Google starts cracking down on Android apps handling personal data

Google Play Protect
Google Play Protect (Image credit: Android Central)

In our world of phones, computers, apps, and more, it's becoming increasingly difficult to ensure that your privacy is as well protected as possible. Mobile applications are notorious for collecting data and information that it shouldn't, and Google recently announced a couple new measures it'll be putting in place to help crack down on this.

These new moves are part of Google's Unwanted Software Policy, and the main goal of them is to provide users with warnings on apps that are trying to collect any of their data.

With the first update –

Apps handling personal user data (such as user phone number or email), or device data will be required to prompt users and to provide their own privacy policy in the app.

Along with this, Google also announced –

If an app collects and transmits personal data unrelated to the functionality of the app then, prior to collection and transmission, the app must prominently highlight how the user data will be used and have the user provide affirmative consent for such use.

Google says it'll be applying these new rules to apps in the Play Store and in markets where the Play Store isn't available, and the effects of said rules should start to be seen in 60 days. If apps are discovered collecting personal data without your consent, you'll get a warning via Play Protect.

These are all the Android devices updated to fix KRACK Wi-Fi vulnerability

Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.