Google is one step closer to launching its new data privacy section for Play Store apps. App developers can now
fill out the relevant details via Google’s new “Data safety form” on the Play Console. The company says the required information will be visible to users from February 2022 and mandatory for developers to submit by April that same year.
This new feature was announced
back in May, after Apple started showing similar privacy and data disclaimers for apps in the App Store
last December. The data section is supposed to give consumers a quick and simple overview of what apps are doing with their information. Developers will be encouraged to tell users the following:
- What type of data their app collects, including “location, contacts, personal information (e.g., name, email address), financial information, and more”
- Whether this data is optional or required to use the app
- Whether or not the app encrypts data in transit
- If the app been independently reviewed “for conformance with a global security standard”
Developers can now enter this information via the Google Play Console, and Google has added guides for developers to help them navigate this new requirement. “Following our common protocols, we’ll begin gradual rollout today and expect to expand access to everyone within a couple of weeks,” said Google in a blog post.
