Our policies apply to any content your app displays or links to, including any ads it shows to users and any user-generated content it hosts or links to. Further, they apply to any content from your developer account which is publicly displayed in Google Play, including your developer name and the landing page of your listed developer website.
We don't allow apps that let users install other apps to their devices. Apps that provide access to other apps, games, or software without installation, including features and experiences provided by third parties, must ensure that all the content they provide access to adheres to all Google Play policies and may also be subject to additional policy reviews.
Defined terms used in these policies have the same meaning as in the Developer Distribution Agreement (DDA). In addition to complying with these policies and the DDA, the content of your app must be rated in accordance with our Content Rating Guidelines.
We don’t allow apps or app content that undermine user trust in the Google Play ecosystem. In assessing whether to include or remove apps from Google Play, we consider a number of factors including, but not limited to, a pattern of harmful behavior or high risk of abuse. We identify risk of abuse including, but not limited to, items such as app- and developer-specific complaints, news reporting, previous violation history, user feedback, and use of popular brands, characters, and other assets.
How Google Play Protect works
Google Play Protect checks apps when you install them. It also periodically scans your device. If it finds a potentially harmful app, it might:
- Send you a notification. To remove the app, tap the notification, then tap Uninstall.
- Disable the app until you uninstall it.
- Remove the app automatically. In most cases, if a harmful app has been detected, you will get a notification saying that the app was removed.
How malware protection works
To protect you against malicious third-party software, URLs and other security issues, Google may receive information about:
- Your device's network connections
- Potentially harmful URLs
- Operating system, and apps installed on your device through Google Play or other sources.
You may get a warning from Google about an app or URL that may be unsafe. The app or URL may be removed or blocked from installation by Google if it is known to be harmful to devices, data or users.
You can choose to disable some of these protections in your device settings. But Google may continue to receive information about apps installed through Google Play, and apps installed on your device from other sources may continue to be checked for security issues without sending information to Google.
How Privacy alerts work
Google Play Protect will alert you if an app is removed from the Google Play Store because the app may access your personal information and you’ll have an option to uninstall the app.