Google kicks 60,000 low-quality apps out of Play Store

The Google Play Store is now much lighter and refreshed thanks to 60,000-odd low quality apps being taken off it. The search giant apparently booted the apps from the store because they failed to live up to Google’s standards. This was by far the largest app-cleaning exercise we’ve seen on the Play Store.

According to a TechCrunch report, the spring cleaning of sorts took place in February. However, not all of these were pulled out by Google. A part of the apps could have probably been taken off Google Play by the creators themselves.

Unlike Apple’s App Store, Google has handed app developers a free hand over the store. While Apple screens every single app that goes up on its Store, Google exercises the “wait and watch” principle on its own Store. This is not always a good thing, since it allows the inclusion of sub-standard and low quality apps until someone from Google manages to spot and delete them.

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Spring cleaning is still a part of Google

Anyone who’s used an Android phone will realise that Google Play is plagued with spammy apps. Apps that spread malware, spread spam, and contain sexually explicit content are always on Google’s radar.

Here is what Google’s Terms of Services have to say about how apps that are suspected to spread spam are identified:

Spam and Placement in the Store

Developers are important partners in maintaining a great user experience on Google Play.

• Do not post repetitive content.
• Product descriptions should not be misleading or loaded with keywords in an attempt to manipulate ranking or relevancy in the Store’s search results.
• Developers also should not attempt to change the placement of any Product in the Store by rating an application multiple times, or by offering incentives to users to rate an application with higher or lower ratings.
• Apps that are created by an automated tool or wizard service must not be submitted to Google Play by the operator of that service on behalf of other persons.
• Do not post an app where the primary functionality is to: Drive affiliate traffic to a website or provide a webview of a website not owned or administered by you (unless you have permission from the website owner/administrator to do so)
• Do not send SMS, email, or other messages on behalf of the user without providing the user with the ability to confirm content and intended recipient.

This development comes in the wake of rumours about Google’s Play Store undergoing a redesign. A leaked video by Droid Life and a screenshot released by a YouTube employee show that Google is looking to release a cleaner user interface for the Store. Google Play is expected to be upped to version 4.0 with the impending update. It looks like Google is going in for not just a lighter look, but also a lighter load with the revamp.