Google starts flagging apps with ads in the Play Store

Android users just got a convenient feature on the App store. There are a number of ad-supported apps in the market, that are listed as free. Right now, there’s no way to tell if an app is ad-supported or not till you install it. It might be irritating to download and use an app, only to delete it after finding out that it’s ad-supported. Now, Google has started tagging all apps with ads in them, below the download button, right next to the “In-app purchases” label. This addition lets users make a more informed choice before downloading any application. The added label was spotted by a reddit user and reported on VentureBeat. Those involved with Android application development knew this feature was coming. In a letter sent out to Android developers, Google had asked developers to declare whether or not their apps contained ads in the Play Developer Console. The policy for listing the ads was part of Google’s Designed for Families program, which is an effort to make high quality and trusted content available to families with children. Now the listing for ads has been expanded to all apps in the Play Store. The policy covers all kinds of ads, including pop-ups, banners, native ads, and those served by third-party ad services.