Google to follow Apple and add Privacy Labels to Play Store in 2022

Google is borrowing a page from Apple’s privacy books. The search engine giant has announced that it will introduce privacy labels on the Google Play Store in 2022. The privacy labels are designed to let users know the details about their data that apps are collecting or would collect after installation.

Google confirmed the rollout on its Android Developers blog. The company will introduce a new ‘Safety Section’ in the Play Store that “that will help people understand the data an app collects or shares, if that data is secured, and additional details that impact privacy and security.”

Developers will be required to share what type of data their apps would collect and also how it will be used. Google will also outline whether an app has security practices, like data encryption, or whether or not it follows Google’s Family policy. Developers will also need to outline if the app needs a particular user data to function or if users have the choice to share it. 

The Play Store will highlight if the app’s safety section is verified by an independent third party. Lastly, developers need to highlight if the app enables users to request data deletion if they decide to uninstall the app.

All apps on Google Play - including Google's own apps - will be required to share this information and provide a privacy policy. Developers need to start declaring information in the Google Play Console starting Q4 2021. If a developer is found misrepresenting the data they have provided or is in violation of the policy, they will need to fix it. Apps that don’t become compliant will be subject to policy enforcement, resulting in updates getting blocked.