Google has ‘bad news’ for these Android app developers

If you are an Android app developer with listed apps on Google Play Store that haven’t been updated in a while, then the internet search giant has bad news for you.
The company has announced that it will close dormant accounts if the account is inactive or abandoned after a year. “This includes accounts where the developer has never uploaded an app or accessed Google Play Console in a year,” said Google.
The company specified that it won’t shut down accounts with apps that have over 1000 installs or have in-app purchases in the last 90 days.
This new policy will come into effect on September 1, 2021. Google believes that “Play remains a safer ecosystem when developers actively maintain their apps.”
What happens in case your developer account gets shut down
In case your developer account gets shut down, you will have to create a new one but the company won’t let you reactivate old accounts, apps, or data.
What else is changing on Google Play store
Other than this, Google is also making it easier to opt out of personalised ads. When a user deletes the Android advertising ID on a newer device, the advertising identifier will be removed and replaced with a string of zeros. This will come into effect starting October 4, 2021.
The Play Store is also updating its ‘Inappropriate Content policy’ with an aim to enforce new restrictions on “sexual content, specifically prohibiting compensated sexual relationships (i.e., sugar dating).” This would come into effect starting September 1, 2021.
Google is also adding new restrictions in its’ Families Policy Requirements’ on identifiers used in apps that target children.
“If an app is primarily directed to children, it cannot transmit identifiers like advertising ID. If an app’s audience is both kids and adults, then it needs to avoid transmitting these identifiers for kids,” said Google. Developers need to comply by September 1, 2021 except for Ad ID changes. For Ad ID, developers have until January 15, 2022 to comply.