Google is enhancing its efforts to eliminate low-quality apps from the Play Store by updating its Spam and Minimum Functionality policy, which will take effect on Aug. 31, 2024. It is becoming increasingly evident that the Mountain View-based tech company wants to further curate its available Play Store library and increase the overall quality of its offerings.
The new policy targets apps that lack basic functionality and quality, such as text-only apps, single wallpaper apps, apps that fail to install or load, and unresponsive apps.
According to Android Authority, “Google notes that ‘apps should provide a stable, responsive, and engaging user experience.’ This means apps that crash, lack adequate content to engage the user, and don’t offer utility will be removed from the Play Store.”
Additionally, Cash App Pay has partnered with Google Play, expanding the amount of payment options for Android users when making online purchases. This integration allows Cash App users to pay using their existing balances or linked debit cards, enhancing convenience, particularly in the gaming sector. Cash App claims to currently have 4 million monthly active users and 1 million new users added each quarter.
Furthermore, Google announced that starting June 24, all media reviews (movies, TV shows, books, albums, and games) will be consolidated under a single profile page. This change aims to make reviews more accessible and useful. Initially launched in India in 2017 for movie reviews, the feature has expanded globally. Recently, Google made review profiles publicly accessible in the U.S. and India and plans to extend this globally.
Google is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire cybersecurity startup Wiz for around $23 billion, potentially marking Google’s largest acquisition to date. Wiz, founded in 2020 and valued at $12 billion, focuses on helping organizations secure cloud environments. This acquisition aligns with Google’s strategy to expand beyond its primary revenue sources of Google search and YouTube, aiming to strengthen Google Cloud’s connections with companies using Wiz for data protection across various cloud platforms like AWS and Azure.