Following Apple’s lead, Google has announced it will launch a ‘safety’ feature in the Play mobile app store to allow users to see what personal data is being collected by developers.

Suzanne Frey, VP, Product, Android Security and Privacy wrote yesterday that: “Similar to app details like screenshots and descriptions, developers are responsible for the information disclosed in their section.

“Google Play will introduce a policy that requires developers to provide accurate information. If we find that a developer has misrepresented the data they’ve provided and is in violation of the policy, we will require the developer to fix it. Apps that don’t become compliant will be subject to policy enforcement.”

The company will share the new policy requirements and resources with developers before August, including detailed guidance on app privacy policies.

From April 2022, new app submissions and app updates will be required to include this information.