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Something seems to be going on in the Google Play App Store. While reviewing an app in the Google Play Store previously took an average of about 2 hours, this can now take up to days. A frustrating phenomenon for both developers and clients. At Coffee IT, we also seem to be experiencing this longer review period when publishing an app in the Google Play Store. Our developers therefore investigated. Why does publishing an app in the Google Play Store take so long? Is this a consequence of the stricter Google Play Store guidelines?"My app is stuck in 'Pending publication', "Processing update" state for a week."
This is echoed on multiple discussion forums, including Stack Overflow and Google's Play Store Developers forum. It appears this is indeed a consequence of Google's stricter guidelines in the Play Store. Google has stated in a response that it can take up to 7 days (or longer in exceptional cases) for an app to be reviewed by Google. The purpose of this is to better protect users from dubious or dangerous apps.
Stricter app control in the Play Store
The reason for these stricter controls is the increasing number of misleading apps that are constantly being found. Apps were almost immediately made available in the Store, and there was hardly any control over app updates, for example. Previous measures to minimize the number of dangerous apps had little effect, which is why Google has adopted a new approach. Previously, if you wanted to add an app to the Play Store as a developer, the review process was relatively simple. As long as no known malware was found in the app's source code, the app was quickly approved. The description was also checked for dubious terms. These checks were, as far as is known, primarily performed automatically. This software was designed to mainly detect adware, malware, viruses, copyright infringements, and sexual content.Google had previously announced that it would involve people in the validation process. This longer 'pending publication' status seems to be proof that this has been implemented. As soon as developers like us upload an app to the Play Store, it is reviewed through manual checks. Google had previously implemented the Entertainment Software Rating Boards (ESRB). This is an age-based rating system that indicates whether an app or game is suitable for children. Previously, this was done by the developers themselves.
What is the consequence of the stricter Google Play Store guidelines
For users, the consequence is that it can take several days for an app to become available once a developer has announced it. Updates with new features can also take longer. However, Google can guarantee better protection and they are raising the bar for quality. This new policy may also mean that app owners have to use Google's payment processor. This means you have to pay 30% of the transaction fees per subscriber to the distribution partner for the first year. After the first 12 months, this becomes 15%.Software developers experience the most inconvenience from this new Google policy. There are frequent complaints on Reddit, Stack Overflow, and other developer forums. Previously, a review could take minutes; now it's comparable to Apple App Store processing times. What developers mainly complain about is the poor communication, as it was not sufficiently announced in advance. Several developers also indicate that they are waiting for communication from Google and that there is still much uncertainty.
Conclusion
We naturally find having to wait longer for an app approval in the Google Play Store annoying. Both for us as developers and for our clients. However, we do appreciate the fact that dangerous and poor-quality apps are better controlled. We hope that Google quickly clarifies the guidelines so that we can better serve our clients and better communicate what is going on. For now, we ask for a little patience for team Android.direct contact
