In November 2023, Google unveiled a badge system on the Google Play Store to improve user trust and app transparency. This initiative initially focused on VPN apps due to their critical role in safeguarding user data.

Before we explore what the Play Store needs to copy from the App Store, let's discuss what it shouldn't. If there's one major way Google can differentiate its app store from Apple's, it's how you discover new apps and games. Right now, the Play Store is so difficult to use that it's easy to completely miss exciting new apps and games.

Google has already announced a security-checking Google Play VPN badge system two times now, but it's here to announce it again.

We’re talking permission abuse, which has always been a serious threat to users. A new report is just the latest “alarming” wake-up call, “uncovering alarming security and privacy concerns.” This latest research has also exposed “hardcoded secrets embedded within some apps… which poses a serious risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.”

Over the last day, Android phones and tablets have encountered a ‘Google Play Store keeps stopping’ error message. That system warning usually appears when Android apps crash. However, Google Play is working normally as far as we can tell. There’s no impact to browsing, downloading, or updating apps outside of the message.

One ASO strategy doesn’t fit all. Here are platform-specific tips for optimizing apps on Apple’s App Store and Google Play.

This might seem a ridiculous limitation for someone looking for new apps and games, but the Play Store has gotten so bad in recent years that I only open it when I know exactly what I'm looking for. If I want to discover exciting new apps and games,

After introducing a “Government” badge last year, the Google Play Store is adding one called “Verified” for consumer-facing VPN apps.