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Google wants to see more gambling apps in the Play Store
India, Brazil, and Mexico are getting expanded support for 'real-money gaming,' with more territories to come
While it’s true that mobile games can be a fun way to pass the time, they can go well beyond that once real money is at stake. Any form of gambling can be habit-forming, which is why many governments have policies in place to regulate this kind of gaming. However, these regulations vary according to region, and not all countries have legislation that restricts gambling — even in the form of a mobile app. Now, Google is loosening its Play Store policies to make room for what it’s calling “real-money games,” or gaming apps involving real-world currency.
Google Play Policies: All of the important changes expected through 2023
No more full-screen ads or impossible-to-cancel subscriptions
It's hardly controversial to say that the Play Store hasn't been handled amazingly by Google. Even when they were a constant irritation to the Play Store's users, it still took Google 10 years to even start formulating a plan to address those god-awful full-screen ads present in many games and apps. A silly example, perhaps, but misinformation, impersonation, and egregious monetization are far more serious problems. Luckily Google has been publicly listing its plans to remedy many of these issues. AP wants to ensure everyone is aware of what's going on with these changes, so we've rounded up some of the latest policy statements from Google to explain how they're going to change the service for developers and customers alike.
Play Store lays out new rules to curb intrusive full screen ads
Also modernizes several policies about misinformation, impersonation, and monetization
Google Play regularly revises its policies in response to both new and old problems that can be found among apps in the marketplace. Many of the changes may only impact developers, with some will also having indirect effects that show up for users; but there are a few that many people will benefit from right away.
YouTube is about to make all of your old unlisted videos private, but there's a workaround
Don't let your uploads turn invisible
YouTube's success comes from how easy it is to find, share, and discover user-uploaded content from around the world, but not every clip is intended to be public. Unlisted videos serve as a bridge between public and private, allowing for embeds and sharable links without appearing in search results or subscription feeds. However, a new security update coming to YouTube could turn many of your unlisted videos private if you don't take action.
Back in the day, Light Flow was an integral part of the Android enthusiast toolkit. Nexus phones came with snazzy multicolored LEDs for notifications, but customization options were limited. Light Flow filled that gap with per-app and per-notification type tweaks. Sadly for those that might still be using it, Google's API targeting requirements will be limiting colored LED support going forward. Per-contact and call/SMS/MMS distinguishing notification customization will also have to be abandoned as a result of other developer policy changes.
Facebook announced yesterday that it's going to be making policy changes for users around the world based on the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although GDPR doesn't take effect until May 25, Facebook says it's rolling out the changes in Europe this week, with other regions following later.
Hey! Good news! The F.A.A is going to take another look at its stance on "no digital devices during take-off/landing" policy. Sounds pretty promising, right? Not so fast -- this process could take... well, forever. Why is that? Because in order to change the policy, every single device would have to be tested. One at a time. On every plane in existence. No, I'm not kidding.