Google details Play Store's upcoming 'safety section' for Android apps

The safety section will help you better understand an app's privacy and security practices and make more informed install decisions.

What you need to know

• Google has revealed more details about Google Play's upcoming safety section.
• The safety section will enable developers to showcase their app's safety to users.
• It is slated to launch for apps in Google Play in the first quarter of 2022.

Back in May, Google announced plans of adding a new safety section to app listings in Google Play to help users understand how their data is used by developers. The company has now shared more details about the upcoming safety section — including images that show what it might look like.

As you can see below, the safety section will show up in an app's Play Store listing page on the best Android phones. The new section will highlight the app's safety details, such as whether it uses data encryption and if it has been independently validated against a global security standard.

When you tap into the summary in the safety section, you'll be able to view additional details such as the type of data it collects and shares, how your data is used, and whether data collection is optional or required to use the app. Google is continuing to work with app developers to design the new safety section, so the above images are subject to change.

While designing these labels, Google says it learned developers appreciate when they can provide users with more context about their data practices. It also learned that Android users care about whether an app shares their data with other companies, and why.

Google is giving developers ample time to get prepared for the change. While the new safety section is set to go live for apps in Google Play in Q1 2022, developers will have until April 2022 to have the section approved for their apps. After April 2022, however, new app submissions or app updates without an approved section may be rejected by Google. Even developers with apps that do not collect any personal data from users will have to complete the "App privacy & security" section and link to their privacy policy.

by Babu Mohan