Google Will Screen Android TV Apps Before They’re Approved

One of the reasons why malware is so rampant on Android is that Google doesn’t employ the same kind of strict controls that Apple does with applications. While this does leave the door open to malware it also means that developers don’t have a lot of regulations to worry about. Google is changing this policy slightly for Android TV. All apps Android TV will be screened before they’re approved and listed for users to download.

This change was spotted in the Android developer documentation page, where Google writes that before apps are distributed to the Play Store for Android TV devices, “our team reviews apps for usability,” and also screens them for other quality guidelines.

This isn’t the only change that Google has made with regards to Android TV. The company has already confirmed that OEMs will not have creative license with the user interface like they do on Android smartphones and tablets, this holds true for both Android TV and Android Auto.

This shouldn’t be taken as an indication that Google wants to do the same with Android and Android Wear. It would make sense for the company to enforce this control for the TV and Auto platforms since they offer a unique user experience and an entirely different use case, one that’s fundamentally different than that of Android smartphones and tablets.

Adnan Farooqui
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: android tv, Google