adds a ‘default marketplace’ setting
A credited summary of 9to5Mac’s report that iOS 26.5 introduces an ‘App Installation’ setting for Brazilian users, suggesting Apple is preparing a marketplace-based model (not just web distribution). The practical implication: discovery, trust, and measurement may fragment beyond the EU.
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Google outlines Android’s 2026 security and privacy roadmap (banking scam calls, threat detection, theft protections)
Google’s Android Security and Privacy team previews 2026 platform protections: verified financial calls to stop spoofed bank scams, expanded on-device threat detection, tighter Advanced Protection, and stronger device theft defenses.
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Apple warns of South Korea App Store price equalization updates (and a Latvia VAT edge case)
Apple Developer News says App Store pricing will update for South Korea from May 28 (unless it’s your base storefront), and notes a Latvia VAT increase tied to the ‘Content is in Russian’ tax category.
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Apple now requires a Brazilian betting license for fixed-odds gambling apps in the Brazil App Store
Apple Developer News says fixed-odds betting apps can be distributed in Brazil, but only if you provide a valid SPA license during a new version submission.
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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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Rave sues Apple over App Store removal: a reminder that ‘platform competition’ risk is real
A plain-English summary of Rave’s antitrust claims around an App Store removal, and what it means for distribution risk, review resilience, and product roadmaps.
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Supreme Court lets Apple’s Epic contempt order stand, the real fight is what ‘external links’ cost developers
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to pause the order holding Apple in contempt in the Epic case. That keeps pressure on a core App Store question: if apps can link out to pay elsewhere, what commission (if any) can Apple still charge on those purchases?
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Apple vs Epic: the Supreme Court declines to pause the contempt order (why app teams should care)
A credited summary of SCOTUSblog’s May 6, 2026 note that Justice Kagan denied Apple’s request to pause a contempt order in the Apple vs Epic dispute. Practical takeaway: external payments and steering rules are still moving, and ‘link out’ UX plus commissions can become a legal battleground, not just a product decision.
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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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Epic v Apple: stay reversed, App Store external payments rules back in play
The Ninth Circuit reversed a stay that had paused enforcement while Apple pursues another Supreme Court appeal in Epic v Apple. Practically, this pulls App Store ‘external purchase’ rules and fees back into the spotlight again, and teams should be ready for link-out UX and commission policy changes.
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App Store Marketing Weekly – Week 18 (2026)
This week’s theme: the lock screen is a product surface. Push, permissions, and platform policy now change retention and conversion as much as creatives do, because they shape what users see (and what they fear) before they ever open the app.
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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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EU Commission (DMA): draft measures to force Android interoperability, with a clear focus on AI services
The European Commission has issued preliminary findings and draft measures telling Google what it should implement to ensure effective access and interoperability with key Android capabilities, explicitly framed around giving users more choice of AI services. There’s now a public consultation open until May 13, 2026.
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FSFE says Apple is still blocking DMA interoperability in practice (56 requests, no solutions yet)
A credited summary of FSFE’s April 2026 report arguing Apple’s request-based DMA interoperability process is producing lots of paperwork and very little actual access. The practical takeaway for app teams: expect platform capability access to remain uneven, and plan for compliance and distribution strategy to vary by region.
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Google Play: Policy announcement (April 15, 2026)
Google Play’s April 15 policy announcement is mostly about ‘narrower access by default’: new Contacts Permissions rules (use the Contact Picker unless you genuinely need broad access), a required Play Console account transfer workflow, and tightened guidance on precise location.
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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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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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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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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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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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WWDC26 (June 8 to 12, 2026): why app growth teams should care
WWDC is ‘dev news’, but it’s also a growth calendar event. New UI defaults, policy shifts, and tooling changes show up as conversion friction (or opportunity) within weeks.
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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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Feroot: CCPA for mobile apps (SDK tracking risks and the compliance gap)
A sharp reminder that ‘we passed App Store review’ is not a privacy program. Regulators increasingly expect publishers to actively govern SDK data flows, propagate opt-outs into SDK configs, and detect drift when vendors change runtime behavior.
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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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Apple Developer: Upcoming SDK minimum requirements (April 28, 2026)
Apple says that from April 28, 2026, new uploads to App Store Connect must be built with the latest platform SDKs (iOS/iPadOS 26, tvOS 26, visionOS 26, watchOS 26). Treat this as release engineering, not an admin footnote.
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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 will add more search ads in App Store search results (2026 rollout)
Search Engine Land reports Apple will add additional inline ad placements inside search results in 2026, with relevance gating who even enters the auction, not just bid size.
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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.