What You Should Know About Google's New Play Store Safety Listings

Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced that its new Play Store safety listing feature will show Android app’s privacy information similar to the Apple App Store’s nutrition label back in May.

In a new post on the Android Developer blog, though, Google has given us a glimpse of what that section may look like.

The new listing will show a summary from the developer on what kind of data an app collects, so users can make a decision to either install it or not. It will also display safety details such as whether an app encrypts your data, whether it's suitable for children and families and whether it's been independently validated against a global security standard the developer chooses to highlight.

Users are required to tap the summary to see more details about the type of data an app collects and how it's used. It can show whether an app collects location and contact data, personal information such as name and email address, as well as financial information.

The section can also tell you whether the app uses your data for its features, for personalization, or for other purposes. In addition, it tells users whether they can opt-out of getting their data collected or if giving an app access to information is really necessary to be able to use it.

Google says the details might still change before the feature goes live, but all developers are required to provide a privacy policy for their apps and must provide accurate information for the safety section. Developers can start declaring privacy information in October and have until April 2022 to do so, but you'll start seeing the section pop up on Google Play sometime within the first quarter of next year.