Google LLC today previewed plans to implement a new Google Play policy that will require Android developers to disclose what user data their apps collect and what for. 

The move could enable the search giant to improve privacy in the Android ecosystem and make its platform more competitive with Apple Inc.’s iOS. Late last year, the iPhone maker rolled out a similar policy requiring developers to share more information about their services’ data collection mechanisms. 

The biggest change set to arrive with Google’s new policy is the addition of a privacy section to Android apps’ Google Play listings. In the section, developers will be required to share whether their apps gather personal information such as names and email addresses. Google also plans to require that developers disclose if they collect device data such as an Android handset’s location.

The planned policy is set to cover a few other topics as well. Alongside additional details about what information apps collect, Google is looking to give consumers a more in-depth view of what services do with that information. Developers would have to explain whether the data collection is strictly necessary for their apps to work, or if it’s used to other ends such as to track ad performance.

Lastly, Android users can expect Google Play listings to provide more details about the apps themselves. Developers will receive an opportunity to spotlight security features, such as whether their apps use encryption. Google is also planning to give developers the option of passing their apps’ privacy sections through an independent third-party audit, which could be particularly useful for banking platforms and services targeted at the enterprise market.

“Developers agree that people should have transparency and control over their data. And they want simple ways to communicate app safety that are easy to understand and help users to make informed choices about how their data is handled,” stated Suzanne Frey, Google’s vice president of product for Android Security and Privacy.

The search giant plans to implement the policy in stages. The company will release the text of the policy next quarter and intends to start showing users information about apps’ data collection practices in the first quarter of 2022. Beginning from the second quarter of that year, providing a summary of app data collection practices will become mandatory across all Google Play listings. 

“In the future, we’ll continue providing new ways to simplify control for users and automate more work for developers,” Frey added.

The announcement comes about six months after Apple started requiring that App Store listings provide a summary of how an app collects information and whether the data is used for advertising. 

Photo: Google