There are more than 2.6 million Android apps available for download from the Google Play Store. But soon some of them may disappear… or at least get harder to find.
The Next Web reports that Google is setting a note to some developers letting them know that they have until March 15th to make sure their apps comply with Google’s User Data policy. If they don’t, Google may remove those apps from the Play Store, or take steps to “limit the visibility” of apps.
Specifically, Google says developers need to make sure their apps “provide a valid privacy policy when the app requests or handles sensitive user or device information.”
In other words, if an app requests access to your device’s contact list, account, camera, mic, or phone feature, users need to be able to read about how their data will be used.
The move is probably going to be a good one for users… for the most part. I suspect the apps that are least likely to be updated are older ones that are still available for download, but which may not be regularly updated by their developers. If you rely on apps that meet that description, you may want to make sure to save a backup of the installer in case Google purges your favorite apps from the Play Store.
